Continuing on our journey through Washington State, Eric and I found ourselves in the old lumber town of Darrington. Tucked in a foggy valley in the middle of the Snoqualmie Forest and North Cascades, this sleepy little town is perfect when you want to escape the world. Which is exactly what we did.
Cabin Living on Sauk River
We knew we were headed somewhere special when we saw a sign advertising “100% organic gluten free firewood.” I love people with a sense of humor. Our cabin in Darrington was Eric’s favorite of all the places we stayed on this trip. The living room had a fireplace and comfortable seating and the backyard looked out on the Sauk River. This place was made for slow living. We spent an entire afternoon sitting in the chairs outside watching for wildlife and it paid off because we saw our first river otter.
If you go, be sure to bring food with you. Moe’s had good coffee and light fare, but the grocery store selection wasn’t great. Arlington has a good grocery store and it’s about 30 minutes west of Darrington.
Hiking Sauk River
People don’t come to Darrington to eat, they come here to fish or hike. Hiking was certainly why we chose this location. There are trails in any direction. It rained one day so we opted to walk the Old Sauk River Trail. It was just 10 minutes from our cabin and was a flat easy hike. We couldn’t have picked a better trail for a rainy day. Moss covered trees, wispy ferns glistening with raindrops, a lazy river and magic mushrooms made for a lovely walk in the forest.
Speaking of mushrooms, we saw an interesting group of hikers on this trail. I don’t care where you are or what terrain you’re hiking, there’s a certain look all hikers have. We’re easy to spot, even in airports. So when I come across a group of millennials wearing black trench coats, combat boots, and heavy goth makeup in the middle of a magic forest, my imagination kicks into gear. I start thinking “Dungeons & Dragons reenactment.” Then we notice the brown paper bags in their hands and realize they’re mushroom hunters!
Hiking Diablo Lake
Driving to Diablo Lake is a joy in itself, especially from Darrington. This route along Hwy 530 follows the Sauk River with forest on both sides and mountains up ahead. It’s especially pretty close to Rockport where the Sauk meets the Skagit River.
Diablo Lake is one of the most visited parts of North Cascades National Park and with views like this you can understand why…
There are enough trails here for at least a week’s worth of day hikes, but alas, we only had one day. We walked Diablo Lake Trail, which is misleading because it doesn’t offer much of a lake view. Most of it was forest and boulder fields, with intermittent peeks of the water, ending with a great view of the dam.
We met a couple on that trail who voiced disappointment at the lack of lake view. They must have not stopped at the Diablo Lake Vista Point yet, otherwise they’d have shushed that negativity and enjoyed the beauty around them. No hiking required for this view…
The Vista Point was beautiful but there were WAY too many people there. While I enjoyed watching the three Russian dudes flex their biceps for selfies, I was much happier when we left the masses behind and found a quite beach all to ourselves. We parked at the Thunder Knob Trailhead (which is another great day hike) and just walked along the beach. The parking lot was full but no one was walking the beach. Lucky for us, because this is exactly how we like to end a day.
