Exploration was the plan for today so we headed east up the Skagit River into the North Cascades National Park. The road, WA-20, runs right close to our campground in Concrete so we left the park, turned left but almost immediately found the Concrete Sauk Valley Road that runs up the other side of the river from 20. It is a very scenic drive with almost no traffic so Peggy and I could putt along enjoying the terrific roadside forest and pasture at about 25 mph without trapping faster drivers behind us because there weren’t any. About an hour later, we emerged on WA-530 which took us back across the Skagit into the tiny burg of Rockport.
In Rockport we turned east again and headed into the more mountainous part of the road. We passed through places with names like Corkindale, Marblemount and Newhalem where we entered the park. The road continues climbing toward Diablo and Ross Lakes, passing through some of the most beautiful country on the planet. Massive trees, waterfalls, the turquoise Skagit and magnificent volcanic geology are the highlights. There are some small dams that can be visited, a great park visitor center and stunning overlooks liberally dotted along the roadside. Peggy and I have passed this way before on previous visits but today was the first time when the weather was sunny and the views were extraordinary.
Above Ross Lake we turned back toward home, backtracking down the exact route we used going up. The scenery was just as fantastic going the other way.
We took some pictures along the way and you can see some of them if you click here