The Best Hiking in Marblemount

On a drizzly day, we set out to patrol Monogram Lake. Sore legs and thousands of feet later, we had the pristine lake all to ourselves with gorgeous fall weather and peek-a-boo views of the North Cascades.From Highway 20 in Marblemount, take Cascade River Road for 7 miles and look for a small par...

Beginning about 7 miles down the Cascade River Road from Marblemount, the Lookout Mountain Lookout trailhead is on the north side of the road with parking for about 4-5 cars. With about 4500' elevation gain in 4.7 miles, this hike is definitely a thigh burner. The trail begins with a steep climb...

Even from the Trailhead, the views overlooking the Skagit River valley, all the way out toward Mount Vernon, are outstanding. The trail follows 20 tight switchbacks as it makes it's way 600 feet up to the southern crest of the summit ridge. This is a steep slope and it's possible to look straight...

To get to Lazy Bear Falls, take Bacon Creek Road off the North Cascade Highway for 5 miles. At the 3-way fork, take the left road, which will lead you down and over a bridge crossing Bacon Creek. From here, the road will require 4x4 and high clearance.From here, continue up the road for about 0.5...

North Cascade National Park is home to some of the most rugged and remote mountains in the lower 48 states. Because of this, the area is rarely seen up close and personal in the winter, but there are a few spots where you can see these wild mountains that will defy all imagination. In terms of lo...

To get to your campground or to Trappers Peak, hike roughly five miles along the trail to ridge, where the trail divides. If you head left you'll go down into lake basis where you can drop your gear. Come back to the divide and head right, which will lead you up to trappers peak. Something to ke...

Be careful when heading up this 4.5 mile trail since there can be snow coverage into the summer. When you start the trail, you'll get a little tree coverage as you start climbing up. Unfortunately, the shade starts to dissipate after about a mile, where you'll cross over Sibley Creek and enter th...

The drive up to the starting point of the trail to Anderson and Watson Lake was easy, but at the end it gets a little tricky - the service road is sharp gravel and runs for about 10 miles to the trailhead. Some spots are steep and there are large potholes, but slow and steady wins the race. There...

Access the hike from a 26.5-mile drive down Baker Lake Rd to the Baker Lake Trailhead. Note that the last 6 miles are unpaved and rather rough. The trail starts at low elevation so there's rarely snow or condition concerns, even in early spring. The trail runs alongside and then crosses the Bake...

The Picket Range is a remote and rugged subrange of Washington's North Cascades. It draws very few visitors per year, and the odds of seeing another human on your adventure are very low. West McMillan Spire is an 8,000' peak located in the Southern Pickets. It is a Class 3 climb involving bot...

Standing on the knife edge summit, the terrain around you plummets steeply into glacier-filled basins that trickle into turquoise alpine lakes. Serrated snowy peaks give way to forest covered valleys below that craft a rugged landscape. Eldorado Peak delivers you atop this wild and mountainous wo...

...After spending my 3 days exploring and capturing the partial lunar eclipse at North Cascades National Park in Washington, I was eager to find another adventure that I haven't done yet or others didn't know much about. As I was driving East leaving Gorge Creek Falls, .9 miles on my left I spott...

As an initial note, to spend an overnight at Sahale Glacier Camp, you need to obtain a permit at the North Cascades Ranger Station in Marblemount, Washington. Permits are limited, so get there early or call in advance. To start, go to Marblemount, WA and then drive ~23 miles east on Cascade Rive...

To get to this hike, go to Marblemount, WA. Then, drive ~23 miles east on Cascade River Road until the end, the Cascade Pass trailhead. Even before you hit the trail, you'll get an amazing view of Johannesburg Mountain. Once you're ready to get going, the initial 3.7 miles of this hike to Cascad...

Starting at 3,640 feet elevation, the Cascade Pass Trailhead begins adjacent to the Johannesburg Camp and proceeds east along a relentless series of switchbacks. Though the trail is consumed by a thick Washington evergreen forest, the switchbacks frequently open to sweeping vistas of the far-reac...

To get to Sahale Peak, drive to Marblemount, WA and continue on the Cascade River Road (Forest Road 15) for 23.5 miles. The road ends at the Cascade Pass trailhead, where the climb begins.The first part of the climb follows the Cascade Pass trail for 3.5 miles and 1,800 feet. Cascade Pass makes a...