If you don’t feel like attempting a steep downhill stretch — and that’s the first 0.8 of a mile from the visitors center — then avoid it. Take the first right after entering Newhalem Campground. Continue straight to a small parking strip (six cars maximum) at the “T” intersection. Park here and take the hill out completely.

Distance: 1.8 miles

Destination: Loop trail

Difficulty: Easy

Elevation gain: 100 feet

Getting there: Take Highway 20 to milepost 120, 53 miles east of Sedro-Woolley. Turn into the entrance to the North Cascades National Park Visitors Center in Newhalem. Continue past the campground entrance to the visitors center. The trailhead is behind the building.

The Trek: Hiked anytime of the year, weather permitting, the trek begins on a downhill grade that leads into the forest. Look closely for old-growth timber as well as various species of ferns and fungi. The route eventually levels out as the valley floor is reached.

Cruise down the hill, passing walls of green along the way, and enter a rain-soaked forest.

In this ecosystem, massive trees, huge sword ferns and moss dominate the landscape.

Arrive at the intersection of Loop A and Loop B.

Continue straight. The trail on the left will be the return route. Follow signs for the River Loop Trail on the first leg of the hike and the signs for the visitors center on the return portion.

Skirting around the sprawling Newhalem Campground, enter the deep forest. It’s not long before the banks of the mighty Skagit River are reached. Depending on the time of the year, the water could be low and gin-clear or high and the color of a chocolate milkshake.

If the water is low enough, take a moment and venture onto a huge sand bar. If the water level is up, this bar is all but submerged.

Along the trail, there are numerous access points to the river’s banks. If you make this hike in the fall or winter, look for salmon in the throws of spawning.

Back on the trail, follow the river a short distance. Make sure to take a look at some of the massive stumps and note the spring-board notches. This is evidence of logging from the early 1900s.

The trail this time of the year can be a bit sloppy because of rainfall. However, spots that remain high and dry are a spongy mix of dirt and pine needles that cushion every step.

Take a moment to sit on any one of several hand-hewn benches found along the way.

Turning left, leave the roaring river behind and head back into the forest.

After 1.4 miles, the loop is completed. You are at the intersection for loops A and B, and at the trail to the visitors center.

Take the path to the visitors center and return to the rig.