More Cascades

2023-07-09
North Cascades National Park, WA

We decided to have a low key day after yesterday and visit some of the easier sites and hikes. Of course that means crowds, but we started early with the knowledge that this park doesn't get as many visitors; and while fewer of them fit the 10-to-4 schedule, that's still the busiest time. We started by going to Ross Lake Overlook, which was the location furthest from the Inn on our list of places to go today. That turned out to be a bust photographically; you could just see the lake below through the trees. Next we hiked down to Ross Dam, which created Ross Lake. This hike was about 2 miles and 500 feet of climb back to the car. It was a lovely morning and a shady trail, and you know how Engineers like dams.

Next up was Diablo Point Overlook, which has great views of Diablo Lake and Diablo Dam.

Next we stopped at the visitor's center to grab maps, talk to the rangers, and so forth. From there we went just down to the road to the Gorge Powerhouse and Gardens. The three dams om the Skagit River Hydroelectric Complex - Diablo, Ross, and Gorge - all are for hydro power, which is the reasons Washington is popular for Bitcoin mining. The Gorge Powerhouse is actually 2 miles from the dam, with a 24.5 foot diameter tunnel that connects them. I suppose this has to do with the geography or geology near the dam, as the other two powerhouses are right next to the dams. At any rate, this powerhouse is open to the public so we wandered in and read the exhibits. They have four generators there making power and I watched them run probably long enough to power a house for a week or two.

Afterwards we headed out through the "gardens" for about a mile walk. I'm not really sure they are tended regularly, but at one point a number of paths, stairs, benches, and bridges were created. While there are plants, they don't look that much different than the wild ones elsewhere in the area. I guess it's easier to create a garden if you just leave the existing plants? In the back is Ladder Creek Falls, which is a pretty cool four-or-more drop falls. You can't really see it all at once, but each fall was great by itself. They apparently shine colored lights on these falls at night as a show for visitors.

To get to the powerhouse and gardens there is a cool suspension bridge. Eight person limit.

The Trail of the Cedars was very close so we walked about a mile around that loop. It was very educational about what happened in the fire of 1929, why birch trees get there first (airborne seeds) but will lose to western red cedars and western hemlocks (they do better in the shade). They also had yews and fir and maples for a diverse old growth forest.

We were still feeling like a good walk, so we went and hiked Thunder Knob. It's only 3.75 miles with 663 feet of climb to a viewpoint overlooking Diablo Lake. The hike lived up to its name as thunder rolled in when we were near the peak, so we took a short look and then headed down at a good clip. We got rained on a little, but no deluge or lightning in the immediate vicinity.

It was about 4:30 at this point, so we decided to take the rest of the day off, shower, eat, and get situated for tomorrow.