Seventeenth Stop - North Cascades National Park - Newhalem campground - July 20-24, 2018
We said a final goodbye to the Pacific coast and Puget Sound, and headed east. Destination: North Cascades National Park. Just a few hours away; a beautiful drive. Another great campsite at Newhalem campground - in the forest - short walk away from the Skagit River. We discovered that the Skagit River had various dams built along its path. The Visitor Center gave us great advice on what to do the next 3 days . . . Day One: We hiked the Diablo Lake Trail. maybe 8 miles in total. WOW scenery. The trail led to a suspension bridge next to the dam between Ross Lake and Diablo Lake (called lakes, but all reservoirs created by damming the Skagit River). Great hike. Overlooking the "river" which we would be paddling the next day. (I hiked with my big backpack to start training for the backpacking trek in Glacier Park in August -- the big pack definitely impacts your cent...