The Maple Loop Pass Trail at North Cascades National Park is a hike I read about on a travel blog years ago and have wanted to hike it ever since. Today was the day that I finally got to hike it! This hike is one of the most popular in the park because of the amazing views it affords. It's a bit challenging at 7.5 miles long with an elevation gain of 2191 feet. We arrived at the trailhead parking lot around 9:30am and got one of the last parking spots. It was overcast with a light misty rain, but we didn't let that stop us.
After reading many recommendations, we chose to hike in a counterclockwise direction. The first mile or so is steadily uphill through a heavily forested section. Once we gained some elevation, we were out of the woods and surrounded by beautiful views of wildflowers, Lake Ann, and mountains all around. It was some of the prettiest scenery we've ever encountered and reminded us of the vistas we enjoyed in Murren, Switzerland. I took so many pictures that it was hard to pick just a few to include here! In total, we logged 24,000 steps for the day - a much longer hike than we usually tackle, but so worth it!
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| The wildflowers were beautiful! |
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A view of Lake Ann from a higher elevation
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Lake Ann with wildflowers
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| The Liberty Bell Mountain |
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| The trail back down from the pass |
After the hike, we went back to the cabin to shower and then off to Winthrop's local pizza spot for dinner.
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