Diablo Lake turquoise overlook

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

Diablo Lake is a reservoir on the upper Skagit River in the North Cascades of Whatcom County, Washington, about thirty miles east of Marblemount on State Route 20. The lake is inside Ross Lake National Recreation Area within the North Cascades National Park Complex.

The turquoise colour comes from glacial flour, very fine rock particles ground by ice and suspended in the meltwater. The particles scatter the shorter wavelengths of sunlight, so the lake reads as turquoise. The same mechanism colours Lake Pukaki in New Zealand and Moraine Lake in Canada.

The overlook is on State Route 20 at approximately milepost 132, about ninety miles east of Burlington and Interstate 5. The paved pull-off has parking for about a dozen cars, an interpretive sign, and an unobstructed view down the long axis of the lake.

Seattle City Light built Diablo Dam in 1930 and has run the Skagit Hydroelectric Project ever since. The project includes three dams on the upper Skagit: Gorge, Diablo, and Ross. The reservoir water turns turbines at all three powerhouses before reaching the lower river.

The turquoise is most intense from late July through September, when glacial melt from the Colonial, Neve, and Klawatti Glaciers is highest and the suspended rock flour in the water is densest. Bright afternoon sun on a clear day brings the colour out the most.

The reservoir covers about 910 acres at full pool, with a surface elevation of 1,201 feet. It is held back by Diablo Dam at the lower end and fed by Ross Dam upstream, with Thunder Creek and several glacial streams entering from the south.

State Route 20 is open from spring through late autumn, with the gates near Ross Dam closing for the winter, typically in November, and reopening in April or May. Outside the closure window the road and the overlook are accessible all day with no fee.

It has been a meaningful gift for many of our customers who know the road. The Diablo Lake overlook is the photograph almost everyone takes on State Route 20, and the colour of the lake stays with people long after the drive. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The piece sits well in alpine-modern interiors, in Pacific Northwest cabins, and in jewel-tone maximalist rooms that lean into colour. The turquoise reads against warm wood, against deep walnut, and against forest-green walls. It holds its own as the single anchor in a quiet white room.

Yes. Current alpine-modern direction favours art that names a specific lake or pass rather than a generic mountain scene. A named glacial lake with its actual colour reads as place-anchored and pairs with the warm-wood and matte-black metal direction popular in mountain interiors.

Above a standard sofa, the Large is the everyday choice. Above a wider sectional or a tall stairwell, a four-tile Mural is right; over a fireplace mantel running the full chimney, the nine-tile Mural carries. Above a console or in a hallway, a Medium or Triptych works.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish rather than Glossy. Both are scratch-resistant and tolerate humidity. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it does not fade in steam.

A microfibre cloth with water, or a microfibre with a mild non-abrasive cleaner. Avoid bleach, abrasive scrub, and acidic cleaners. The colour lives in the surface, beneath a thin glossy finish, and stays put with normal care.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original work by Reid Wender, hand-finished in the studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. The artwork is not licensed from any third party and is exclusive to Wender Studios.