Cumberland Pass Drive
To start your scenic backroad drive up to Cumberland Pass, drive about 5 miles west from Darrington on SR 530, turn right onto Swede Heaven Road, drive 1.5 miles, turn right on Forest Road #18. You are beginning to drive up Segelsen Ridge and beyond.
When you have driven 12.7 miles on Forest Road #18 you will see your first glimpse of Segelsen Lake on the right. At this point the surrounding vegetation seems to undergo a magical transformation of lush subalpine wildflowers.
A little after passing the lake, keep right at the “Y,” and then at 13.4 miles you will come to Segelsen Ridge Falls and just a short distance further Crescent Falls on the right.
When you reach 18.1 miles, you can turn left and drive 1.3 miles to a beaver pond. This is one of the many great places for a picnic. If you opt to turn off to this beaver pond, this side trip needs to be subtracted from your driving mileage directions. You can also continue for a short ways past the beaver pond and find the very scenic Higgins creek, a favorite place for rockhounding. The road is closed beyond this point.
To continue your trip to Cumberland Pass return to Forest Road #18 and turn left up the mountain. When you reach 24.1 miles turn left onto Forest Road #17, you will notice the road becomes paved for a short distance, just a little beyond this at 24.9 miles you will come to a second beaver pond. You reach the beautiful Cumberland Pass at 33.2 miles. You can see two huge rock formations with alpine marshes on both sides of the road. This is when you want to pull over and take your time. Everywhere you look nature has crafted gardens of rock and water. Wildflowers and butterflies are abundant.
From this point you can continue down the other side of the pass to the South Skagit Hwy. along the Skagit River if you want to take the long way back to Darrington or explore Sedro-Woolley or Mt. Vernon, but the best of the scenic drive is behind you and you would be amazed at what new vistas you can see if you retrace your steps and come at it from the opposite direction.