Northbound- Cascade Mountains Washington
Mark another one down on our want to re-visit list. As many other travelers have found, the more places we visit the longer our to-do list gets. With just a little time for a stop-over in the Cascade Mountains on our way north we got a taste of area but there’s so much exploring to do here. We had intended to stay just a little east of Seattle, but our timing meant we got to the area on a Friday afternoon so we expected it to be a little hard to find a campsite. The first campground we got to- full; the second- full. Undeterred we headed over the Stevens Pass where we knew there was a nice lake with several campgrounds- further than we intended to go but we hoped less crowded. Third campground- full, forth campground-full; starting to get nervous. Finally, after a few turns down some forest service roads we found an another campground with sites. Going further east than we expected; however, put us closer to Leavenworth so the following day we spent checking out the Leavenworth vicinity. We caught the farmer’s market in Plain and stocked up on peaches, apricots and josta berries and stopped at the Wenatachee-Okanogan National Forest ranger station for some info and picked up a map at the local outdoor store Leavenworth Mountain Sports.
We had time for one quick day hike before heading into British Columbia. No dogs are allowed in the popular Enchantment Basin of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but there are plenty of other hiking options. We picked Minotaur Lake in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness which was close to where we camped and it turned out to be a great hike. Short but steep with a beautiful perched lake at the top and a view to Theasus Lake several hundred feet below. We spent a little time exploring the lake and were tempted by a path leading higher to Labyrinth Peak but decided to head back down-maybe next time!
Exploring Lake Minotaur
After a day in Seattle to run some errands, and stop for donuts at General Porpoise (has some awesome donuts), we headed north. That night we camped at Deception Pass State Park, a nice forested park set on the Puget Sound not too far from Bellingham, WA. After setting up we quickly realized it waslocated adjacent to a Naval Air Station; luckily they stopped flying around dark. Next stop-British Columbia and the Cassier Highway towards Alaska.
View to Lake Theasus far below
Info:
Entrance Fees: None; Northwest Forest Pass may be required at some trail-heads but was not required at the Minotaur Lake trail-head
Camping: Many National Forest Campgrounds in Stevens Pass/Leavenworth area; Deception Pass State Park ($25)
Pets: Yes- Minotaur was a great trail for dogs. (Trails leading into the Enchantment Basin in Wenatachee-Okanogan National Forest prohibit dogs)
Map: Wenatchee & Leavenworth, Washington Trail Map- Adventure Maps Inc ($12.99)
Tips: It’s near Seattle- camping is popular so plan ahead if you can. Pike Place Market is extremely busy in the summer. We had only ever been there in the winter when it’s a little less crazy. If crowds aren’t your thing, best avoided (Koda loved it though- he got lots of attention).
