A friend told me about Diablo Lake and once I saw photos of the beautiful turquoise lake, I was determined to make it out there. Not only did I visit once this summer, I went twice on the 4th of July and Labor Day and camped at two different campgrounds.

July 4th Long Weekend

Sabrina was visiting town and wanted to camp, so it was a great chance to go. A reservable campsite at the Newhalem Campgrounds opened up a few days before so I snagged it up for the popular long weekend.

We headed to the Diablo Lake lookout, which was easily accessed from the highway. The view was even more stunning and impressive than photos. The sun came out and it illuminated the turquoise waters, which is caused by ‘rock flour’ carried downstream from melting glaciers high above.

We hiked the 3.6 mile Thunder Knob trail and although the view was partially covered by trees, and not as beautiful as the lookout, it was still surreal.

We stopped by the beach to see the waters up close and I felt how cold the water was. The park ranger warned us that the water is so cold that you can get hypothermia from swimming in it. We stayed out but it was such a tease.

We saw Ladder Creek Falls which was much scenic than I expected. The short hike through the gardens were refreshing and I loved the view of the gorge and the waterfall.

Gorge Creek Falls was our next stop. This tall waterfall was another pleasant surprise. The falls were made up of 10 small waterfalls stacked on top of each other. Also, slightly east of these falls was another smaller set that we were able to climb close to.

We finished the park by driving to the Ross Lake lookout. It wasn’t as spectacular as the Diablo Lake lookout but we stopped for some photos anyways.

Labor Day Long Weekend

My friends saw photos of my first visit and they wanted to see the park for themselves. We were already planning a camping trip so I agreed to go again but at another campground, Colonial Creek that surrounds the lake. Naturally, we went to the lookout and Gorge Falls to marvel at the sights.

We also hiked a new trail “Diablo Lake” which offered impressive views of snow-capped mountains. The destination was the Ross Lake dam which was a bit disappointing.

We also discovered the Diablo Lake dam around sunset and I was pleasantly surprised at how spectacular this view was from different angles. There was a beautiful lake alongside mountains behind me. In front of me, there was a deep canyon with a waterfall made from the dam surrounded by peaks. This was one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen.

The North Cascades National Park is definitely one of my favorite parks in Washington. I already know I’ll likely be back to show it off to visitors.