Location: Seattle

Day 1 - 1 May 2019

North Cascades National Park

Content: North Cascades National Park, nicknamed the “American Alps,” is a free National Park located about 2 hours from Seattle.

Location: North Cascades National Park

Day 1 - 1 May 2019

Gorge Creek Falls

Content: Gorge Creek Falls is a nice waterfall to visit and to photograph. It is a seasonal waterfall with different volumes of water throughout each year.

Thunder Knob Trail

Content: We hiked the Thunder Knob Trail–3.6 miles, 635 ft elevation gain. This trail will gave us mountain and water views and is good for all activity levels!

Diablo Lake Overlook

Content: A great place to stop for a lunch break when visiting North Cascades National Park. The view is incredible. There is a large parking lot and a couple of restrooms along with picnic benches and expansive views.

Washington Pass Overlook

Content: We continued along the North Cascades Highway and stopped by at the Washington Pass Overlook. This spot, which overlooks the crazy peaks of the North Cascade Mountains, took our breath away.

Winthrop

Content: The cute little Western town has quite a few options when it comes to lodging, as well as restaurants to enjoy after a long day of adventuring.

Location: Winthrop

Day 1 - 1 May 2019

Old Schoolhouse Brewery

Content: Very good food, had the BBQ burger and my wife had the BLT which were both really good. The beer was delicious and they had a great selection. The patio next to the river was really nice and perfect for a beer and dinner

Sun Mountain Lodge

Content: Absolutely gorgeous property with great views and amenities. Well maintained mountain bike and walking trails everywhere, horse back riding, swimming and boating in the lake. A little bit of everything for the family.

Location: Winthrop

Day 2 - 2 May 2019

Mazama Store

Content: Magical place. Fresh baked croissants. Breads. Groceries. Carry out meals and pizza. Great coffee. Everyone stops here who lives in the area. The store has cast iron cookware and gift items, too. But, it's really a resource for the end of the road and those who come to climb, hike, ski, and enjoy the mountains. Don't miss it if you are passing through.

Location: North Cascades National Park

Day 2 - 2 May 2019

The Trail Of The Cedars

Content: Any of the trails around the Visitor Center and Newhalem are good options but we particularly liked the Trail of the Cedars. The interpretive signs were interesting and the kids actually read most of them. The trees are impressively tall and the trail ends at a small powerhouse on a creek. It is a short loop (0.3 miles) but you can connect to almost all the other trails in Newhalem from the powerhouse at the end.

Skagit General Store

Content: The Skagit General Store is steps away from the trailhead and has sandwiches, fudge, and coffee. Seattle City Light operates the Skagit Information Center across the street.

Cascade Pass

Content: Cascade Pass, one of the most popular trails in the park. It is a great hike for kids because although it is steep (1700 feet elevation gain), it is not long (3.7 miles) to a fabulous viewpoint. That's a manageable amount of Skittles to bring along as bribery.

Seattle

Content: We look forward to return trip to North Cascades National Park, probably later in the summer next time so we can do more serious hiking without worrying about bringing crampons. We loved everything about this park; its scenic beauty, its lack of crowds, and its lack of grizzlies.