Maple Pass Trail

Maple Pass is one of the most popular trails in the North Cascades National Park in Washington.  The loop hike features ridgelines covered in wildflowers, beautiful lakes, and dramatic views.  The trail starts at 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) elevation and gains 2,150 feet (655 meters) as we climb to the pass. 

Our first visit to the trailhead in the spring provides notice that the trail is covered in snow and not accessible until the snowman at the entrance melts.

Come back when I'm melted

In the fall, the snowman is long gone; the the trail is open.  We start up through the forest, with an hour-long diversion to Lake Ann about a mile or so down a side trail.  We view the lake and return to the main trail that will offer us other views of the lake from 1,000 - 2,000 feet (305 - 610 meters) above it as we climb.

Along the trail

Views of where we're going

Fields of wildflowers

Lake Ann from the shore

The trail starts to climb steeply toward Maple Pass.

Hiking up

Views of nearby ridges

Looking down at Lake Ann

More fields of wildflowers

The wildflower and heather communities through which we pass have developed over thousands of years.  Heather is one of the first plants to colonize rocky mountain slopes, blowing in on the wind and settling and growing where it finds soil.

We are getting higher on the mountain and starting to see spectacular views of nearby peaks.

Nearby scenery

As we approach the pass, at an elevation of 6,650 feet (2,025 meters), the view expands and we spend a lot of time admiring the the sights as we proceed up the trail.

Approaching the top

Great views

Eventually, it is time to start down and we follow the trail initially along a cliff descending on the other side of Maple Pass.

Trail down

More great view on the way down

We reach the bottom and a gentle path finishes the loop, leading us to the parking lot.

Paved path to the parking lot

Maple Pass is a great hike with lots of dramatic scenery and fabulous trails up to the pass (and back down).

Blue Lake Trail and Cutthroat Lake

Blue Lake is located in the North Cascades at an elevation of 6,254 feet (1.9 km), a little over two trail miles from Highway 20 with just over 1,000 feet (300 meters) of elevation gain from the trailhead.  The lake is surrounded by towering granite peaks, forests, meadows, and (in spring and summer) wildflowers.

We park and start up the trail, passing the National Park sign-in and sign-out book for the trail.

Along the trail

Glimpses of surrounding peaks

Soon we reach Blue Lake and relax on the shore enjoying the scenery before starting back.

Blue Lake

The trail down

Views on the way down

Fields of color

Descending to the trailhead

The trail to Cutthroat Lake, a few miles further down the road, provides a pleasant hike to a grassy forested lake set in a rocky basin beneath Cutthroat Peak, a rugged tower near Washington Pass.  We park and start up along Cutthroat Creek to the lake.

Up the trail

Views along the way

Crossing the creek

We reach the lake, which, while not as impressive as Blue Lake, is a pretty destination, surrounded by mountains.

Cutthroat Lake

All too soon, we're heading back down,admiring the fields of wildflowers along the trail.

Wildflowers

The trail back down

View from the trail

These two lake hikes make a great combination to fill the day.