Continuing our September 2022 visit to the North Cascades National Park Service Complex, we stopped in Newhalem to explore the Seattle City Light trail system across the river from the historic town.
While inside the boundaries of the park complex, Washington route 20, the Skagit River, the Seattle City Light dams, and powerlines are in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area and not technically in the national park. However, the separate areas have a single administration with almost all the infrastructure being in the Ross Lake NRA and the Lake Chelan NRA to the south. It is likely that many, or even most, visitors aren't aware of the administrative divisions.
The 0.4-mile loop trail begins at the far end of the suspension bridge across the Skagit River. The trail has numerous concrete steps along the way to a view of the waterfall on Ladder Creek. One side trail includes a bridge across the creek, but the far end of the bridge is blocked along with all the trails on that side of the creek. The waterfall is fairly small and only visible from a couple of places along the route.
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| Pedestrian suspension bridge |
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| Gorge powerhouse |
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| Skagit River looking upstream |
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| Skagit River looking downstream |
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| End of the suspension bridge |
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| Part of the Seattle City Light Gardens |
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| More of the gardens |
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| Seattle City Light information board |
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| Another view of the powerhouse |
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| First view of Ladder Creek |
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| Another glimpse of the creek |
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| Typical trail and handrail conditions |
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| Bridge over Ladder Creek |
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| View of Ladder Creek upstream from the bridge |
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| View of Ladder Creek downstream from the bridge |
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| Sandbags fill in a trail washout |
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| More of the trail system |
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| Ladder Creek Falls |
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| Another view of the falls |
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| The upper portion of the falls also called "The Flume" |
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| Rocks carved by the creek |
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| Bridge over Ladder Creek |
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| Another bridge |
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| A few of the many stairs on the trail system |
There is no entrance fee at North Cascades National Park.
The North Cascades National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm.
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