The North Cascades Highway’s best views are a quarter mile from your car, and the road closes for winter soon
You don’t have to hike six miles to stand in front of the North Cascades. Two of the best views along Highway 20 are an easy walk from the parking lot, and both are free to visit.
The catch is the calendar. The highway shuts down for winter, and it doesn’t wait for you to get around to it.
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Washington Pass Overlook: the big view for a tiny walk
This is the one that makes people stop mid-stride. The paved trail is 0.25 miles round trip with about 61 feet of climbing, so it’s easy, and no pass is required.
At the end, Liberty Bell Mountain fills the sky, its east face rising a sheer 2,000 feet above the highway. Granite spires, subalpine firs, and in the right weeks of fall, golden larches mixed in. It’s the rare view that looks exactly as dramatic in person as it does in photos.
The trail is paved but narrow, with tree roots to watch for, and it gets steeper with stairs past the first overlook. Dogs on leash are welcome, and there’s a toilet at the trailhead.
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Thunder Knob: Diablo Lake from above
If you want to stretch your legs a little more, Thunder Knob is 3.6 miles round trip with about 635 feet of elevation gain. It’s rated easy to moderate, so you’ll feel it without suffering. No pass is required.
The trailhead is at Colonial Creek campground, just past milepost 130 east of Newhalem. You’ll climb through moss-draped hemlock forest before the trees open to turquoise Diablo Lake, with Colonial Peak, Sourdough Mountain, Davis Peak, and Jack Mountain around it.
One note: the trail’s bridges are removed at the end of summer to protect them from winter river damage, so check current conditions before you commit. The lake’s color is most vivid in spring and early summer, thanks to glacial silt, but the view is still worth the climb in fall.
Want more once you’re up here?
If these two stops leave you wanting a bigger day, Maple Pass Loop sits along the same highway and is the one to save for a clear day. For the full menu of options, our guide to the best hikes in North Cascades National Park has plenty to build a longer trip around.
Timing: when Highway 20 closes
The passes are typically closed between November and April because of heavy snowfall. Last year, WSDOT closed the stretch between Rainy Pass and Washington Pass on Dec. 4, 2025, but the earliest closure on record was Oct. 17, 2007 and the latest was Jan. 3, 1990.
Translation: nobody can promise you a mid-November visit. This year’s reopening was also the latest-tying in WSDOT’s records, June 14, 2026, after winter storm damage and a rockslide, which tells you how seriously this road takes its seasons.
Check the WSDOT mountain passes page before you leave, and have a backup plan in case the gate is closed. Which view would you drive out for first?
Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, lock in your hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.
Rules and fees change — always confirm current requirements before you go.
