Cascade Loop
Cascade Loop is a National Scenic Byway in Washington. Within Washington it covers roughly 430 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Cascade Loop with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
The Cascade Loop is a roughly 440-mile circuit through the most varied scenery in Washington, anchored by the North Cascades Highway (SR-20) over Rainy and Washington passes between jagged glaciated peaks. The loop also takes in the Bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth, the fjord-like Lake Chelan, and the Old West Methow Valley. The North Cascades portion closes each winter under heavy snow.
- North Cascades Highway
- Washington & Rainy passes
- Leavenworth
- Lake Chelan
- ~440-mile loop
Designated for its scenic qualities
Plan a drive on Cascade Loop → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store
Places to stop along Cascade Loop
Mukilteo Lighthouse Park
The loop's traditional starting point: a 1906 lighthouse and waterfront park beside the Whidbey Island ferry dock, with beach fires allowed in designated rings.
WebsiteGreat Northern and Cascade Railway
A volunteer-run depot museum in the old railroad town of Skykomish, with a small-gauge railway that gives rides on summer weekends.
WebsiteLeavenworth
A former logging town that remade itself as a Bavarian village in the 1960s, with alpine facades, beer halls, festivals year-round, and river beaches along the Wenatchee.
WebsiteOhme Gardens
A family-built alpine garden on a bare bluff above Wenatchee, with stone paths, evergreens, and pools looking out over the Columbia and Wenatchee valleys.
WebsiteLake Chelan
A glacier-carved lake more than 50 miles long and among the deepest in the country, ringed by orchards and wineries; boats from Chelan run up-lake to roadless Stehekin.
WebsiteWashington Pass Overlook
A short paved walk to a viewpoint beneath Liberty Bell Mountain and the Early Winters Spires, the scenic high point of the North Cascades Highway. The pass closes each winter.
Silo Park
The towering silos of the old cement plant that named the town of Concrete, now the backdrop for a park with picnic tables and a splash pad.
WebsiteDeception Pass Bridge
A 1935 steel bridge high over the churning tidal channel between Fidalgo and Whidbey islands. Walk the deck, then explore the beaches and forest trails of Washington's busiest state park.
Website
Where to Stay along Cascade Loop
23 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Cascade Loop.
Campsite, lodging, RV rental and membership links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.