Monday was a day off. It was also a great time to beat the weekend crowds, seek out the fall color, and enjoy a friend’s visit while driving along the incredibly scenic road that runs along the Skagit River, departing from farmland, through forests and finally to incredible mountain views.

Normally I might want, one of daddy’s favorite words, a little more hiking. But this time, I wanted more scenery and easy little hikes.

Friend Camille was ready to go, and we left at 9 am from Whatcom County. We spent a lot of time stopping here and there and always came back before 4pm.

We made sure to layer our clothes according to the changing weather and temperatures along the route, packed snacks and refueled in the car.

The highway is beautiful, but few options for food and gas. Another downside is that it is a summer road. Due to the avalanche danger, it will close soon. Time is running out to use Washington’s mountain highways.

Along our route, in order of appearance:

At an elevation of 56 feet, Sedro-Woolley is barely above sea level. The most populous point along this section of Highway 20, the population was 10,540 in 2010. The district station North Cascades National Park Rangers, a Sedro-Woolley Museum, and the Northern State Recreation Area are stopping points.

Jason Miller, a Lynden High School graduate, is the editor and publisher of the Concrete Herald. The city is hard to miss, with a tall concrete structure with “Welcome to Concrete” on it.

Since Wikipedia mentioned a special bridge, we drove off the freeway to find it. Apparently, it was the longest single-span reinforced concrete bridge at a time. In 1972, the highway was diverted and widened. Now the bridge is used in the city. Likewise, we went in search of the high school built in 1952. It is built on the road which approaches it, South Superior Street. Beyond the school is a small airport.

Rockport State Park is a 632-acre day-use park with incredible forest to walk through at the base of Sauk Mountain. Camille knew this and made sure we stopped.

Part of the call is not a permit required for a 15 minute stopover to use the washroom. Another part is the ease and immediacy of walking through the old growth forest and fall leaves. The trail has been updated to accommodate ADA wheelchairs on one of the five miles.

The adjoining campground has been closed due to the risk of falling trees, according to the park’s website which also has a brochure and printable maps online, parks.state.wa.us/574/Rockport.

Built by James JD Ross, the superintendent of this project, to be a corporate city. He and his wife Alice are actually buried here in a family crypt seen out of the corner of my eye passing with the metal grilles protecting it. The town has a general store, Gorge Inn, and mainly houses.

In the past, visitors flocked from towns along the highway with one last train ride to spend the night in the 1920s, got a free chicken dinner, and took in the scenery. A simple sign now points to a footbridge evoking a garden.

Although there are flowers, part of the garden is an electric forest, one of Ross’s creations. The functionality returned after a hiatus in 2011 with a new LED bulb system. It follows Ladder Creek Falls for 0.4 mile with colored lights up a series of steep stairs.

Several other trails are the Sterling Munro Lookout, next to the North Cascades Visitor Center, on an easy 330-foot walk above the forest floor through the trees to view the now snow-capped mountains. Cedar Trail Nature Walk. Walk past the general store and look for the modern suspension bridge spanning the river. The 0.3 mile trail follows the river, features regular learning points, and a juxtaposition of fresh green trees and those heavily burned in the Goodell fire caused by lightning on August 10, 2015.

Viewpoint at milepost 131.7 at is a popular site for social media posts. The vivid blue-green water at 1,201 feet is fascinating and unusual. It is fed by glaciers. It is surrounded by mountains that are more commonly found in the Alps. Visit nps.gov/places/diablo-lake-overlook.htm for more.

Diablo Lake is actually a reservoir at 1,201 feet above sea level. It is part of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project and is managed by Seattle City Light.

As a child, our family took the boat tour and looked at the different facilities. Two years ago, a group of friends signed up online for the boat trip now run by the North Cascades Institute, which also showcased dams and their function as well as flora and fauna.

Note: Always check before you go, as the highway is known to have rock slides, fires nearby and is heavily affected by snow in its part in the mountains at higher elevations. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) keeps updates for emergencies and seasonal closures: wsdot.wa.gov/travel/highways-bridges/passes/north-cascades-highway/home.