This sign we saw at the entrance to the park was a source of debate! You can see what looks like snow on the top of the sign. I was convinced it was fake and Abby was convinced it was real. As a spoiler for who was right…the ambient temperature outside was about 80 degrees this day 🙂
Our first hike of the day coming in to the park was the top of Thunder Dome. We got our very first views of the crazy blue lakes!
This hike was a lot of fun! I will admit the views of the lake from the road pull off did offer some more stunning views….but the ones above were sweeter for the effort we invested to climb to them. I said this to Abby when we were hiking – something I have definitely learned during my travels- People never know truly when they see you post a picture how hard you had to work to get it. They don’t know if you waited 4 hours for the sun to hit the rock just the right way, or if you climbed a few thousand feet to reach that vantage point. They also don’t know if you pulled off on the side of the road and snapped the picture from the comfort of the car. Sometimes that mean the pictures you love the most aren’t always the most beautiful – they are the ones you know you worked the hardest to capture.
Here is the same lake from the shore! Doesn’t have the same stunning blue reflection from this angle but its still a beautiful shade. I put my feet in the lake for a bit and they immediately went numb! I have no idea how others next to us were swimming in it…
This is a dam and power plant that feeds the city of Seattle. Its right in the park and we used the bridge to get over to our hike since the trail was closed.
Some views of the falls as we climbed up the stairs. This area was beautiful. When we saw the huge stack of stairs we made sure to ask the people coming down if the views were worth it before climbing up 🙂 This is Ladder Creek Falls!
Day 2 in the park involved us driving the scenic highway through the park. Our first stop was the hike to Rainy Lake. This one was flat and easy – a nice break from the other more challenging hikes we had done.
Rainy lake was stunning! There were several waterfalls cascading down the mountainside into the lake. The water was crystal clear and Abby and I sat here for a while enjoying the view.
On the very eastern side of the park, just outside the bounds is Washington Pass. I had heard that this overlook had some stunning views and it did not disappoint. The rugged mountain peaks with the trees and rock made for some incredible pictures.
After we finished our scenic drive Abby and I stayed the night in the lake town of Chelan. It was comical how many different ways Abby and I tried pronouncing that town. It wasn’t until we were watching a local commercial on the TV that we finally were rewarded with the answer!
We stayed in Chelan to catch a boat ride up to the secluded town of Stehekin. This is a town in the park bounds that can only be reached by boat, float plane or foot. There are no roads into the town! During the boat ride we realized why, this long lake is surrounded by rocky mountain peaks – making it challenging to navigate! The views from the boat were great.
At one point the boat drive pulled over to the side of the lake to let us get a closer look at Donkey Falls! Stunning color and volume – all from the comfort of our boat chairs 🙂
Once we arrived in Stehekin we decided to catch the shuttle over to the Stehekin Pastry Company. Next to it was a small gift shop shown below. We only had about 1.5 hours in the town before our boat departed back to Chelan, so we had to make the most of it! Abby and I got some lunch and some bakery treats for the road.
Sometimes when I travel I wonder how people can live their whole lives in towns so small. Everything from food to amazon packages have to come down on this boat! Other days when I feel stressed and overwhelmed by the busyness of life, I imagine myself moving somewhere like this. Quiet, and slow with stunning scenery every time you wake up. I’d love to come back and spend a week or so in this town just to really have a chance to slow down and appreciate the secluded life!
Overall North Cascades was a hit! We loved the lake views, the hikes in the woods, and the opportunity to check out this cool town. We had a few more hikes on our itinerary that we didn’t hit so I am sure I’ll be back again in the future to explore some more!!
Kelsey's Climb to 59 (+4) 