Sahale Arm Trail

North Cascades National Park

48.47497, -121.07505

In the remote southwest corner of the North Cascades National Park is the very popular Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm trail. The trailhead is located at the end of a 18 mile mostly gravel road (good condition) that travels through the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest and the North Cascades National Park.

The drive up to the trail is a treat in itself with large moss covered trees, river crossings, waterfalls and views of the Cascade mountains.

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Once at the trailhead you will be treated to a fantastic view, a large parking area, rest rooms and an information board. I arrived around 10:00 am on a Tuesday and the parking lot was completely full. Luckily, I was able to find a parking spot along the edge of the road only a short distance from the trailhead. On the weekend this place is most likely packed and finding a place to park could be a real issue.

The Hike

The Cascade Pass to Sahale Arm is an out and back trail rated difficult. I believe it gets this rating due to the length (10.9 miles) and the almost 4000 foot elevation gain.

The trail immediately begins to climb from the parking lot. The slope of the mountain is extremely steep but luckily the trail designers lessened the sheerness by utilized 33 switchbacks. Although the switchbacks are numerous they are long and some of the most “level” switchbacks I have ever experienced. I am not an engineer but I don’t think they were over a 2% grade all the way to the pass.

The switchback trail zigged and zagged through a lush Pacific Northwest forest providing only a few views of the surrounding mountains. However, it still provided an awesome walk among the giant evergreen trees and the shade to kept me cool as I climbed.

After the 33rd switch back the trails begins a .7 mile straight away. In this section the trail is still climbing but it opens up for an outstanding panoramic view.

Even though I enjoy walking in the forest this straight open stretch was neat. Along this stretch there were many flowers blooming, wild blueberries, huckleberries, small streams and large talus field. Most of all it gave me a great view of many glacier studded mountains peaks.

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As I came up over a rise, Cascade Pass came in stunning view. WOW!! For most hikers this is the endpoint of their hike and I cannot blame them. The view was incredible. I stood for a minute soaking it all in but there was a large crowd and the sun was bright so I opted to push on toward Sahale Arm.

After the Sahale Arm split the trail becomes increasingly steep. As you make your way up the slope you will cross a few small talus (rock) fields but the flowers and blueberries along this section were abundant providing both a distraction and a tasty treat.

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After climbing this steep section Sahale Peak comes in full view as well as the clear blue waters of Doubtful Lake at its base. There is an established trail to Doubtful Lake but as you can see it is a good distance downhill and I was too lazy to hike back up, so I just enjoyed the view from above.

The trail at this point followed the “arm” or ridge leading to Sahale Peak. This was a great section as it provided breathtaking views of both valleys and a 360 degree view of all the mountain peaks.

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The path was well worn with many off shoots to explore. Through this section I walked along small patches of snow, ran into a mother Mountain Goat and kid and shared the trail with multiple plump Marmots.

Camping and Rock Climbing

The prominent feature at this point is Sahale Peak. Per the Alltrails app and several hikers I spoke with, there are two camping areas near the peak. The first is located on the flat area below the lowest (above) glacier. The second which is considered the “Climbers Camp” and is located a little further up the peak at the base of the Sahale Glacier.

I could see hikers at both camps but it appeared to be a substantial climb and wasn’t sure I needed to expel the energy to make the hike, after all the view right here was absolutely awesome. So after a short deliberation I decided that I would not exert the energy and make the climb but instead just find a flat rock where I could see in all directions and enjoy.

Beware of giant biting flies!!

After about 40 minutes of enjoying the views and exploring the arm I decided to start my hike back to the trailhead. I will point out that there are some huge bitting flies at this higher elevation. They proved to be quit the nuisance and painful. Proudly I will say that there are fewer now than when I arrived. SPLAT

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Return trip

The sun was lower on the horizon giving the trail an entirely different feel. The trail was also a lot less congested with hikers especially at the Cascade Pass. When I reached the pass no one was there!! So I took the opportunity to stop, sit and spend extra time watching as the shadows worked their way across the meadow.

Life Lesson

I believe as hikers (and humans) we tend to be in a rush to get to our destination and we fail to stop and enjoy this possibly once in a lifetime opportunity. As a result I am trying to force myself to slow down, stop and give it the time it deserves. After all we spend all that energy and hours to reach that goal (which we may never see again) and then spend mere minutes enjoying it. Thats crazy!! Could this be another life lesson the trail is teaching me?? How about you or am the only one??

North Cascade National Park

The North Cascade National Park is considered on of the 5 least visited US National Parks. Oddly enough 3 of the top 5 are in Alaska where I think there is no roads to access them and the other is in the middle of Lake Superior. I would also say that not only is it remote it is one of the most rugged places in the United States. No place that I have hiked or visited have so few access road and so many jagged peaks in one area. It is truly wilderness.

If you enjoy hiking, awesome sights and solitude then you will find it easy to lose track of time in North Cascade National Park.

slow~LEE hiking