Horseshoe Basin is one of those magical places that once you visit you will never, ever forget. Nestled on the east side of Cascade Pass it is less visited than Sahale Arm but certainly no less beautiful.

Last summer I visited the basin twice, first while headed east to Stehekin, to get some pastry, and again on the way back…

Approaching from the east one crosses Basin Creek on a small wooden bridge that is probably flown in when the snow melts…a cairn marks the crossing.

Looking up the valley one gets a hint of whats to come.
The too-numerous-to-count waterfalls stream down from the glaciers, glistening in the sun. The bowl of the basin forms a 180 degree mouth punctuated with sharp granite teeth. Blue, green, red and white, the colors are astounding.

The western turn of the bowl is punctuated by Sahale Mountain and Boston Peak, standing guard.

These images are from August, probably the best month to go. You can find all you need to make a visit here, at the North Cascades National Park page…

Happy Trails!