Darrington, Washington

After the long drive down FR 26, turn onto FR 2680. 6 miles down the road, you'll see what slightly resembles a trail to your left. Park and prepare for your gorgeous hike!The trail starts with a 1.5 mile windy trek through the woods. You'll pop out onto the lush meadows of the mountain sides. He...

This hike is very strenuous, but nothing unconquerable! The views at sunset were once in a lifetime and something I will remember for the rest of my life. The first half mile or so of the trail begins in a wooded area then opens up to views of the lower valley. After hiking for about another ½ t...

Begin by parking at Barlow Pass and following the Gothic Basin Trail to Foggy Lake. Most of the trip's mileage is consumed by just getting to Foggy Lake, from here, the summit sits about 3/4 of a mile distant and over a thousand above you.Face the mountain and identify the obvious leftward trendi...

Looking for a hike that will make you feel like you're in a foreign landscape, but don't have to deal with that far of a drive? Then consider hiking Gothic Basin. This hike is located only 30 miles down the Mountain Loop Highway, which is nearly a hour shorter for people that live in the greater ...

Drive the Mountain Loop Highway to Barlow Pass and park at the pass using your Northwest Forest Pass. (In early or late season, be aware of snow conditions at the pass and, more importantly, along the trail up to Gothic Basin.) From Barlow Pass, start hiking south past the trail gate and in the ...

You'll start the approach to this climb at the Sloan Peak trailhead at 1800ft elevation. Moving south along the trail, you'll begin with a traverse through some marshlands and several water crossings along the Sauk River and its tributaries for the first mile and before gaining any elevation. It ...

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...

Start off by traveling down the Mountain Loop Highway, arriving at the Barlow Pass Trailhead. You will walk about 200ft to reach an old gated road. This road will lead you towards Monte Cristo. About 1.5 miles down the road, the road will start to turn into a trail that runs along the river. You ...

Greider Lakes Trail is an approximately 8+ mile hike out-and-back from the trailhead, which is labeled after a long drive up a gravel road. First 2 miles are flat, next 3 are switchbacks up. Once you reach the first larger lake, keep going! The second one is also gorgeous. This is a beautiful hik...

Starting at the North Fork Sauk Trailhead (NFD 49) off the Mountain Loop Highway, you will travel 5.3 miles and gain a leisurely 1,100 feet of elevation until you reach Mackinaw Shelter. This is where the real work begins. The trail gains a calf-burning 3,000 feet in the next 2.9 miles until you ...

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...

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...

Although the drive to the trailhead is mostly over gravel roads, Blanca Lake is a very popular hike. The drive is better for cars with clearance and AWD capabilities.  The trail gets right down to it gaining almost 3,000 feet in the first 3 miles. But don't worry, the hard work is well worth the...

Since Blanca Lake is a very popular place for folks to explore and with the nice and sunny weekend. I drove out Friday night and slept in my Jeep. Got up at 7:30am when folks first started arriving to the trail head.A couple of things to keep in mind before you start this hike. The 7.5 miles ro...

The trailhead is located at the far end of the parking lot, next to the info kiosk and bathrooms. It starts out in a wide-open area that shortly leads to stunning views of Mt. Index and Baring Mountain. The trail turns to the left and you're greeted by a beautiful Wordsworth quote carved into a t...