Best Fall Hikes in the North Cascades

I regularly get requests from magazines asking for images, they specify which places, season, weather, or what ever fits their plans for upcoming issues. If you have any good images of say, Crater Lake at night, then you submit, if they like, your image gets published.

Best Fall Hikes, or October Hikes was one of the categories needed.

I love fall colors, love the lack of bugs and the crisp air for hiking. Its funny, in early July just when access to the high country is about to start, to be thinking ahead to fall. But I spent two days locating and editing images…

The North Cascades offer a unique version of fall, The Larch. The mountain larch, or Tamarack, looks like a regular evergreen in the spring or summer, but in early October the needles turn bright orange, and then fall off.

The effect is stunning. The sharp orange, interspersed with greens and browns, maybe a few white clouds in an bright blue sky…are you getting the idea? Its a color junkies dream.

All of these hikes are along (or close to) the Cascade Loop. Check their web site for lots of ideas of more adventures, as well as food/lodging.

Here are the 3 Best Fall Hikes in the North Cascades

The Enchantments

How can you not start with the Enchantments? This is one of the most magical places to hike anywhere in the world. And in early October it just explodes. If you go, plan to spend several days. You’ll not soon forget it! Yes, its a pain to get a permit, and yes, it is a brutal approach to get up and into the Core of the Enchantments with photo gear and 5 days of food, but who ever said Perfection Lake was easily attained? Book a night or two at the Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort in Leavenworth to aid your recovery!

Here are a few images from a recent October trip.

Colchuck Lake from Aasgard Pass

Prusik Peak and Gnome Tarn

Goats

Isolation Lake – Upper Enchantments

Crystal Lake

Prusik Peak and Gnome Tarn

Perfection Lake and Prusik Peak

Isolation Lake – Upper Enchantments

Prusik Peak and Gnome Tarn

Perfection Lake and Larch

The next Best Fall Hike is another local favorite. Early October weekends will find this trail head packed to overflowing, with cars out along both sides of Highway 20.

Blue Lake and Washington Pass

Larch seem to like an elevation around 6,000 to 8,000 feet. You can see them here draped like a necklace over the neck line of Liberty Bell. Washington Pass, located on the North Cascades Highway offers spectacular views of Liberty Bell Mountain and the north side of Early Winter Spires.

The Blue Lake trail, located about a quarter mile from Washington Pass Overlook, is a short, moderate trail which skirts along the base and then along the back side of the monolith. Once you get to Blue Lake the views back to Early Winter Spires are impossibly beautiful.

Liberty Bell from the Washington Pass Overlook

Liberty Bell from the Washington Pass Overlook

Liberty Bell from the Washington Pass Overlook

Blue Lake

Liberty Bell and Early Winter Spires

Liberty Bell and Early Winter Spires

Liberty Bell and Early Winter Spires

Liberty Bell and Early Winter Spires over Blue Lake

Finally for the 3rd Best Fall Hikes in the North Cascades…This last one is a bit further afield, its a long drive over to Eastern Washington, up through Omak, north of Tonasket and on to the Pasayten Wilderness. But the trail, though long, has minimal elevation change and the payoff, at Upper Cathedral Lake will only make you want to stay longer.

Upper Cathedral Lake, Pasayten Wilderness

In some places you’ll find Larch, often interspersed with other trees. Sort of sprinkled about. But here in the Upper Cathedral Lakes basin its almost solid larch. and as you are imagining, its like someone lit the place on fire.The trail takes you up to Sunny Pass, through Horseshoe Basin and along the Boundary Trail (the Canada Border is a stones throw away). This section of the trail is also part of the much longer Pacific Northwest Trail.

Horseshoe Basin

Windy Peak

Trail below Cathedral Peak

Cathedral Peak and Pass

Amphitheater Mountain

Amphitheater Mountain

Remmel Mountain

Road to Iron Gate Trail head, going in

Road to Iron Gate Trail head, going out

 

Washington Pass and Blue Lake

Sunday was a perfect day for falls colors. Mixed sun and clouds, a bit of snow and amazing colors.

These images are from Washington Pass (in the meadow near the lookout turn out) and along the trail to Blue Lake, at the small pond just beyond the lake.

Get prints here.

Info on Photo Tours here.

Liberty Bell

Liberty Bell

September New Moon Images

I led one class for the North Cascades Institute on Thursday to the Diablo Overlook and on Saturday took 3 new night sky photographers to Washington Pass Overlook for a photo shoot.

Diablo Overlook

Liberty Bell

Liberty Bell

Washington Pass Meadows

Washington Pass is located along the North Cascades Highway. It is the high point along the route, at more than 5,000 feet.

There is a Lookout there, a parking area and a short trail leads to the overlook.

I have been there dozens of times, and only this last week discovered the wonderful meadows nearby, when I was there for North Cascades Photo Tours.

Here are a few pics!

Liberty Bell and Washington Pass

Liberty Bell and Washington Pass

Liberty Bell and Washington Pass

Liberty Bell and Washington Pass

Night Sky at Washington Pass Overlook

Photographing the Night Sky at Washington Pass Overlook, along the North Cascades Highway is spectacular.

Far away from any ambient light the skies are dark.

The looming peak of Liberty Bell Mountain and the hairpin curve of the highway below add to the scene.

This is one of the top locations I use for the North Cascades Night Sky Tours.

Here are some images from my many visits.

Liberty Bell, North Cascades Highway

Liberty Bell

Liberty Bell, North Cascades Highway

Liberty Bell from the North Cascades Highway

Liberty Bell

Liberty Bell

My Favorite Images of 2014: Part 1

I shot many images in 2014. As I review them there are some that capture my imagination. Here are the first 11 images:

Spider Meadows, Glacier Peak Wilderness

Skagit County Barn: Early Morning

Mount Adams and Split Rock, along the Pacific Crest Trail in the Goat Rocks Wilderness

Padilla Bay

Crystal Lake, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Skagit Valley

Liberty Bell and the North Cascades Highway

Samish River

In the Subway, Zion National Park, Utah

Stormy Skies at Maple Pass, North Cascades

Skagit River Bridge

Colchuck Lake, Enchantments, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

North Cascades Highway

Liberty Bell from the Washington Pass Overlook along the North Cascades Highway, Washington

Liberty Bell Mountain, North Cascades

Any trip over the North Cascades Highway necessitates a stop at the Washington Pass Lookout.

Located at the highest point along the highway, at more than 5,400 ft elevation, Washington Pass Overlook offers stunning views of Liberty Bell and Early Winter Spires.

This section of the North Cascades Highway makes for one of the most scenic drives in Washington and is a part of the Cascade Loop Scenic Highway

I have stopped there many times on the way to or from hikes in the Pasayten Wilderness. Each time the mountain shows a different countenance. Silver Star Mountain is also clearly in view from the Washington Pass Lookout.

After Mount Shuksan I would have to guess that Liberty Bell is one of the most photographed mountains in the state, due to its stark beauty and easy access to the lookout area.

Several trips I have made to Washington Pass only to capture images, at sunrise, sunset and on clear starless nights!