River Loop Trail - North Cascades National Park

Our second hike at the North Cascades National Park visitor center was on the River Loop Trail. The trail has an out-and-back leg before arriving at the loop portion near the Skagit River. I've heard this type of configuration called a lollipop trail. 

The out-and-back section of this hike is one-third mile and the loop is one mile, yielding a total distance of just less than 1.7 miles according to my GPS receiver. The park service calls it 1.8 miles. The trail descends 70 feet from the visitor center to the beginning of the loop for an average grade of 4%. This must be climbed at the end of the hike. The loop portion of the trail is basically flat. The western end of the loop was burned in the 2015 Upper Skagit Complex fires. 

Although the trail seems to be in the mountains, the entire trail is below 600 feet in elevation. We visited North Cascades National Park in early September 2022.

Topographic map with GPS route in blue

Trailhead information kiosk

The descent

More of the descent

This might come in handy on the way back

Flattening out

Open forest

Beginning of the loop (stay straight to hike counterclockwise)

Typical trail conditions

Moss covers anything that doesn't move

A bench for contemplating tall trees and ferns

A hollow tall tree

More ferns

A trailside informational kiosk

Skagit River

More tall trees

A spur of Trappers Peak across the river

Trailside erosion control

A spur of Mount Ross

A river rock bar on the Skagit River

Another trailside informational kiosk

Aftermath of the 2015 forest fire

Regrowth after the fire

More fire renewal

More fire scars, seven years later

Back in the forest

End of the loop: Turn left to go again, right to the visitors center, or stay straight to the campground

There is no entrance fee at North Cascades National Park.

The North Cascades National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm.