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Cascade Pass-Sahale Arm Trail
North Cascades National Park, Washington

     North Cascades National Park contains some of America’s most pristine mountain scenery—glacier carved jagged peaks, sparkling alpine lakes, mountain passes painted with colorful wildflowers, and waterfalls too numerous to count await those who visit. Most visitors see the scenery from their car, but the best way to experience all that the park has to offer is to set out on foot—the intrepid hiker can choose from nearly 400 miles of trails. Our choice was the 12-mile roundtrip Cascade Pass-Sahale Arm Trail—a path that took us deep into some of North America’s finest mountain scenery.

     To reach the trailhead, take Highway 20 east to Marblemount and then turn right on Cascade River Road—follow it for 23 miles to the parking lot at the end of the road. When you arrive at the trailhead, be prepared to be wowed—towering Johannesburg Mountain rises from the south, complete with hanging glaciers, cascading waterfalls, and rocky spires. Views such as this are usually reserved for the end of the trail, but not here—finding it hard to tear ourselves away from the view, we finally hit the trail at about 10:00am. Turns out, we had no reason to hesitate, as the views just keep getting better the closer you get to Cascade Pass.

     Pink monkey-flowers herald our first steps, their exclamation of bright color a sign of beautiful sights yet to come—one last photo of the blooms and then off we go on our adventure. The well-graded trail immediately begins switchbacking up the 2.5-miles, and 1400 feet of elevation that separate the hiker from the gentle traverse to Cascade Pass—views temporarily fade from sight as you make your way through the hemlock and fir forest. Despite the fact that Johannesburg Mountain is out of sight, you will be quite aware of its proximity—that occasional thundering rumble that you hear is the sound made by massive chunks of ice and snow crashing down the mountain to the valley below. At approximately the halfway point in the climb, we stopped for a snack in an open area with stunning views of Johannesburg, and although we never caught sight of an avalanche, we did hear several rumbles as the hanging glaciers calved loose from their lofty position—rest assured, the avalanches pose no danger to hikers, since the Cascade River Valley separates you from the falling snow and ice.

     Continuing our climb, we soon pass timberline and enter a world of mountain majesty—red columbine, pink heather and spiraea, green corn lilies and jagged snow-covered peaks make for a postcard perfect scene. Towering mountains dot the landscape as you make your way along the gentle traverse through meadow and across talus slope and lingering snowfield—now joining Johannesburg in the panorama are Cascade Peak, Mix-up Peak, Magic Mountain, and the Triplets.

     At 3.7-miles, reach the open expanse of 5400 ft Cascade Pass—views east from the pass into the Stehekin River valley, the Pelton Basin, and of Forbidden and Eldorado Peak are stunning. Trees have all but disappeared at this altitude, but laid out below are deep green forests as far as the eye can see—one could linger here for hours. Indeed, if you are not up for going any further, this vistarific (made that word up just for this location) perch is the perfect place to turn around or sit for a spell—turning around at Cascade Pass makes for a 7.4-mile roundtrip hike.

     For those willing to climb farther and higher, the prospects of even more incredible views is the promise of the Sahale Arm Trail—follow the sign to the left (north) for Sahale Arm and begin the extremely steep, rocky climb, which gains nearly 800 feet in less than a mile. Of the three of us hiking, only one opted to stay at the pass—Dar grabbed a boulder and soaked in the view while Pick and I climbed the winding path through wildflowers galore.

     Pick led the way up the steep path, while numerous stops for photographs put me a few yards behind—it seemed as though every turn in the trail offered up a new opportunity to frame a spectacular scene. In fact, the wildflowers along the Sahale Arm Trail were at their peak, offering up fantastic displays of Indian paintbrush, subalpine spiraea, valerian, American bistort, asters, lupine, and mountain arnica—each specimen providing the perfect foreground for the never ending mountain vistas.

     Upon reaching the 4.5-mile mark, the trail levels out on a ridge with amazing views of Sahale Mountain’s rugged glacier-covered summit, surrounding peaks, and the alpine jewel of Doubtful Lake far below—a spur trail descends about 800 feet to the shores of the lake. Continue up and to the left, climbing through the meadows of Sahale Arm as far as you desire—be prepared with insect repellant, as you will likely be tormented by flies. You can climb as far as the Sahale Glacier at 6.2-miles, but unless you really want to punish your legs, the view from the crest is reward enough for most hikers. Find a rock of your own and sit and rest while you watch climbers, complete with ice ax and crampons, make their way towards the glacier—a knees to chest ascent across a massive boulder field.

     Needless to say, the views from the lofty height of Sahale Arm are astounding—another author who coined the term, “panorama paralysis,” described the overwhelming feeling of gratification perfectly. Pick and I enjoyed the paralysis for about thirty minutes before retracing our steps back to Dar—the descent back through the butterfly and marmot filled meadows took us about an hour. Now rejoined with Dar, who had made numerous friends while waiting the three hours for our return, we took one last look at the view from Cascade Pass and then the three of us retraced our steps back to the parking lot.

     We couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying hike in the North Cascades—the boundless beauty and relative ease of this 12-mile trek make it a must-do for any hiker visiting the national park. If you only do one hike in North Cascades National Park, make it the Cascade Pass-Sahale Arm Trail and you won’t be disappointed!

 
 
 
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