Fall colors come out in force as you leave Roslyn on SR 903 heading towards the Salmon La Sac campground, but power  poles occasionally clutter the view before reaching the Starlite Resort at Lake Cle Elum. Before you get there,  take time to pull off the road for a view of the south end of the lake at the turn-around at the end of SR 903, about three miles northeast of Ronald. Just after the Starlite Resort, you can access the Sasse Mt. Trail, which has some spectacular views of the lake and lots of autumn color, but be prepared for driving on unimproved gravel roads.
From here, it's another nine miles to the end of the road at the Salmon La Sac Campground unless you take the gravel road to Tucquala Lake (a.k.a. Fish Lake) just before reaching reaching the campground. One way or another, there's plenty to see in between. Two turnouts near the end of Lake Cle Elum are a perfect place to pause for picture taking.
North, south, east or west, no matter where you look, there's a visual bounty awaiting. To the east, the Cle Elum Ridge draped in it's fall bouquet parallels the Salmon La Sac Highway. On the west side of the highway lies the Red Mountain Campground along side the Cle Elum River, a perfect for a Sunday afternoon picnic.
Two bridges cross the Cle Elum River before reaching the Salmon La Sac Campground. The first funnels a gravel road up the mountain to French Cabin Creek and more vistas of Lake Cle Elum below.  Vine Maples on the hills above the French Cabin Creek Bridge add to the kalidescope of color rimming the banks of the Cle Elum River.
The second bridge off the Salmon La Sac Highway directs traffic west up a gravel road to spectacular Cooper Lake, a small alpine body of water nearly 2800 ft. above sea level. The bridge offers a perfect picture-taking-vantage- point up or down the Cle Elum River, or the mountains east and west towering above the river valley.
Just beyond the Cooper Lake Bridge, the paved highway gives way to a graveled section, remnants of the Nov. 6, 2006 flood that washed out that section of road and carved out a new river channel. The picture to the far left marks the end of that new channel as it diverts back into its original course. Farther up the road - the Cayuse Horse Camp and the road to Tuquala Lake.
It's another 30 minutes to Tucquala Lake and worth every minute if you have the time. On a beautiful fall day, it's perfect weather for a hike from the Paris or Davis Creek trailheads off the north side of the road, but remember it's hunting season so dress in bright colors to avoid being mistaken for a four-footed creature.
509-674-1801
811 State Rt. 970 Cle Elum