Cascade Pass Trail is a 16.6 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Marblemount, Washington that features a lake and is rated as difficult. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from August until October.
birding
camping
hiking
nature trips
rock climbing
walking
forest
lake
river
views
wild flowers
wildlife
no dogs
Directions from Stehekin: Take the shuttle northward along Stehekin River Road to Glory Mountain. At the end of the shuttle route hike northward along the road to Cottonwood Trailhead. The trail leads westward from Cottonwood Trailhead.
Even with the smoke layer from all the wildfires the hike was still worth it. We saw marmots and a mountain goat with her baby. Flowers were in full bloom too. However, the biting flies were as bad as previous posts state...while my husband didn't react to the bites, I woke up with welts and itchy bites all over me the next day (somehow they got through my shirt, and a ton of bug spray did not deter them). Highly recommend long sleeves and pants, although they'll still try to get up your nose and in your ears! Nature at its best!
Gorgeous destination, directions and difficulty level listed on AllTrails are accurate. We went 3.7 miles to the pass, where there is a nice viewing area and toilet. Took us 3.5 hours to get to the pass and back with brief lunch on the way up and rest at the top, with 2 kids, ages 7 and 11. Most of the trek (35-37 switchbacks) is in the woods with glimpses of the surrounding mountains, until the last mile or so which is a beautiful traverse across rocks, meadows, and a little snow. (On August 1, there were a couple of easy snow traverses, I held my 7-year-old's hand for those.) Only drawback was lots of flies, the biting kind. My 11-year-old was freaking out about it for the first 2.5 miles, and then it got better when we emerged from the woods. On the way up, we had to wait until we got to the rocks to eat lunch since before that we were swarmed by flies every time we stopped. (My 7-year-old was bothered by the flies but didn't freak. He reminded me of the Peanuts character PigPen with all the flies swarming around him!) The flies were not much of a problem on the way down because we were moving much faster. Totally worth the flies in my opinion, but I wish we had brought bug spray! (Assuming that would have helped.)
Snow has receded but near the top you must traverse 3-4 large snow fields. There are well worn tracks and I did it in trail runners but would recommend a hiking pole for stability at minimum.
Snowed in right now and essentially impassable due to heavy avalanche activity at the trail head. Suggest you take an ice axe with you when snow shoeing in.
stunning views
The switchbacks will put you to work, but it's worth it!
Intense number of bugs in the afternoon. Mosquito swarms in the morning. Beautiful views though.
One of my favorite hikes in the north cascades.
Crystal clear day. It is obvious why this is listed as one of the state's top ten hikes! Something for every taste. It starts with an ascent through a nice forest area, then breaks out to outstanding valley views until you get to the pass. A mountain range comes into view as you crest the pass to a very nice rest area with seating and a toilet in the woods near by. You can see the trail heading down the valley toward Stehekin. You then start a steep, exposed ascent over a ridge. Another set of outstanding mountain views reveal themselves as you crest the ridge and approach the intersection with the trail down to Doubtful Lake. This is a very nice glacier lake with a green tint and a clear view to the bottom. A long waterfall sends water into the lake. Stay left and head up Shalale Arm toward the glacier. We stopped at the last knoll and had lunch while gazing at the glacier and mountain ranges in every directions. The trail continues from here up toward Shalale Peak to a camping area over a ridge and next to the ice. We could see a trail across the ice toward the peak. On the way back, I paused the track recording and forgot to turn it back on. Therefore, this track reads 7.5 miles, but it was actually about 11.6 round trip to the point we stopped for lunch and then headed back down. Next year, I am intent to make it at least to the camp sites! If you would like to camp there, you need a permit. No pets are allowed on the trails.
My wife and I joined our hiking group to hike to Cascade Pass and a portion of Sahale Arm Trail. The weather was clear and the high temperature was into 90's. Due to this winter's low snow accumulation the trail was free of snow and flowers were blooming. Deer flies were annoying and my wife and I were bitten in the shoulder and the arm despite of applying bug spray. The view was gorgeous all around.