Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [294]
For tours of Diablo Lake and Ross Dam, call Seattle City Light's Skagit Tours (☎ 206/684-3030).
Want to track radio-collared mountain caribou? Stalk newts, frogs, and salamanders in Heather Meadows? Learn about Lummi Indian basketry? Delve into the mysteries of mycology? Hang with some bats? You can do any of these things if you sign up for the right class through the North Cascades Institute. Offering around 60 natural-history field seminars each year, North Cas cades Institute, 810 Wash. State Route 20, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284-1239 (☎ 360/856-5700, ext. 209; fax 360/ 856-1934; www.ncascades.org), is a nonprofit educational organization that offers a wide range of courses each year. Although these seminars, many of which involve camping out, focus on the North Cascades region, there are programs throughout the state.
A variety of day trips operate in conjunction with the three passenger ferries of the Lake Chelan Boat Company (☎ 509/682-4584). Tours include a popular bus ride to 312-foot Rainbow Falls ($7 adults, $4 children 6–11, free for children under 6); a bus ride up the valley and a bike ride back down ($15–$25 adults, $5 children under 6); and a narrated bus trip up the valley to High Bridge and then a picnic lunch ($20 adults, $10 children 6–11, $5 children under 6).
There are a number of ranger-led hikes in the park. They often start from the North Cascades Visitor Center, Stehekin Landing, Hozomeen, or the Colonial Creek Campground, but specifics vary from year to year. Check at the visitor center for a schedule of daily events.
Hikes
Day hikes do not require a hiking permit; however, a Northwest Forest Pass for vehicle parking may be required. Those going into the backcountry overnight must obtain a free permit at one of the visitor centers, the National Park Service Complex headquarters in Sedro-Woolley, or the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount. In addition to the hikes discussed below, a small section of the famed Pacific Crest Trail, which runs some 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada, goes through the park (see "Bridge Creek Trail," below). For information on the entire Pacific Crest Trail, contact the Pacific Crest Trail Association, 5325 Elkhorn Blvd., PMB no. 256, Sacramento, CA 95842-2526 (☎ 916/ 349-2109; fax 916/349-1268; www.pcta. org).
ROSS LAKE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Desolation Peak
9.8 miles RT. Strenuous. Access: Desolation Landing on Ross Lake (take the Ross Lake Resort water taxi), or hike north along East Bank Ross Lake Trail. Northwest Forest Pass required for parking.
This is the peak that inspired Jack Kerouac's Desolation Angels, and it's no wonder that people (and in the middle of summer there are often quite a few) would be inspired to meditate on desolation after hiking up this steep hillside through alpine meadows. On the way to the top there are spectacular views of Hozomeen Mountain, Jack Mountain, and below, beautiful Ross Lake. This can be a very hot and dry hike in the summer, and the full round-trip takes several days. Carry plenty of water. Desolation Lookout is closed to the public.
Diablo Lake Trail
7.6 miles RT. Moderate. Access: At end of road, across Diablo Dam.
This is the "Grand Central" of the Diablo Lake area. You get views of Ross Dam and of the power lines, which the trail intersects, but you'll also see some larger old-growth trees and varied forests. The trail starts at Seattle City Light's power project dock, from where you can also pick up the summer boat for a ride to the base of upstream Ross Dam (call for schedules). Better to follow the trail as it winds along what was once the Skagit River but is now Diablo Lake. In front of Ross Dam, you get a good idea of how well the dams work. Check out the view as you cross the suspension bridge, which once traversed the Skagit River Gorge and now is part of the system of dams that makes the Ross and Diablo lake areas.
East Bank Trail
.5–30 miles one-way. Easy to moderate. Access: Several points along the shore of Ross Lake (take the Ross