What a fun, easy little loop trail on the Sauk River! We were looking for a quick little excuse to…read moreget outdoors for a bit, but didn't want anything too strenuous (or too difficult to get to) so this little spot was perfect. Located right off the Mountain Loop Highway, there's a good sized parking lot, pit toilets, and even a (slightly overgrown) picnic area. We set out on the loop and soon found ourselves deep in the luscious forest full of beautiful trees, plants, logs, ferns, and all the amazing foliage that comes with a PNW summer. The trail was well-marked, as it does branch off into longer hikes in a couple of spots, but we were always able to easily stay on the loop. At one point, we followed a spur down to a viewpoint that overlooked the river - it was a small detour and definitely worth checking out. The hike itself took about 45 minutes at our slow-paced speed. It was the perfect little outing before we hit up the local brewery for some lunch! This trail is dog-friendly, too, and felt very safe. I did notice this trail is listed as "accessible" - I would caution against trying to use it in a standard wheelchair, though, as it was overgrown and bumpy in spots.

Beautiful and peaceful State Park…read more We were heading to North Cascades Park and saw the sign for Rockport. We try to check out any state parks we can, so we made an impromptu turn in. There were only a couple cars in the lot, and no one in sight. As I was in the bathroom...which by the way, as another reviewer mentioned, were some of the cleanest I've ever seen in a park...my husband was checking out the trail map. Knowing my deep affinity for trees, especially the elderly ones, he had quickly made the decision we were taking a short trail while here. We took off across the highway to Sauk Springs Trail to see the old grandmother cedar. The trail was a bit muddy at times but nothing tragic. A narrow, serene path winds through the old growth forest passing by the GORGEOUS old cedar and continuing on the loop back to the park entrance. On our way back to the van we noticed a sign about the now closed campground portion of the park. Personally I loved the idea that rather than destroy the precious old growth trees that had become fragile, the park decided in 2007 to close the campground, letting nature have its home while letting hikers still take in the beauty via foot or by driving through. As we left we did just that, drove a loop through the old campgrounds...so cool to see nature slowly reclaiming the space. This park is beautiful. Pristine grounds and lovely trails. Definitely a great place to stop by for a picnic, a hike, and to check out old Grandmother!

My mom and I came to Rockport State Park on Wednesday the 1st of July 2020 together. The park is…read morepart of the Washington State Parks and you need a Discover Pass to park at the location. After parking and putting our annual Discover Pass on display we visited the informational pavilions. One was stocked with maps of the trail systems at both Rasar and Rockport State Park. We took one of those to help us if we got lost in the forest. We were happy to find the trail we chose to hike that day was marked with a trail system map at the trail junction with the paved road. A restroom building is located just uphill from the parking lot. We stopped there before venturing out on the Fern Creek Trail. The day we visited it was supposed to be rainy most of the day and we had found a brief window where it was not raining. Thus we decided to take a shorter trail just to see what we could see before it started raining again. It was simple to find the Fern Creek Trail, this was one of the few times I referred to the paper map while hiking just to double check we hadn't taken a wrong turn along the road. Trees along the Fern Creek Trail reach over 400 years in age. Cool to be hiking with giants that are older than the United States of America is on paper. Birds called and flitted around as we made our way through the old growth forest. We encountered a tree that had cracked and fallen. Hedgy the Hedgehog liked exploring this tree. Huckleberries and wild blueberries lined the path in several places. The trail itself was mostly flat. Due to the recent rain some parts of the trail had standing water, other parts were muddy. We didn't do much talking except exclamations of excitement over how neat the forest and trees were. After finishing the trail we made our way back to the car and departed the park for the day. It started raining as we started driving back west on Washington State Route 20.

This hike is very intense but very pretty. The beginning part of the hike is full of switchbacks in…read morea wooded area. Then, you cross through an overgrown thicket that may contain stinging nettles. There are lots of files and bugs during this part. After the thicket is another wooded area with a couple of streams running through the path (but there are bridges so you're shoes probably won't get wet). Towards the end of this section, there is a fork in the road that is kind of hard to see. One path takes you to the lookout tower and the other takes you to mirror lake, where you can call overnight with a permit. If you're going to the tower, the next area you'll walk through is the spectacular Alpine meadow full of flowers and the beginnings of views of the surrounding mountains. After that the remainder of the hike until the top is relatively short. There is a lookout tour at the top that you can climb and view all the surrounding mountains and foothills, such as Mt Baker and Mt pilchuck. The hike took me (a semi novice hiker) and my friends 4 hours to get to the top and 3 hours getting down (going downhill is tricky because it's very steep, and you'll probably be tired). This hike is super hard and long but worth it for the view, at least for me.

Pretty steep for a quick two mile hike but definitely worth it!! It was pretty muddy when I went so…read moreI recommend bringing a nice pair of hiking shoes and trekking poles. I love that this hike doesn't require any pass or fee. There's no restroom, so Espresso Chalet is a good place to stop to use the restroom before the hike! The trail was pretty quiet, we only saw a few people on the way up and down. We had the top of the lookout to ourselves for about 15mins, before groups of people started to arrived so if you want privacy go early. Either way it wasn't too crowded and people were considerate with taking turns at the front of the lookout.

Nothing special. Lot of stones and rooted under the feet. Pretty steep elevation under the trees…read more View from the top is just ok. Trees hide half of the mountains view even if you climbed to the lookout

This Visitor Center is a must visit. They have map of North Cascades Mountain and Hiking Trails…read more There is a gift shop, restrooms, water fill stations, and gift shops There is a trail in the back of the visitor center. The River Loop Trail. An easy trail to visit where it leads into a view of the water. There is a park ranger there available to answer your questions on what trails is open and what is accessible. The Visitor Center is a place where you can relax a little and enjoy the information of maps available to many. There is an exhibit available by the gift shop. The gift shops has various items. Tshirts, magnets and postcards. They sell a little bit of snacks too.

Since North Cascades is one of the least visited national parks, I wasn't expecting much from their…read morevisitor center. However, it's actually super nice - so pleasantly surprised. Decent sized center. Small bookstore with a good variety of souvenirs. Lots of park information. Super knowledgeable rangers ready to help with your visit. Really nice and clean bathrooms (always a big plus!!). We had cell reception here so it was great to plug our stops in on maps. Make sure to walk around to the back of the visitor center. There's a short boardwalk that's ends with a gorgeous viewpoint of North Cascades. Hands down a must. You can take as little or as much time as you want just enjoying the beauty. The visitor center is also the starting point for the River Loop Trail - an easy 1.8 mile round trip walk with beautiful views of the surrounding forest and the river. Great first stop for your trip to North Cascades.

Wow! This sure lived up to its name, world's smallest park you got that right ha ha ha! if you're…read morethinking about coming to this park or not, ask yourself, do you enjoy a good game of checkers if you do, I would highly recommend coming to this place. My friend and I spent a good hour here just playing checkers, while you're sitting and playing checkers at the world's smallest park, you can look around to see a beautiful town named concrete. although there's not much nature here we were surrounded by leaves and some greenery. Plenty of parking unless it's busy but for us on a Monday at 2 PM it's not busy. I would highly recommend if you're a tourist of the sorts!

This is the lowest and most remote volcano in Washington. I've been up this mountain three times…read moreand love it so I'm reviewing, even though the last time up was 2020. This hike is beautiful, and I suggest taking your time, and staying two nights on the way in, and one night on the way out simply to enjoy the surroundings. Plus, it's nearly a 33 mile round trip. Take the North Fork Sauk Trail to the PCT. First 5 miles are nice and easy, then a couple of miles of seemingly endless switch backs. A short bit on the PCT and a nice camping spot to the right. Second Day is a very nice hike into the mountain and to the high camp. Third morning is the summit approach. The trail is obvious. Depending on the time of the year, you may need to rope up as it can be quite crevassed in the later summer. Definitely recommend ice axe and crampons. We walked out and peered into some deep wide crevasses, anchoring our selves with rope. This is one of my favorite climbs because it's really not hard, just long on the way in. Very beautiful but weather can change very fast and on one summit it turned to a thunder storm. Still, if you like to hike and climb, this one is a must. Bear canisters recommended, though I've never seen a bear here. No permit required, just Northwest Forest Pass for parking. Go do it!

Glacier Peak is notorious mainly for how remote it is. Many people in Seattle have probably seen…read moreit on a clear day, and either not known it's name or mislabeled it something else. It has one of the longest approaches of any major peak in the NW (along with Mt Olympus). But, man, it's a gorgeous hike in! Terrain is continually changing. In the forest, in alpine meadows, over rock, on glaciers, at the summit! Lots of gorgeous places to put a tent on the way in, I'd be worth going to even if you're not going to summit.

Growing up near the Blueridge mountains, I've been a fan of bluegrass music for most of my life…read more Now I'm a transplant to the PNW and I'm thrilled to see bluegrass growing some roots out here. The Darrington Music Park is an awesome setup with a huge amphitheater with a stage down below, expansive tiered seating and vendors and food at the top. There is a large campground in the trees at the top of the amphitheater, offering ample shade and the great sounds of music. Campground has limited power, with several sites sharing a single 120 volt outlet; plan accordingly. The parking lot isn't too bad of a walk, and the hosts offer golf cart shuttle service up and down through the entire event. Keep on pluckin'!