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From the Trail: Why Autumn Smells So Good in the North Cascades
Celebrate our 40th anniversary with 40% off Base Camp stays at the Environmental Learning Center this October and November, starting at just $63 per person. Fall is a magical time here, bringing changing colors, crisp mountain air, quiet trails, and mist drifting over Diablo Lake. Your stay includes guest lodge accommodations, three meals, and a variety of guided and self-led activities—all with plenty of time to slow down and enjoy fall in the mountains. Info and booking at ncascades.org/base-camp.
Summer in Washington is winding down, the days are getting shorter, and you can feel fall starting to creep in. The temperatures cool off, the rain returns, and even the air seems to smell a little different. There’s something about autumn in the North Cascades that makes you want to stop walking, take a deep breath, and think, “Wow, the forest smells incredible.”
Maybe it’s the damp earth along a trail. Maybe it’s the scent of fallen leaves, moss, pine needles, and rain. Or maybe it’s that hard-to-describe smell that seems to appear just after a fall shower.
That distinct autumn smell has a lot to do with chemistry.
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