Fall Colors: North Cascades National Park

Photo by: IamNotUnique via Flickr [CC BY-NC-SA 2.0]

Washington State is one of the most beautiful in the nation, especially when it comes to the picturesque beauty of Mother Nature. And Washington's North Cascades National Park does not disappoint when it come to fall color either. Although the park is more known for it's towering Douglas fir, hemlocks and western red cedars, you will be surprised by the many outstanding opportunities to see explosions of color throughout the countryside as well, especially along the North Cascades highway which exemplifies the regions incredible beauty. In the fall, the brilliance of color throughout this region, set against the backdrop of pure blue skies and the towering peaks of the Cascade Mountians is breathtaking.

For a quieter experience of the areas beautiful color, plan a hike along the East Bank Trail which skirts the eastern shore of Ross Lake. Along the forested trail you will see nurse logs that host brightly colored forest ferns, and vine maples that provide a brilliant golden-colored ground cover. Golden forest floors, and dark evergreen canopies will open up in spots to reveal spectacular panoramas of the vibrant blue waters of Ross Lake reflecting snow-dusted mountain peaks...a beautiful site indeed!

The best time to see color in North Cascades is usually early to mid October.

Next Park: Grand Teton National Park »