Two Views in the North Cascades

Diablo Lake, North Cascade National Park

The promise of seeing Diablo Lake’s turquoise-colored waters was enough to lure us from Seattle into Washington State’s North Cascades National Park. The intense hue comes from minerals and rock ground down by the surrounding glaciers and carried into the lake. To have a look at Diablo Lake (actually a reservoir), we drove along Highway 20, pulled into a parking lot, and walked a few hundred feet to a viewing point. Instant gratification.

Not all vistas were as easily seen as Diablo Lake. When our Jeep could take us no further, we set out on foot along the Cascade Pass Trail. For nearly four miles we navigated forested switchbacks, rocky slopes, wildflower-laden meadows, and patches of summer snow, steadily trekking upward into alpine country until we finally reached our destination: Cascade Pass and its view of peaks and glaciers.

Northern Cascades, Cascade Pass

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14 Comments on “Two Views in the North Cascades”

  1. suejansons March 14, 2014 at 8:33 am #

    Absolutely gorgeous! Reminds me a lot of Lake Tahoe.

    Like

  2. Beachbums1 March 14, 2014 at 8:57 am #

    So beautiful!

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  3. sarahryan85 March 14, 2014 at 9:19 am #

    stunning!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Carol Balawyder March 14, 2014 at 9:58 am #

    Gorgeous photos!

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  5. winnymarch March 14, 2014 at 10:15 am #

    wonderfull view. i like it

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  6. Animalcouriers March 14, 2014 at 10:31 am #

    The water looks so inviting but bet it’s damned cold!

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  7. whatuful March 14, 2014 at 10:43 am #

    beautiful friend!

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  8. dianabuja March 15, 2014 at 7:17 am #

    Thanks for the blog and the beautiful photos. I spent part of my kidhood in the Pacific Northwest, and always will remember both the Cascades and the Olympics / as well as Mt. Ranier, all 3 of which we could see from our country home.

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  9. Forget the Viagra...Pass me a Carrot! March 15, 2014 at 8:05 am #

    Another stunning photograph – the colour of that water is amazing.

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  10. Forget the Viagra...Pass me a Carrot! March 15, 2014 at 8:07 am #

    Reblogged this on Forget the Viagra, Pass Me a Carrot and commented:
    This is one of those photographs that fills you with a sense of adventure – even from my armchair. Fantastic.

    Like

  11. irenedesign2011 March 15, 2014 at 10:54 am #

    Really beautiful.
    Irene

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  12. geoffers1 March 15, 2014 at 6:33 pm #

    The vivid colours in the photos are fantastic.

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    Great Pitchers. it is really interesting, I hope everybody lick this Post.

    Like

  14. The Earth Beneath My Feet March 17, 2014 at 6:10 am #

    Wow, that aqua is breathtaking. The scenery is stunning too 🙂

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