Media Contact: Amy Spain, 425-348-5802 x. 101, amy@snohomish.org

Backyard Beauty in Snohomish County, Washington

Think of Snohomish County as your gateway to some of the most incredible views on Puget Sound. And you can take in most of those views from the comfort of your car— or a Washington state ferry. From our national scenic byway you could spot a mountain goat grazing on a distant craggy peak, watch cascading waterfalls, or see hillsides awash in wildflowers, all in a morning's drive. There's plenty off-road scenery too. Stop to pluck your own fresh blueberries at a U-pick farm nestled up against the Cascades. Hop on a Washington State ferry in Edmonds or Mukilteo for some of the most spectacular views around Puget Sound and the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. On the pages that follow is a sampling of some of the "drive-by-beauty" in Snohomish County. 1. A Loop drive you'll love Miners carved it out as a wagon road in 1891, but this route has always been richer in scenery than in precious metal. Drive the Mountain Loop Highway today and you'll quickly see why it was designated a National Scenic Byway a hundred years later, in 1991. The Mountain Loop highway is open from late May through October, and passes through boom-and-bust town sites and abandoned mining claims. You'll also see rushing rivers and glacier-clad peaks. It’s an easy morning or afternoon drive out of either Granite Falls to the south, or Darrington to the north. If you made no stops (but why wouldn’t you?), the drive would take you about an hour and a half. It’s a two-lane paved road for all but 14 miles, which turns into an oversized single-lane graded road two cars can just squeak onto. It’s perfectly safe though, as long as you drive slowly and use your headlights. From Darrington, the Mountain Loop starts out

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south on Forest Service Road 20 where you get incredible views of the designated Wild and Scenic River known as the Sauk. This stretch of cool, quick water is home to the largest Northwest population of bull trout, a federally listed sensitive species. There are lots of wheelchair accessible overlooks along the loop, but be sure to stop at the White Chuck Overlook. There you can scan the slopes of White Chuck Mountain for goats along rocky outcrops. Below you are the remains of an old railroad logging camp. As you continue west to Barlow Pass, try to envision a volcano larger than Mount Rainier sitting right here. The surrounding peaks you’ll see were created by its lava flows 2,000-feet thick. The remaining section of the scenic byway is paved and follows parts of the historic “tote road”, which prospectors built to reach the mines at Monte Cristo. Floods washed out the paved road leading to that ghost town, but you can walk or mountain bike the 4-mile dirt road to reach it. About half the town is still privately owned, so please respect the no trespassing signs. About halfway around the loop you’ll come to the Big Four Picnic Area and trail leading to a viewpoint into the Big Four Ice Caves. In the 1920s thousands of tourists arrived here by train to stay in the swank Big Four Inn, which burned in 1949. But the lush meadow, beaver ponds, picnic area, and of course, the awesome view of Big Four Mountain remain.

From the parking lot there’s a gentle 1-mile trail through a forest carpeted with wildflowers, and leading up to the Big Four Ice Caves. From the trail you can get a good look up into the “caves”, really tubes formed in the toe of an ice field by warm air flowing off the mountain in late spring and early summer. The ice caves are extremely dangerous, because tons of ice can come crashing down at any time. Please don’t enter the ice caves, just look. The next four miles of the loop take you past a mother lode of mining history. Look for old mine tunnels, traces of the long abandoned railroad, and remnants of ghost towns. Between Marble Peak and Blackjack Ridge hung a 9,000 foot-long tramway bringing ore down to the railroad from the Forty-five Mine over the divide into the Sultan Basin. At the Gold Basin Campground, you can see what’s left of an

old lumber and shingle mill. Across the highway there’s an excavated millpond that now provides a safe haven for young salmon year-round. There’s a wheelchair-accessible, interpretive trail that tells the story of the former mill and now wildlife area. Great Blue Herons are often seen along the trail.

Forest Fees You'll need to buy a $5 (Day pass) permit to park at nearly all trailheads on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. That's year-round. The only exception is the Heather Meadows area at Mt. Baker. Annual passes are $30. Pick one up at any Forest Service office. Or get one at the Snohomish County Visitor Information Center at Heritage Park (exit 181 off of I-5) in Lynnwood. Open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Forest Service uses the fees to pay for trail repairs.

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Further down the road at the Lake 22 Research Natural Area, you wander through an old growth forest of red cedar and hemlock, some more than 700 years old. The RNA is also home to the elusive marbled murrelet, a seabird on the federal threatened species list. The only murrelet nests ever found in Washington State are in this forest. And, keep your eyes peeled for the infamous spotted owl, which lives in old growth all along the Mountain Loop. Granite Falls is the other starting point of the Mountain Loop Highway. It sits in the shadow of Mt. Pilchuck. Stop by the Granite Falls fish ladder just before leaving the loop highway. It’s a great place to see salmon and steelhead making their way back to spawning grounds in the late summer and early fall. The Cascade Loop is a much longer 400-mile drive, crossing the Cascades twice. From I-5, follow signs to US 2 and Stevens Pass. You’ll pass through the towns of Snohomish, Monroe, Sultan, Gold Bar, Startup and Index before heading across Stevens Pass into the Tyrolean village of Leavenworth on the eastern flank of the Cascades. Continue into Wenatchee, and then follow the mighty Columbia River north on Highway 97 to Pateros. From there head east on State Highway 153 to the town of Twisp, where the road turns into the North Cascades Highway 20. It passes through the western-theme town of Winthrop before climbing over two spectacular mountain passes. Highway 20 ends in Rockport, where you’ll take State Highway 530 into Darrington to connect to the Mountain Loop or return to I-5. (509) 662-3888 or www.cascadeloop.com. 2. Fossil Finds The whole Northwest was under water during the time dinosaurs roamed our planet, but that makes it easy to find the remains of that sea life today. Here are some good spots to find fossils:

• 4 miles up the road turning off to the Big Four Ice Caves look for a wide turnout with two vandalized markers with a thick bed of black shale protruding from the road. As you step out of your car, chances are good that you’ll crush a plant fossil or two. Glacial forces pushed fossilized plants and sea life up into what are now the Cascade Mountains.

• A mile up the road is Coal Lake, one of the county’s most accessible alpine lakes…it’s only 40 feet from the parking lot. More fossils await you there.

3. Tips from locals on spotting Washington’s “hidden” volcano, Glacier Peak At 10,500 feet, it’s the state’s fourth highest peak. It’s tough to spot though because it’s tucked

away deep in the Cascades. When Glacier Peak erupted 12,000 years ago, it blew with three times the force of the last Mount St. Helen’s eruption. Ash from Glacier Peak has been found all over the Northwest. You can spot it from Highway 530 between Arlington and Darrington. Heading east to Darrington, start looking straight ahead between milepost 41-43. If you get to the Whitehorse Mercantile, you’ve gone too far! Or from the Mountain Loop Highway, turn off Forest

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Service Road 20 onto White Chuck Road, and then go to the end of White Chuck Trail. 4. Why the name “Big Four”? Big Four is best known for its ice caves, which are formed in a snowfield avalanched from the mountain. The “caves”, are actually tubes that form late in the summer as warm air flows downslope and under the snowpack. The mountain gets its name from the way snow melts off it each spring, leaving a big “4” on its north face. 5. Waterfalls to Watch There are 18 waterfalls to watch, but some of the prettiest don’t require leaving your car. Others are easy to reach on foot:

1. Bridal Veil Falls …Widen and careen down, forming two wispy veils in the summer. Visible from US Hwy 2 about 1/4 mile east of the turnoff to Index. 2. Sunset Falls … About 1.5 miles east of Index also off US Highway 2. It’s one of the widest sections on the South Fork of the Skykomish River. You can see how the gray-black rock at the falls has been worn smooth by centuries of flowing water. 3. Wallace Falls This spectacular 265-foot falls near Gold Bar on U.S. Hwy 2 is worth the hike. A seven- mile loop trail takes you to the falls. 4. Granite Falls ... 1.5 miles north of town, water froths along South Fork Stillaguamish in a series of descents totaling 30 to 40 feet. A short trail leads to the falls from a parking area. A 580-ft fishway connects the top and bottom parts of the river. 5. N. Fork Sauk Falls … Water thunders 80 feet along the Sauk River. Take the Mountain Loop south from Darrington to Forest Service Road 49. Turn left and look for Trail #660. 1/4-mile walk to the falls.

6. Views from the Ferries You get awesome water and mountain views by riding the ferry from either the Edmonds or Mukilteo terminals. The Edmonds-to-Kingston run gets you to the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas. The Mukilteo-to-Clinton run takes you to Whidbey Island. And either crossing won’t take longer than 30 minutes each way. Board as a foot passenger and you won’t have to wait for the next ferry when the car ferries fill up. If you do plan to drive onto the ferry, avoid the weekend, holiday rush, or leave at least 1-2 hours of wait time before your scheduled sailing. And bring a jacket

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even on a sunny day, because it gets breezy when you’re taking in those views on the outside decks! 7. A berry good time As you drive through rural Snohomish County, you’ll find berry, vegetable, and herb farms scattered around like seeds. Under a blue summer sky there’s nothing quite like plucking fresh strawberries or blueberries for your morning breakfast (if you keep out of them that long). Our visitor’s centers provide maps of many local u-pick farms. Some even offer free petting zoos, baby farm animals, and seasonal festivals. Or you can check out one of the many local farmers’ markets in Snohomish County.

At least 23 varieties of wild berries ripen in Northwest forests. First on the scene each spring is the yellowish salmon berry. It’s shaped just like a raspberry and is found in wet areas from July to September. Next comes the blackcap, which actually looks like a tiny, burgundy raspberry. It’s popular because it’s very sweet, and you’ll find it in rocky, drier areas. Huckleberries draw all sorts of Northwesterners to the high forests in late July. They look like domestic blueberries, but come in both red and blue. Thimbleberries are last to ripen up in wetter areas in

August. They look like a blackcap, only medium red. Many people prefer their tart taste to the sweeter blackcap. The blackberry is ubiquitous in the Northwest all summer long, and comes in two types, Himalaya and Dewberry. Look along any road or trail in the county - bring a pail!