Colonial Creek campground and Blue Lake day hike
Phew! What a weekend! Just got back from a trip up to the North Cascades, which is a place I’m not all that familiar with. I’ve done the Diablo Lake tour back in the day but besides the crazy cool color of the lake, I don’t remember much else. Man, I’ve been missing out! What a gorgeous part of the state.
On Saturday, we completed a day hike to Blue Lake, which was a well needed break from the 9 mile, 3000 ft. + elevation gain monster trails we’d tackled as of late. It’s a lovely little trail with an amazing alpine lake at the top. We ate our snacks shore side and took in the scenery before heading back down the trail.
I’d say the highlight of this trip (besides the ranger talk about grizzly bears) was visiting the Washington Pass Overlook. What seemed like just another “pull out on the side of the road photo opp” turned into the most beautiful scenery I’d ever seen. This stop is the highest point on North Cascades Highway and the short loop trail winds across an outcrop of granite to an overlook perched WAY above everything. The view left me speechless and a bit shaky in the knees – I’m not good with heights. Liberty Bell Mountain rose mightily on one side with the Early Winters Spires in plain view. Wow, wow, wow! A must stop if you are traveling up that way. Overall, a great weekend with even greater people!
