North Cascades Scenic Highway Just Before Winter Closure

The North Cascades Scenic Highway is one of the most spectacular drives in Washington State. Whenever we get the chance, this is the route we take to go visit family. It closes every winter because of avalanche danger. We decided that with winter well on the way, yet the highway still open, we needed to see what it looked like up here with snow.

More pictures and story after the jump.

The day started out a little dreary with the sun only poking through here and there. In our area, this usually means more rain, and the forecast wasn't looking any better. This lead us to the decision to go find snow. But we didn't really want to head up to any place that had lots of people such as a ski hill. After a quick check on the WSDOT webpage, we saw that the North Cascades Highway was still open. We filled our thermos' with coffee, grabbed our winter clothes and some food for Emma and headed north.

Whenever we travel, we make it a point to stop and explore anyplace we think is interesting. We also take back roads as much as possible. We happened across another old barn that was in a sad state of repair. So naturally we had to stop.

This old barn was beginning to lean, and once inside we noticed that the floor was beginning to cave in. It had been built on a hillside leading out to marsh land. The land was beginning to reclaim it.

There were a few things inside. A forgotten old hot rod Pontiac that was last licensed some time in the 90's. Paint cans and oil drums scattered about. Having looked around and deciding it was probably not a sound enough building to walk around in, we got back on the road and head further north.

Just a few yards down the road from the barn was one of the locals checking us out. He didn't seem too thrilled with us being there or taking his picture. Growing up Bald Eagles we rare to see. They had nearly been wiped out. Today they flourish and are a regular sight around the Seattle area, but it still brings a bit of excitement to see one somewhat up close.

As we reached SR20 (North Cascades Highway) we spotted this herd of Elk wondering a farmers field. The herd was 50+ in side and had a few bulls with very large racks on them. The were cautious of us, but stuck around long enough to let Debbie take plenty of pictures.

Still cloudy and still raining, we reached the entrance of the North Cascades National Park which SR20 goes through. The rain was a good sign for where we were headed. This meant it was snowing at higher elevations.

We stopped at the town of Newhalem for a few pictures of the power station. This is located just below the Gorge Lake dam and is one of many power generating dams in the state.

Behind the power station is a trail that lets you hike along one of the streams coming down the mountain. We spent a while exploring the area, but now there was snow on the ground and it was raining hard. Once we got to a place where there was rushing water running across the trail we decided that perhaps we shouldn't continue on up. Especially in these colder months, there is nobody else around to help if you get hurt. With as slippery and wet as it was, getting hurt was a high likelihood.

Back on the road and further east we went. Traveling around a bend there is a barrier built to protect the highway from falling water and falling rocks. This barrier hides a waterfall. It's perhaps not the safest place to be. While we didn't see anything other than falling water, there were large rocks and trees which has washed over the cliff and embedded themselves into the barrier.

We stuck around for a bit, took some pictures, then hit the road again.

Gorge Lake dam is what blocks the Skagit River and feeds the power station below. There is a viewpoint you can stop and to get a glimpse of it, looking out over a cliff it's quite a sight.

The next stop along the way was a viewpoint overlooking Ross Lake. By this point we were seeing more snow and slush along the road. During the summer this viewpoint usually has quite a few people, but now it was just us and one other family who were also on a trek to see snow. Because the parking lot was empty this gave us a chance to stretch our legs.

There is no denying the breathtaking beauty and ruggedness of this area.

As we head eastward and upward, the snow is now everywhere and is falling from the sky. The road was all but abandoned. This let us do things such as stop in the middle of the highway to take pictures. You didn't have to worry about other cars because there were none. I guess most people are smart enough to stay off this road in the winter.

It can be a little eery to be on a highway with no traffic. Quiet is the best way to describe it. During the summer, cars pass by here every few seconds. Now, we were the only people. Over our entire drive, we saw only three or four other travelers.

Snow! A lot of snow! Rainy Pass is named so for good reason. But during the winter, all that rain becomes snow. About three feet of it here. This is the last pass before getting to the Liberty Bell switchbacks where all the avalanches happen.

We took a break at Rainy Pass to take a few pictures and to let Emma play in the snow. She wasn't quite sure what to think of the large snowflakes or snow up to her belly. But she had fun. We hiked a bit in the snow, but really, you need snowshoes to be able to do any real exploring of this area in these conditions. It is hard to walk when you take a step to find yourself up to your knees in snow.

Again, stopping in the middle of the highway to take pictures. Now there was snow collecting on the roads. Tracks from other cars were beginning to disappear. They do plow the road for as long as they can, but when it snows upwards of four inches an hour, it can be a daunting task to keep up with.

Just below Liberty Bell Mountain sitting at the top of the switchbacks. Snow is now about four inches on the road. Here the clouds are starting to break. No cars, no trucks, no plows. Just silence. All sound was being deadened by the snow.

As we headed down the east side of the switch backs the road began to clear a bit. Still abandoned, we were still able to stop in the middle of the road for pictures and to enjoy the sights.

We slowly made our way past Mazama and into the tourist town of Winthrop. Pulling into town you are greeted by one of the locals enforcing the speed limits.

Not to worry though, our driving record is still in tact. It is a good deterent to speeding though. All you see shortly after the speed limit drops down to 25mph is a police car. Once you realize the car is a prop, you have already slowed down. Very effective traffic management.

After exploring the town only to find it mostly closed for the winter, we refueled and headed back the way we came.

One last stop to play in the snow. It was snowing even harder on the way back over the passes. Now it was dark. After this stop we decided that it was getting a bit risky to be our here by ourselves and pushed through to home.

The pass was closed about two weeks after this when the snow became too much for the plows to clear and avalanche became a real danger.

We've got quite a few more pictures of this trip posted up in our gallery. Please take a bit to browse through them. If you ever get the chance to drive this road, we would highly recomend going. Take your time and take your camera. There is lots to see and enjoy along the way.

Pictures: North Cascades Highway before closing for winter