North Cascades Scenic Highway - Highway 20 - connects the Skagit and Methow valleys and travels through North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area and plenty of national forest land.
     The first proposed and the last route built through the Cascades, the road is the highest of Washington's Cascade crossings. It constitutes the North Cascades Scenic Byway and is part of the longer Cascade Loop tour and an international loop tour that crosses into Canada.
     Alexander Ross was one of the earliest explorers of the region in 1814. Miners prospected for gold, lead, zinc and platinum from 1880 to 1910, but transportation costs cut heavily into profits and most mining efforts were abandoned by 1910.
     Between 1924 and 1961 Seattle City Light built three dams on the Skagit River on the western side of the divide.
     The highway was opened in 1972, and includes diverse terrain and climates. The highway crosses Washington Pass at 5,477 feet and Rainy Pass at 4,860 feet.
     North Cascades Scenic Highway usually is closed by snow during the winter - it's been open all winter just once, in 1976-77 - and usually is open to vehicular traffic in late April. In 2005 it opened March 10, the earliest opening ever.
     Closure comes in November or early December when snow and avalanche danger make it impossible to keep open. Avalanche chutes can deposit snow hundreds of feet deep on the highway.
     North Cascades National Park Service Complex and Skagit River Watershed fishery resources have been affected in recent years by flooding.
     Department of Transportation offers a toll-free pass and highway report at 1 (800) 695-7623.
     More information is available at information centers, the Methow Valley Ranger District or on the Internet at www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm.
     Highway information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/northcascades or www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades.
     Along and near the highway are more than 360 miles of maintained trails available for hiking in North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreational Area and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.
     North Cascades National Park, established in 1968, consists of more than 684,000 acres and contains more than half (318) of the glaciers in the contiguous United States. Its eastern edge borders Okanogan County.
     More than 1,500 species of plants have been identified in the park.
     Hunting and trapping are prohibited in the park. Trapping also is prohibited in Ross Lake National Recreation Area and in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.
     The North Cascades area also includes the Pasayten Wilderness Area in Okanogan County and the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness Area in Okanogan and Chelan counties, along with parts of the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests and other federal areas.
     When driving across the highway, travelers should start with a full tank of gas because there are no services other than restrooms and campgrounds for 75 miles between Mazama and Newhalem. Gas, food and lodging are available in Winthrop, Mazama and Marblemount.
     Heading over Washington Pass from the eastern side is the steepest - people should make sure their vehicles are in good condition with good fluid levels.
     People can obtain a tape or CD called "North Cascades Scenic Highway - Audio Travel Companion" for a donation from visitor information centers on each end of the highway and return it when they reach the other side. The tape chronicles the history of the pass, and interesting stories and tidbits of the road's construction.
     Tapes are available at the North Cascades Scenic Highway Visitors' Center (509) 996-4000, next to the Winthrop Barn on Highway 20, or the North Cascades National Park Visitors' Center in Newhalem, (206) 386-4495.
     An exploration guide is available on the Internet with information about camping and hiking available along the highway at www.nps.gov/noca/challenger/ch6.htm.
     More information is available at either information centers or the Methow Valley Ranger District in Winthrop, (509) 996-4000, and on the Internet at www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm.