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Route Map
Recommended Stops
A Sedro-Woolley Headquarters for Cascades National Park
Complex and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, information
center and bookstore.
B Concrete During the early 1900s, Concrete was a bustling
hub of Skagit Valley's logging industry. Start track two on your
disc after you cross Baker River.
C Rockport Confluence of the Sauk and Skagit rivers. Eagles
flock here in winter to feed on salmon. Stop at Howard Miller
Steelhead Park to see a homesteader's cabin and native canoe.
Rockport State Park holds a grove of towering Douglas fir.
D Marblemount A former supply and social hub for North
Cascades mining activity during the late 1800s and early 1900s,
Marblemount remains the gateway to "America's Alps."
The Cascade Pass road intersects State Route 20 at the east end
of Marblemount. If you're planning on hiking and camping in the
North Cascades, the National Park Service Wilderness Ranger station
in Marblemount is the place to get your backcountry permits. The
town is also the last stop for gas before the mountains begin.
E Power and the River Power lines along the road transmit
electricity to Seattle in less than a second. The free-flowing
Skagit River is a designated Wild and Scenic River.
F National Park Visitor Center, Newhalem Rock Shelter,
and Newhalem North Cascades National Park Visitor Center has interpretive
exhibits and a knowledgeable staff of rangers to field your questions.
Visit Newhalem Rock Shelter, one of Washington's important archaeological
sites. Historic town of Newhalem is home to Seattle City Light
and the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project.
G Skagit River Gorge When the Cordilleran Ice Sheet dammed
the Skagit River some fifteen thousand years ago, the Skagit River
flooded over a mountain pass and carved this narrow gorge. In
the 1910s and 1920s, Seattle City Light engineers saw this narrow
gorge as a perfect location for hydroelectric dams.
H Diablo A Seattle City Light town built for workers,
Diablo is home to the incline railway and the towering Diablo
dam. Sourdough Mountain lookout, where poets such as Gary Snyder
once worked, is high above.
I Diablo Lake Overlook This pullout has a grand vista
along the highway. Glaciers cap the mountains high above you,
and rock flour made by glacial scouring fills Diablo Lake, giving
it the color of brilliant jade.
J Ross Lake and Prospectors Ross Lake is the largest lake
in the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project. The Skagit River once
meandered here before plunging into the gorge. Prospectors passed
through this area before finding gold in Ruby Creek. The shanty
mining town of Ruby City still lies beneath Ross Lake.
K Climbing toward the Cascade Crest The subalpine forest
gradually dominates as you ascend. This was the heart of the high
Cascade mining country during the late 1800s.
L Rainy Pass and the Cascade Crest At 4855 feet, Rainy
Pass is the Cascade Crest. The 2600 mile Pacific Crest Trail from
Mexico to Canada, crosses the highway here. Once higher than Washington
Pass, Rainy Pass was eroded more by the Cordilleran Ice Sheet
than Washington Pass and is now about 600 feet lower.
M Washington Pass At 5477 feet, Washington Pass is the
highest point on the highway. Towering Liberty Bell Mountain and
the jagged Early Winter Spires are made of Golden Horn Granite.
From the lookout near the parking area, you can catch your first
glimpse into the dry lands of Eastern Washington.
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