Click on image to see detailed maps. Geology of North Cascades National Park Virtual Field Trips Three separate field trips take you (1) along the scenic North Cascade Highway (State Route 20), (2) up the Baker Lake road, and (3) along the Mount Baker Highway (State Route 542). Most of the sites you'll see are right off the highway, but we've included a few side trips that take you off the beaten path. Click on one of the three fieldtrip maps shown to see a detailed map. Navigate by returning to this page or by using the clickable map link at the top of each field trip stop page. Are you ready to hit the road?

Field trip 1; Highway 20 and vicinity This field trip begins west of North Cascades National Park at the town of Concrete near Lake Shannon and winds through the Ross Lake National Recreation area along Highway 20 to Washinton Pass. Stop 1 - The town of Concrete Limestone quarry at Concrete and Ice Age dam Side trip A - Sauk Mountain Views and remnants of old volcanoes Stop 2 - Newhalem Dating ancient magma using the zircon radiometric clock Stop 3 - The Anomalous Skagit Gorge Turning the River Around Stop 4 - Diablo Dam Damming a canyon of stretched granite Stop 5 - Diablo Lake Overlook Rocks and glaciers behind the scene Side trip B - Ross Lake Boat Landing Finding marble in the Skagit Gneiss Side trip C - Ruby Mountain A long climb and a huge fold Stop 6 - Western Ross Lake Overlook Views of faulted terranes Stop 7 - Crater Mountain Views of an ancient ocean floor Side trip D - Easy Pass A groovy fault Side trip E - Maple Pass Views of a wandering batholith Stop 8 - Washington Pass Overlook Granite inspires Field trip 2; Baker River Road and Schriebers Meadows This field trip takes you from Concrete up the Burpee Hill Road to the Baker River Road and on to Schriebers Meadows south of Mount Baker. It includes a stop on the Anderson Creek Road and some off-road side trips. Stop 9 - Burpee Hill The Puget Lobe outwash Stop 10 - Schriebers Meadow Road Sulphur Creek lava flow and its future Side trip F - Ancient rocks along the Park Butte Trail Long history in a block Side trip G - Railroad Grade View from atop a glacial moraine Stop 11 - Anderson Creek Road overlook A geologic potpourri Side trip H - Anderson Butte A view of Bacon Peak and its cap of Eocene sediments Field trip 3; North Fork of the Nooksack River (Highway 542) Major stops on this field trip are along the Mount Baker Highway up the North Fork of the Nooksack River with several sidetrips into North Cascade National Park. Stop 12 - Church Mountain Landslide A catastrophic event Side trip I - Yellow Aster Meadows Home of the Yellow Aster Complex Side trip J - Twin Lakes Road Cutting the deck Side trip K - Twin Lakes Ancient volcanic rocks and a glacial pass Side trip L - Lone Jack Mine and a view of Big Bosom Butte Gold and an ancient caldera Side trip M - Nooksack Cirque Amphitheater carved from nested plutons Side trip N - Hannegan Pass Finding the age of an old volcanic caldera Stop 13 - Artist Point Old volcanoes Side trip O - Lake Ann Trail A geologic panorama of the last 225 million years Many more field and side trip stops in and around North Cascades National Park are described in Geology of the North Cascades: A Mountain Mosaic.

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| USGS Geology in the Parks home | NPS Park Geology Tour home | This site is a cooperative endeavor of the US Geological Survey Western Earth Surface Processes Team and the National Park Service. Please share your comments and suggestions with us! parkgeology@den.nps.gov http://www.nature.nps.gov/grd/usgsnps/noca/nocaft.html This page was last updated on 12/1/99

Material in this site has been adapted from a new book, Geology of the North Cascades: A Mountain Mosaic by R. Tabor and R. Haugerud, of the USGS and published by The Mountaineers, Seattle