North Cascade Loop
Photo: Siradia at en.wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
The North Cascades Loop is a beautiful 440 mi driving itinerary through the North Cascade Mountains of Washington State. This loop, a National Scenic Byway, showcases the spectacular and diverse scenery of northwest and central Washington, with its pristine mountains, grand rivers, picturesque islands, and rolling river valleys.
UnderstandThis route generally follows WA-525 across Whidbey Island, the North Cascades Highway (WA-20) through North Cascades National Park, US-97 along the Columbia River Gorge, and the Stevens Pass Highway (US-2) back across…
PrepareDriving is the only way to experience this loop. Public transit is sparse and does not stop at natural points of interest. All roads on this route are paved and well-maintained.
Get inThe closest major airports to the route are Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, about 45 minutes south of Everett, and Vancouver International Airport about one hour and fifteen minutes from Burlington (in the Skagit…
DriveThis itinerary describes the route as starting from Everett, then going clockwise. Feel free to start from anywhere along the route, and go in any direction.
Stay safeOn the North Cascades Highway, there are no gas or services for 70 miles between Marblemount and Mazama.
Go nextSeattle and Vancouver are the major cities near this route.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "North Cascade Loop" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Siradia at en.wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons