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Photo: Steven PavlovUser:Senapa/TemplateFB, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This reservoir stretches past the Canadian border, flanked by some of the most jagged mountains in the entire range, especially Hozomeen Mountain. A pair of overlooks describe the geologic history and the writers who have been inspired by the North Cascades.
Ross Lake is a large reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state, United States, and southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The lake runs approximately north–south, is 23 miles (37 km) long, up to 1.5 miles (2.5 km) wide, and the full reservoir elevation is 1,604 feet above sea level.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
This brilliantly blue reservoir is flanked by some of the steepest slopes in the park. The turquoise hue of the lake's water is attributed to surrounding glaciers grinding rocks into glacial flour that stays suspended in the lake.
North Cascades Institute, in partnership with Seattle City Light, offers boat tours of Diablo Lake and the Upper Skagit Valley.
Walk the short interpretive trail to see Gorge Lake and Gorge Dam. Also stop on the Gorge Creek Bridge to spot Gorge Creek Falls in the ravine behind the highway.
At 4855 ft, a viewpoint and a popular trailhead for the Pacific Crest Trail.
Washington Pass is the highest point on the highway at 5477 ft. A short walk to a scenic vista showcases the highway winding below the Liberty Bell and the Early Winters Spires.