Try These Two Wheelchair-Accessible North Cascades Hikes

The North Cascades Scenic Byway is much more than a utilitarian route. Sure it connects North Cascades National Park with points east and west, but it also offers a scenic drive with a few old growth forest wheelchair-accessible hikes along the way. So next time you are tooling along Highway 20 west of North Cascades National Park, be sure and stop for these two wheelchair-accessible big trees trails.

Rockport State Park

First up is the West Interpretive Loop in Rockport State Park (https://parks.wa.gov/find-parks/state-parks/rockport-state-park). It’s located along Highway 20, about 25 miles west of Newhalem. This 1.4-mile round-trip hike offers a beautiful stroll through a wheelchair-accessible slice of an old growth forest.

There’s accessible parking near the picnic area, with level access over to the accessible restroom. From the picnic area, follow the trail west for .2-mile until you get to a junction with a signpost. From there, take a right (away from the Sauk Spring Trail) and continue on the Evergreen Trail for another .2 miles until you get to the West Interpretive Loop.

The .6-mile hard-packed dirt trail is covered in crushed rock, and is wide enough to accommodate even large wheelchairs. It’s not a flat trail, but it’s certainly within the ADA trail standards. The undulating trail leads through the lush forest filled with Douglas firs, western red cedars and western hemlocks. There are interpretive plaques along the way, and this shady forest stroll is the perfect place to cool off a hot afternoon. When you complete the loop, head back to the picnic area on the Evergreen Trail. As an added bonus, it’s not a crowded park, so you will probably have the trail to yourself.

Baker Lake

After you’ve completed the Western Interpretive Loop, continue west on Highway 20 to Concrete, then head north to the Shadow of the Sentinels at Baker Lake (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mbs/recreation/baker-lake). It’s located about 15 miles off Highway 20, but it’s definitely worth the short detour. The trailhead is located in a small pullout, just before the turnoff to Horseshoe Grove Campground. You can’t miss it, as there’s a cross section of a large old growth tree in the parking lot.

There’s accessible parking near the trailhead, and at the other end of the lot near the accessible vault toilet. This .5-mile loop trail begins as a boardwalk through the old growth forest, and transitions back-and-forth between that and an asphalt trail and a hard-packed dirt trail. There’s a slight elevation gain along the way, but it’s well within the standards. The boardwalk is in excellent repair, and although there are a few frost heaves in the asphalt, they are pretty easy to dodge.

The trail is lined with Douglas firs and western hemlocks, with interpretive plaques along the way. There are a number of downed trees and snags in the adjacent forest, and if you’d like to take a break there are a few benches on the trail. There are also a few side trails to viewpoints in the forest, and one to an extra large Douglas fir tree. It’s estimated that some of the trees in this grove are nearly 700 years old.

As an added bonus, the drive up to Baker Lake is beautiful. And if you’d like to sneak a peek at at Baker Lake and the Cascades, then head over to the Panorama Point boat launch or drive down to the end of Mount Baker Dam Road. It’s the perfect way to end this North Cascades scenic outing.