From slough to summit, from the Snohomish River to Stevens Pass, historic Highway 2 offers an elevated itinerary for all travelers. The route constitutes the southern portion of the famed Cascade Loop, connecting riparian farmland to the majestic crest of the Cascade Mountains. The once nearly unnavigable terrain now makes for idyllic daytrips, starting at sea level and culminating at just over 4,000 feet, with an abundance of activities to pursue between.
Rich with snow play in winter, the corridor is equally inspiring throughout the autumn season. Come for the riot of fall colors, lessons in history along the old rail line, breathtaking waterfalls, alpine lakes, and world class trails. Your appetite for adventure will be justly rewarded: the route is generously populated with culinary delights and roadside curiosities to fuel the journey.
Nature’s Abundance
An ambitious daytrip begins a mere half hour north of Bellevue, in Snohomish, where the namesake river slinks through a stately downtown historic district. Just downriver the landscape shades into a succession of small farms where an abundance of crops flourish: huckleberry shrubs and corn stalks, hayfields and apple trees. At Raising Cane Ranch, you can practically pull your car right up to the orchard and pick from a variety of apples (many lesser known) yourself: Rubinette, Akane, Belmac. From the cidery you can taste their selection of seasonal expressions on tap, including one particularly memorable apple cider pressed with the farm’s own harvest of aronia berries. Grab a growler for the road
(Photo Credit: Raising Cane Ranch)
Just up the road kids can enjoy a pumpkin patch, hay-wagon ride, and the state’s original corn stalk maze at Swans Trail Farm. This award-winning dairy farm doubles as a natural theme park: take a dive into a sea of corn kernels, plant a pumpkin, conquer a hay bale pyramid, or just meet the cows in the barn. Not only are the farming practices here sustainable — so too is the sense of community fun.
Heading east on Highway 2, drop into the Sky Valley Visitor Center in Sultan for any maps or permits you may need (a Discover Pass and a Northwest Forest Pass will cover a majority of the territory and activities). It is here in late September that visitors can witness the run of pink salmon on the Sultan River, feted with a celebration of Skykomish cultural heritage.
(Photo Credit: Swans Trail Farm)
Consider a detour just a few miles north of the town of Gold Bar for a hike at Wallace Falls State Park, where a nearly six- mile roundtrip hike (the gradual ascent into deep forest climbs 1,300 feet) affords views upon three sectional waterfalls. Spoiled for choice by the spectacle, hikers can squabble over which is more awesome: Middle or Upper Falls?
At milepost 35, roughly halfway to the pass, don’t miss the exit for the historic town of Index, which lies a mile off the highway and welcomes you with a well-painted sign on the base of the Wes Smith bridge. A former mining town turned outdoor hub, Index attracts climbers for its famed slab of vertical granite, and river crews floating the Skykomish river. Through-hikers retiring from Section K of the Pacific Crest Trail might be found on the porch of the old Bush Hotel, sipping a well-earned cup of coffee (or whiskey).
(Photo: Wallace Falls State Park)
Hiking and Biking with a View
Casual hikers looking to stretch their legs and get a valley view should consider the Heybrook Ridge trail, a family-friendly route through second-growth forest that climbs steadily for just over a mile and a half, emerging on a lookout with an unfettered reveal of Mt. Index. Squint and you can see, glimmering at its base, Bridal Veil Falls. Accessed just south across Highway 2, this is a destination hike that brings visitors within intimate proximity to the cascading marvel descending more than 1,300 feet from Lake Serene above. At four miles round trip, this route is kid-friendly, while a more strenuous endeavor will take you up (and up — consider seven miles round trip with 2,000 feet of gain) to the source: the stunning alpine Lake Serene, a site befitting its tranquil title.
Recover, as many travelers do, with a stop at the Espresso Chalet (unmissable at milepost 36) for barista service, baked goods, and a quick snap with the cryptozoological wonder, aka Bigfoot (adult children will know him as Harry from a certain 1987 film shot on location). From the viewpoint, look back with justifiable pride upon the terrain you just scaled.
The rugged lay of the land inspires admiration, if not awe, at the industrious rail workers who forged this section of the Great Northern Railway through the unforgiving pass (so named for its most prominent civil engineer, John Frank Stevens). Remnants of this storied railroading history can be found parallel to the highway, most notably in the designated sections of the Old Cascade Scenic Highway Heritage Corridor. Explore the town of Sykomish, where a general store from the town’s inception in 1893 still stands (a historical society museum sits where the butcher shop once did). Kids can travel on a small-gauge railway and share in the locomotive history of the Skykomish Valley.
(Photo: View of Mount Index from Heybrook Ridge)
The Iron Goat Trail serves as a historical portal to the original rail grade as it switchbacked through the pass before the Cascade Tunnel was completed in 1900. Still, snow would prove too much for the engineering feats, and an avalanche in 1910 at the town of Wellington sent train cars tumbling into Tye Creek below. Both the tragedy and the subsequent efforts to make rail travel safer are well documented on the interpretive trails, featuring several rail tunnels, snow sheds, and even an old red caboose. From the Martin Creek trailhead there is nearly three miles of well-groomed, ADA-accessible trail. From there one can set off toward Windy Point for the views and a lunch while perched on the rocks.
If arriving at Stevens Pass with your mountain bike in tow, welcome to shred heaven. Here you’ll find nearly two dozen trails of varying terrain, both free-ride and technical, for all ability levels. “Lichen It” scores points for the name alone, and is a recommended intermediate singletrack trail that features some 20 bridge crossings through upper woodlands. No bike? No problem. You can rent gear here, and there are private and group lessons available. Or perhaps all the action served up enroute to the summit has left one content to simply sit and enjoy the scenery; in which case just catch the Hogsback chairlift ride for a panoramic glide and soak up the splendor of the Cascade range.
(Photo: Iron Gate Trail)
