Washington Pass Overlook

We follow the North Cascades Highway (Washington State Route 20) from Winthrop toward Washington Pass.  The highway took 79 years to complete (opening in 1972), starting as a mine-to-market road and later promoted as a way to get eastside hay to westside dairy farms and ending up as a national scenic highway in 1984.  As the first proposed and last completed, it is the oldest and the newest mountain highway in Washington.

Washington Pass on Route 20 is only accessible about half of the year.  This section of the highway climbs to elevations over 5,500 feet (1.7 km) and is covered by up to 40 feet (12 meters) of snow between late fall and early summer.  A short side road at the peak leads to the Washington Pass Overlook which features a paved trail to a a viewpoint with spectacular outlooks of alpine peaks and pinnacles.

We visit the pass once in the spring (much snow still on the peaks) and once in the fall (less snow, but still incredible views).

Route 20 to the pass

We follow the path to the overlook and admire the view.

Views from the overlook

Along Route 20, we see many waterfalls as the snow melts and flows down the mountains.

Along the highway

The Overlook is a great stop in Washington Pass!