Marked by the massive bulk of Liberty Bell and Early Winters spires, Highway 20 — also known as the North Cascades Scenic Highway — is a 140-mile designated byway located on the Cascade Loop. It is surrounded by jagged peaks and valleys, waterfalls and more than 300 glaciers within the North Cascades National Park. Several peaks rise well above 9,000 feet in elevation! Not surprisingly, hiking, climbing and camping are hugely popular here. (A nice perk about North Cascades National Park is that there is no entry fee, a rarity among national parks.)
Continue onward and upward until you reach the brilliant turquoise-colored Ross and Diablo lakes. Views over these glacier-fed lakes reach north to Canada and south into the most-glaciated valley in North America outside of Alaska. Colonial Creek and Newhalem campgrounds offer the most vehicle-accessible campsites in the park with summer programs and ancient forest hikes.
