Sterling Munro Overlook
(Milepost 120)

This short boardwalk trail leads from the North Cascades Visitor Center to a stunning viewpoint of the Southern Picket Range, Trappers Peak, and the terminus of the Goodell Creek drainage. Try to ignore the view (impossible!) and scan for Vaux's and Black Swifts. These aerialists provide quite a show in late spring and summer taking advantage of high flying insect abundance. Band-tailed Pigeons, raptors, and an assortment of songbirds such as Pacific-slope, Hammond's, and Olive-sided Flycatchers can be viewed at treetop level. This is one of the most reliable places in the park to locate Black Swifts and provides a great opportunity to practice identification skills as both Blacks and Vaux's hunt side by side. Black Swifts are slightly larger, more sickle shaped and tend to glide more with slower wing beats. Vaux's rarely glide for more than a few seconds and flap much faster.

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