9/11, Sunday, partly sunny. Day hike Easy Pass on Hwy-20 in North Cascade NP. 3 hours drive from Seattle. Hwy-20 is very pretty along Skagit River, and spectacular at Diablo Lake.
The hike starts right by Hwy-20. 3.6 miles to Easy Pass (according to NPS). The trail is easy and soft in the first half. Well maintained. Some elevation gain. Then you reach a basin, above most trees. Autumn colors were starting, so were huckleberries. More and more small rocks on the trail, and less dirt. You can see the pass already, but it still takes awhile to get there. View is quite good. Once you reach the pass (~6500'), you can see Fisher Creek valley and Fisher Peak to your left, and Mt Logan to your right. But don't stop here. There're some side trail around the pass. The main trail goes down to Fisher Creek. Camping is not allowed at the pass.
After a late lunch, we climbed up (no trail going up) the slope to the right (SW). The 3 photos shown here were taken close to the top (about 7200'). From the top, the view is absolutely stunning. 360° all the way to Cascade Pass area, and a glacier pond below to the north.
Filled a can of huckleberries at the basin before hiking out. Picked one hedgehog on the trail. Total about 9 miles.On the drive back, stopped at Diablo Lake Lookout for sunset. Restrooms available.
