Cascade Loop Scenic Byway
Byway Length: 440 miles
Designated: 2021 – National Scenic Byway
The Cascade Loop National Scenic Byway is a 440-mile love letter to Washington praising her natural beauty and charisma. The route contains three of the state’s designated scenic byways—the Stevens Pass Greenway, the North Cascades Highway, and the Whidbey Scenic Isle Way.
From the waterfront city of Everett, head east over Stevens Pass, where alpine villages welcome and snowy spires beckon.
Drop from pine forests into fertile orchards and take in the pink haze of apple blossoms in the spring. Pick up luscious seasonal fruit from a roadside stand that operates on the honor system then take a dip in Lake Chelan as the sun bakes high desert hills. Play cowboy in Winthrop.
Climb west over more mountains, and then descend into Skagit Valley with its acres of blooming tulips. At last, cross over the dramatic Deception Pass to Whidbey Island, where gentle hills and seaside towns offer a soft place to land. If yours is a passing attraction to Washington State, watch out; this byway may turn it into true love forever.
There’s nothing like hitting the open road: cranking up the tunes, feeling the wind in your hair and taking a big old gulp of fresh air. And there’s nothing like doing this on the Cascade Loop! From the salty sea air surrounding the Puget Sound, flowering fruit trees from Leavenworth, Wenatchee and Lake Chelan, acres of fresh cut hay and farmland in the Methow and Skagit Valleys, and miles upon miles of lush evergreen forest along the Stevens Pass Greenway and North Cascades National Park. This is the road trip of a lifetime.
