Once you’ve returned to SR 20, other worthy pullouts include a couple of opportunities along Gorge Lake and, farther on, Diablo Lake Vista Point-a must for a classically beautiful view of the lake, forest and mountains. (Pop into the general store right by the visitor center, well-stocked with convenience store staples and then some, including locally made Skagit fudge-it’s the last such stop for about an hour.) At Newhalem (a tiny company town owned by Seattle City Light, which manages the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project), turn right on Main Street, park at the Skagit Information Center, and walk to and across the suspension bridge to the easy and accessible Trail of the Cedars, a 1-mile loop of grand forest and the powerful Skagit River. This is not the time to rush your drive meander and take advantage of scenic pullouts as you go-there are plenty of Instagram-worthy vistas you’ll want to capture. (The highway closes because of snowfall around November 1, not to reopen until about May 1.) This is one of the most breathtakingly scenic portions of the Cascades, with dramatic views of pristine lakes and jagged peaks that are covered with snow for much of the year. You’ll leave the last “big” town when you travel through Mount Vernon, and at exit 232 begin making your way east to Sedro-Woolley on State Route 20, also known as the North Cascade Highway. Farther north, around exit 218, the highway dips a little, and the rolling emerald farms and vast fields of the Skagit Valley open out in front of you. While the real scenic portion of this trip begins when you leave I-5 at exit 230, there are pop-up visual treats along the way: In Everett, as you’re crossing the Snohomish River, gaze out at Spencer Island Park and the Snohomish River delta. It’s a testament to the unique beauty of our region that you can see this all in one, albeit long, road trip, with a few small-town stops along the way.īegin by heading north on Interstate 5 toward the Canadian border. One scenic drive captures it all, beginning with a tour through the bountiful farmland of Skagit Valley and then up and over the icy-clear contrasts of the North Cascades. Our state’s varied landscape is a surprise to some: the lush green of Washington’s west side and the arid brown of its east side, with the dense forests and startling peaks of the Cascades in between.
This article appears in print in the October 2018 issue, as part of the Scenic Fall Road Trips cover story.
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