Today we are back in North Cascades National Park. Now we're going to
show you a couple of easy trails if you only have half a day or a quick day here.
This is actually our last day here and the last of our three video series on this park.
So in part one we did an epic hike where we took you up into the mountains.
And in part two we spent the day at Diablo Lake where that bright blue amazing colored water is
and spent the day paddle boarding and enjoying the beach. Today it's all about what do you do if you
only have half day or you're not up for an all-day event. Go to the overlooks, do the scenic highway,
and do some of these shorter hikes. Let's show you. So the first stop is right off the scenic highway.
And across this bridge over the Gorge Creek you can come see a couple of waterfalls.
So this bridge has a grate on it and when that airstream went by it made this
really loud noise and I don't know if it's just going this way because we haven't heard it with
the other vehicles coming by but we all jumped. I think you must have seen that on the video.
The kids almost fell off this log they were balancing on I
almost jumped out of my skin. Let's see if this car does it.
A little bit but that airstream was heavier it must have really made a
loud sound to startle all of us. So word of caution though if you are afraid of heights,
you do see what you're walking over and how high up you are.
So maybe that cable somehow signified that the waterfall is on the other side of the bridge
and you can't get there from here. Like there's no walkway, there's no opening
over there, so you have to go back and go on the other side. But you can park over here
as overflow parking so let's go back. We did say we would show you all the neat places today and
maybe through trial and error we'll find the best way to get to them too. And exactly how to do it
so you don't make this mistake. So you can park on either side of the bridge and you do want to check
out both sides. You have the view of the lake on one side and then the view of the waterfall
on the other. So it is worth being on both sides. Just know to cross on the far side not over there.
There you have it - crosswalk.
So here is Gorge Creek Waterfall on the proper side of the bridge. Definitely worth a stop. I
guess you can check it out as you cross the bridge but that's not the safest way to do it.
And it's easy to get to so I would recommend this as a quick stop on your way through North
Cascades National Park. Next is the Gorge Overlook Trail, just a quick paved walk up to the overlook.
Oh yeah yeah. There's a waterfall.
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This is the end of the paved section of this short trail here and you can see the Gorge Dam
down below. This one happens to be the smallest of the three dams in the area. And we showed you
the other two in our last video. But if you want you can take this trail it continues on and goes
around in a loop. But for our little hike today we're just gonna head back the way that we came.
So depending on how much time you have you can go out and back or you can take the loop around.
All the way down the scenic highway on the east side of the park lies Washington Pass
Overlook. The pass is at 5,477 feet and features a short paved walkway to breathtaking views.
Wow! Oh wow is right!
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So Washington Overlook is amazing. The views from the main overlook and all the way along this path.
I mean arguably better than the views from that hike that we did the other day that we showed you.
Definitely come out here even though you're gonna have a further drive if
you're coming from the east. Don't miss it. Washington Overlook. Put it on your list.
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The kids say the best view's from up here.
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The views along the scenic highway are stunning in either direction. Just taking the time to drive
the entire length of it through the park and pulling off at the various viewpoints is worth
every minute. Don't miss the Visitor Center in Newhalem for information and exhibits.
The town of Newhalem started as a construction camp in 1918 and is operated by Seattle City Light.
From 1920 to 1940 the town was only really accessible by train. Old number six, a steam
locomotive, is still on display here and used to carry materials,
construction equipment, and workers to the area. The Skagit Information Center located in the center of
town has more information on the area as well as a giant turbine runner on display out front.
So another option for a quick hike if you're in the area and you don't have a full day to commit
to hiking or you don't want to go up a lot of elevation change is this Trail of the Cedars.
And this is a short hike through Western Red Cedars and you start by going over this awesome
suspension bridge. And this is a really iconic place. You see pictures of this suspension bridge
all over the place for the North Cascades region. And the other neat thing about this
trail is they're all old growth cedar trees so they're huge. And going over the
suspension bridge you start by being able to check out the awesome bright blue river.
What more could you want. This is gonna be good. Let's go check it out.
We feel the movement a lot more on this suspension bridge than we have on others
that we've been on in the past. So it's you know a little bit disconcerting in a way but
kind of fun. The rain has also started so I'm glad to get under the canopy now.
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So there was a fire here back in 1922. And it's really interesting because there's still a bunch
of charred remains of trees sort of scattered about. I think what's really interesting about
it is it doesn't look like it was really that long ago. Some of these charred remains of trees
are just really well preserved, like they don't change at all over time. It's something else.
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So apparently most mature Western Red Cedar are actually hollow in the middle because there
is a fungus that attacks the heartwood. So this one is a good example and we're gonna go stick
our heads inside and check it out. Pretty tight in there? Who's brave enough to go in? Klara fits.
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This is a really worthwhile stop. The trail is super easy. It's nice and short
and all the signs are really informative and it's actually really interesting. It tells
you about the trees and about the different fires they've had here and then the powerhouse.
And I just always think dams are cool. I'm always kind of interested in giant machinery. It's
always really interesting. It really ties everything together that we saw up in the park
with the other dams. Admittedly we sometimes take the kids on hikes that definitely
challenge them and us. So it's fun to be on a hike like this where they can run around and
explore. We can take our time a little more. I mean I am carrying this guy at the moment but... And then
you turn the corner and this is probably the biggest tree on the entire trail here.
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Well that's it for Trail of the Cedars. That was a great little hike. You should definitely stop here.
Now it's on to our last hike which also features a suspension bridge. Let's go check it out.
Here behind the Gorge Powerhouse is Ladder Creek Falls and at night they light it up for everybody
to come see. So you can come see Ladder Creek Falls during the day or at night or both on your
way into the park, out of the park like we're doing. And, it's a good opportunity to see the powerhouse
to learn about what they're doing here in the area with the dams, with the power sending it all over
to Seattle. It's really interesting so it's another homeschooling lesson for the kids and really
interesting for us as well. Now we're gonna go behind us here and walk over the suspension bridge
to get to the falls. That part alone got our attention so the rest of it should be pretty neat
too. So the interesting thing is because we just showed you Gorge Dam earlier today, that is about
2.7 miles upriver behind the powerhouse and the water from the Gorge Dam comes to this powerhouse
through a 24.5 foot power tunnel. I mean take a look at this picture. There's a there's a
guy looks like a little guy standing in a big tunnel. This thing looks massive.
Just the engineering ingenuity that went into all of this is amazing.
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So from this map the gardens seem more extensive than I realized. So it might be worth coming during
the day too so you can check out more of that because for us we're going to mostly make our way
straight to the falls. But these gardens apparently are on the National Register of Historic Places.
And they were created by Seattle City Light's second superintendent. I guess he
was very much interested in both electricity and gardening so you have this interesting mix here.
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So I'll admit I wasn't exactly sure what to expect with all of this. It's been really neat so far. I
think it's definitely worth seeing. I thought it might be a little hokey but it's actually
been kind of neat. Because I'm wondering if you were thinking the same thing I was
that going into caves is awesome but then when they light it up and try to make it all like...
Yes. And not just light it up so you can see it but light it up all different colors and
maybe put like a fake dragon in there. Yeah. You know, everybody knows what I'm talking
about and that can get a little much. But this is really well presented I think, really well done,
and you learn the history of the place and you learn about powerhouse. So all in all very good.
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So it's been fun. I would totally recommend doing this,
coming out here. Even though you have to keep the kids up past the bedtime.
They're enjoying it. What do you think Klara? How's it been? Good! Worth it.
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But we just came down the trail. We didn't come back down the stairs. We finished the loop through
the gardens and it was quite dark. So if you don't have a flashlight or you're not that sure of
yourself in the dark maybe come back the same way and hold on to the railing coming down the stairs.
But it was neat going through the gardens and over several bridges. And then you come down next to the
powerhouse, behind the powerhouse and you get to walk along it back to the main trail back over
the bridge. All right home stretch. We hope you guys enjoyed being at North Cascades National
Park as much as we did. This concludes our time here in the park and we did so many varied things.
There's something here for everybody. This park is really spectacular. The views are just all over the
place. There's so much to do. It's just a huge park. There's a reason why they call it the American
Alps. It really is that spectacular. This has been on our bucket list for some time and three years
later we finally got here. So we're hoping you guys can make it here sometime as well and maybe not
have to wait as long. Our next videos will be all about Mount Rainier National Park so we hope you
stick around for that. See you next time. Bye guys. Next is the Gorge Trail - Gorge Overlook Trail.
Are you saying you're not brave enough to go in? They're blocking the way.
That must be it. I would have gone in but... woo scared me... I touched something.
I don't want to go in, get stuck, not be able to come back out. All right what kid is going
to volunteer. Well just go on in there, we'll get the butter. What is a butter? What is the butter?
You'd need some grease to slip out easier. Oh wow this is amazing.
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