North Cascades Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

We’ve just left the quaint town Sedro-Woolley. Once two towns, this unusually-named settlement was later combined into one town. Before the merger, men had a different name for Sedro. They called it Bug! The mosquitos were pretty thick at that time, so it seemed a fitting name. Luckily, the ladies of the town disagreed, so the name didn’t stick. The tour is over 144+ miles long, with more than 100+ audio stories, and takes about 4–5 hours to complete. You can start from Sedro-Woolley to Winthrop or vice versa. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

That’s what early pioneers did in the mid-to-late 1800s. These pioneers came from all over the country. Some were from Pennsylvania. Others from North Carolina. And a few weren’t American at all—they were Canadian. Most came in search of gold, but others were fur trappers or just seeking plentiful farmland.

We’re just a short way away from Rasar State Park, known as the rainforest of Skagit County. Home to views of the Skagit River, 4,000 feet of freshwater shoreline for fishing and camping, Rasar State Park is a beautiful pit stop. There is a fee to visit.

Old-growth forest is, well, old. Old-growth forests are forests that have grown for a very long time without any major disturbances from things like logging. As you can imagine, that makes them pretty rare. Some of the trees in this forest are over 300 years old!

We’ve been driving alongside the powerful Skagit River for some time now. At 150 miles long, the Skagit River runs all the way from British Columbia to northwest Washington, where we are now.

At last we’re approaching the western entrance to North Cascades National Park. It doesn’t cost anything to visit the park, but you will need a Northwest Forest Pass if you plan on hiking any of the trails.

Diablo Dam is the second dam in the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. Built in 1930, Diablo Dam is 389 feet high. At the time it was built, that made it the tallest dam in the world.

We’re crossing the Thunder Arm of Diablo Lake. Don’t worry, we’ll have a better look soon. We’re approaching the Diablo Lake Vista Point. This quick stop is well worth your time.

This forested trail leads down to Ross Lake and Ross Dam. It’s a moderate hike of only 1.5 miles, which takes about an hour. If you have the time to spare, this is a great option for most skill levels.

Ironically, this trail is anything but easy. Covering seven miles, this challenging hike can take over three hours. Part of the difficulty comes from the creeks the trail crosses. If there’s been rain or snowmelt, they can get seriously treacherous. To make things trickier, this trail can be snowy well into July.

It winds its way through meadows and dense forest before arriving at the main event: A sparkling blue glacial lake tucked into the wilderness. If you have a couple of hours to spare and want to capture that perfect mountain photo, this is a great option.

We’re approaching the Washington Pass Observation Site. This is a must-see viewpoint of the Washington Pass. Here, you’ll see spectacular views of Liberty Bell Mountain and Early Winters Spires. Thanks to its position between soaring peaks, the Washington Pass is covered by up to 40 feet of snow in the winter.

This three-mile-long ridge tops out at 8,326 feet at its highest point. I highly recommend stopping at the bend for a quick look at these mountains.

We’re currently driving through Okanogan County, home to the Okanogan tribe. Today, just over 38,000 people live here. This area was one of the last to be settled by non-Okanogan due to how remote it is.

we’ll be driving alongside the pristine Methow River. Crossing nearly 2,000 miles, the river gets its name from one of the Native American tribes of the area. The Native American name of the river translates roughly into salmon falls river.

We’re heading toward the town of Winthrop. Initially, only fur trappers visited. It wasn’t until the late 1800s when more white settlers came to the area.