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Washington
5-Day
Waterfalls Excursion
DAY FIVE
Day Five Itinerary
Emerald
Pool Falls - Rainy Pass - 11:05a
60 ft - light flow - 15 ft wide fan shaped
Set out northbound on 97-A
which will merge with US-97 in about 5 miles. Continue on US-97 to Pateros. Just before you enter Pateros you will encounter the intersection of WA-153. Turn left and follow 153 north and you will join WA-20 just before you get to Twisp.
Now stay on WA-20 (which is an westbound highway) through Winthrop and, then, through Mazama.
The formidable
mountain you see ahead of you is the famous 7,600 foot Liberty Bell Mountain.
Just when it seems you can't go any further because the bulk of the mountain is
in the way, the highway makes a tight hairpin turn to climb up the side just high enough to hump over Washington Pass at 5,477 feet.
25 minutes later you hump over Rainy Pass but it is only 4,860 feet.
About 14 miles past Rainy Pass is Beebe Creek. A small pull-off on the far side of the creek allows you to park if you wish a closer look but you can see Emerald Pool Falls from the bridge.
Photo by 'Joseph and Aileen':
Emerald Pool Falls
Ross
Lake - 11:12a
In a few
minutes you will see the teal-tinted Ross Lake. This is the center point of the
Ross Lake National Recreation Area. The teal tint of the water is due primarily
to minutes suspended particles of rock and mineral worn away by ancient glaciers
and periodic rains plus a little help from the reflection of the sky and trees.
John
Pierce Falls - Diablo - 11:40a
50 ft (visible) - light flow - 5 ft wide horsetail plus cascade
About 9.5
miles from the Emerald Pool Falls bridge is the Horsetail Creek bridge. Park on the
near side of the bridge and look for a rather faint footpath. This short, easy
trail will take you to the base of the falls for a better view of the waterfall.
Photo by ' Joseph and Aileen':
John
Pierce Falls
Photo by Dave Fry of Diablo Lake:
John
Pierce Falls
Diablo
Lake - 11:50a
Continuing
westbound on WA-20 you will soon see Diablo Lake. Surprise! Diablo Lake is more
of a green. Diablo Lake is really a continuation of Ross Lake except there is an
intervention between the two: Ross Dam. Diablo Dam creates the Diablo Lake
impoundment you are looking at. All this provides the water for the Skagit River
which gets pretty big as it winds its way to Burlington and Skagit Bay
Colonial
Creek Falls - Diablo - 12:00p
2,000+ ft - medium flow - 50? ft wide plunge
Slow down when
you approach the long bridge over Thunder Arm of Diablo Lake. From the near side
of this bridge, looking down the bridge and up just a little, you will have a
great view of about the top 1,200 feet of the 2,000+ tall Colonial Creek Falls
(it is about 3 to 4 miles distant).
Gorge
Creek Falls - Newhalem - 12:15p
242+ ft - very light flow - 2, 10 ft wide horsetails
Drive on and
you will quickly reach the Gorge. (You'll certainly know it when you see it!)
The view of the gorge, the falls and the lake from the bridge are breath-taking.
There is a parking lot so you can leave your car and walk back onto the bridge
on the pedestrian walkway they thoughtfully provided. By the way: notice that
Gorge Lake is more of a blue. Actually, it is less green. The minerals suspended
upstream are reduced as we go downstream.
Photo by Eugen
Winklharrer:
Gorge Creek Falls
Ketchum
Creek Falls - Newhalem - 12:25p
200+ ft - light flow - 10 ft horsetail
Continuing on WA-20
for about a mile past the Gorge Creek bridge, you will be able to see the 200+ foot Ketchum Creek
Falls to your left. Drive slowly because it is very easy to miss.
Ladder
Creek Falls - Newhalem - 1:00p
100+ ft - light to medium flow - 5 ft wide stepped plunge
Continue on WA-20 to Newhalem
(about 3 more miles). As you approach Newhalem, turn (left) onto the first road you see and cross the bridge. Park next to the Puget Power hydroelectric station. You will
find several trails leading from the parking area to Ladder Creek Falls and the adjacent gardens.
Photo by Eugen
Winklharrer:
Ladder Creek Falls
Newhalem
and why you should stop (awhile)
There are a
lot of folks in Newhalem who are itching to tell you all about the area. We
heard many more Native American stories and they're always quite interesting.
Newhalem also has a quaint shop named Skagit General Store which features
homemade fudge. They even offer free samples. Smart because they know you won't
be able to resist. (There went the diet!) You can even get educated on why the
lakes are different colors, how they assure healthy conditions for the fish to
reproduce and on, and on, and on.
Big
Devil Falls - Newhalem - 2:12p
200+ ft - very light flow - 20 ft wide cascade and curtain
Continuing another 4 miles beyond Newhalem you should be able to see the 200+ foot Big Devil Falls if you look
to your left across the Skagit River.
Boston
Creek Falls - Marblemount - 3:25p
1663 ft - medium flow - 100 ft wide tiered plunge
This is the
land of tall waterfalls. Boston Creek Falls is by no means the tallest but you
don't have to go on any long hikes to view it. Just as you enter Marblemount, WA-20 makes a sharp right turn. You, however, must turn
left and cross the bridge over the Skagit River. Follow this road for about 21 miles to
the viewing area where you can easily see the 1663 foot Boston Creek Falls.
Cascade
Basin Falls - Marblemount - 3:45p
600+ ft - light flow - 8-15 ft wide tiered plunge
Continue another 2 miles to the end of this road. There you will see the parking area and you can view the
600+ foot Cascade Basin Falls.
Tulip
Inn - Mount Vernon - 5:40p
2200 Freeway Drive
End of DAY FIVE
... and continue on WA-20 westbound to I-5 exit 230 at Burlington.
This is the
end of our excursion. You probably will be heading south on I-5 from here.
Though at this moment it is rush hour in Seattle, by the time you get there the
big crunch will be finished. Traffic is always bad through Seattle but that's
the way it is. We recommend skirting Seattle on I-405. If you will be eastbound
on I-90 than I-405 is absolutely your best routing.
If, instead,
you want to spend the night locally and start fresh tomorrow morning, we
recommend the Tulip Inn in Mt. Vernon (2200 Freeway Dr) for economy ($49-$64).
(And they have data ports so you can check your e-mail.)
For more
information and reservations, go to: Tulip
Inn
We chose to
stay at the Holiday Inn Express (1003 Goldenrod Rd) in Burlington. Though about
twice the room rate as the Tulip inn they have indoor pool, spa and extra large
rooms with two queen-sized beds.
For more
information and reservations, go to: Holiday
Inn Express
Afterthoughts:
This was our
last day on the road. We meant for it to be quiet and relaxing and it was. Hope
it doesn't shock you for us to say that our high point was the little town of Newhalem.
The people we met were delightful and some of them can sure tell stories. (And,
yes, we bought the fudge!) We also especially enjoyed viewing Colonial Creek
Falls and the Gorge.
Washington
5-Day
Waterfalls Excursion
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