Bottom Line:
A treat! The terrain on this one is pretty special - a granite wonderland once you are about 1/2 way to the lookout. The contrast of the white-washed granite and the colorful meadows was spectacular. I would say this hike is as much about the journey as the destination. The views, once you emerge from the woods after ~1-1/4 miles, are great throughout, and the alpine terrain is really unique and beautiful - otherworldly almost. The view of Hidden Lake at the lookout is nice, although wish there was a maintained trail down to the lake to explore (with a packraft of course!) The views deep into North Cascades National Park are dynamite - some of the best glacier views around. Mt Baker, Shukan and Glacier Peak are also visible. After the weekend rain, the air was clear and the visibility outstanding. Oh... and blueberries... LOTS of them :)
Stats:
- Distance: 9-1/4 miles
- Vertical: 3190 ft
- Duration: 5-1/2 hours
- Road/Parking: Cascade River Rd is paved and in good condition through the (unmarked) junction with NF-1540 (it is the only ungated, lefthand, uphill road on the approach). NOTE: The Marblemount bridge across the Skagit is closed, so there is a detour via Rockport Cascade Rd from Rockport, west of Marblemount. NF-1540 is an adventure, probably only doable by high-clearance vehicles. No problem in a Subaru. The worst part of the road is near the beginning, with some very deep ruts with bottom-out potential. The road is steep and narrow - it would have been a problem to encounter oncoming traffic, so I would personally avoid this road on a weekend and keep with the "hiking commute" direction. NOTE: Wider vehicles might be scratched by trees.
- Weather: Sunny with some convective clouds forming over the high peaks; no wind; 50-60Fs (felt warmer in the sunshine). The trail has excellent late afternoon sun making for a warm descent.
- Water: Water is limited on this trail; I carried water. Previous reports put the last water at 1-1/2 miles in, but there is flowing water up to 2-1/2 miles in, and ponds available higher up. The situation might have changed since the heavy rain over the weekend.
- Flowers/Fall Color: The middle part of the hike consists of switchbacks up a wide avalanche chute with amazing views, and lush meadows. I need to come back in flower season - it looks like it was quite the show, with deep and overgrown meadows. What remains? Mainly pearly everlasting and some paintbrush and aster. The meadows are starting to show fall color - still lots of green, but splashes of red, orange and yellow, especially vibrant when backlit by the sun. The color might peak in about 2 weeks. The upper 1/2 of the avalanche chute is full of blueberries to keep you charged and hydrated! The rocky terrain up high is full of heather, lichens and mosses.
- Trail: The trail can be described in 3 parts: an initial switchback ascent through the woods, a long switchback ascent up a wide avalanche chute, and finally a ridge traverse with some scrambling up granite boulders and rock gardens until you reach the precipice of the ridge overlooking Hidden Lake. There is a short scramble up to the lookout itself - I passed on this today and just sat in the sun recharging my batteries with snacks and water. There are many down trees on the initial ascent through the woods, which was wet, rooty and slippery in spots (particularly coming down). There are a handful of boardwalks just before you leave the woods. The avalanche chute is overgrowth with spent summer flowers and fall color that increases with altitude. There are steep and sandy sections where poles were very useful. The ridge traverse and final ascent are beautiful - the granite itself is very grippy, so no traction issues, although the rocky terrain is definitely tiring (another party yesterday bailed before making it to the lookout). Overall, a very quiet day with just a handful of other parties. A couple of tents below the lookout. Pika and marmots creating their usual stir the whole way :)
- Takeaway: I need to try this hike early in the summer during flower season. Based on the remnants, the meadow ascent must be amazing. Also need to plan a sunset at the lookout itself - coming down in the dark would not be too bad, despite the rocky trail. Not too many people, but some folks were out of water, not wanting to filter from the stagnant pools up high (although, per the pic below, there were some granite pools filled with fresh rainwater that were likely fine).
Higher definition pics are available at the Instagram link below. I will try to post a video showing the fall color later today.
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