Washington

A beautiful hike through the forest to view the Big Four Mountain and caves beneath the snow.

Location: North Cascades – Mountain Loop Highway

Lengh: 2.2 miles, round-trip

Difficulty: Easy

Driving directions :

From 1-5 in Everett, take exit 194 for Snohomish /Wenatchee, then take exit 204 for Lake Stevens. Turn left after 2 miles onto highway 9/9N Granite Falls, then onto Quarry Road. At the stop sign turn left onto the Mountain Loop Highway. Continue until you get to a signpost for the Ice Caves Trailhead. Here you will find a parking lot and toilets, as well as a self service pay station for a Northwest Forest Pass, which is required for the trail.

Start at the parking lot and follow the the pathway through the woods.

There is a aluminium bridge over the Stillaguamish River. The bridge was built to withstand flooding.

In a few steps you will cross Ice Creek, just before it flows into the Stillaguamish.

The path continues on a gentle upward grade through the forest.

Continuing on, the trail breaks out into an open meadow. Here you have a good view of the Big Four Mountain, ice caves and waterfalls.

The trail ends in a circle of rocks perfect for admiring the caves, mountain and waterfalls.

Beautiful flowers to admire along the way 🌻🌼🌸

Don’t go near the caves, it is very dangerous. People have been killed here.

Pike Place Market opened in 1907, and is one of the oldest continuesly operated markets in the USA.

The Pike Place Starbucks, commonly called the Original Starbucks.

Beecher’s Cheese is an artisan cheesemaker and retail shop. The location includes a small glass-walled factory and café.

Rachel the market pig receives about $9000 annually. The money is used to fund social services.

The Gum Wall is a brick wall in Post Alley and is covered in used chewing gum. It was cleaned in November 2015 for the first time in 20 years. It did not stay clean for long.