North Cascades National Park, Washington State, USA
As there is a short summer window to do this trip, hotels fill up fast and I recommend booking 6- 10 months in advance to get affordable prices on flights and hotels.
*All work including photos, video and writing on this page is my own, except the link to the Youtube videos at the beginning and end of this page.
This spectacular park is very remote, 3 hours from Seattle and one of the least visited National Parks, but we loved it!!! It is easy to drive around and still see amazing sites without walking far if you are disabled or can't hike far. For an experienced hiker though it really is paradise, as it is huge covering 505,000 acres of wilderness with over 300 glaciers and several volcanoes, including Mt Baker. You probably won't even see other hikers in some parts of the park.
There isn't much accommodation there, it's camping really and you do need to get a permit for that. The nearest town on the west side is Sedro-Woolley, where there is a nice supermarket we visited called Pioneer Marketplace, so stock up with food and drinks there as there isn't much to eat further past this point. We stayed in the cute small town of La Conner, the best place to stay is La Conner Channel Lodge to view this park and the San Juan islands. Anacortes would be good as well, both lovely towns. The nearest town on the East side is Winthrop, the accommodation I would recommend there is the the Sun Mountain lodge on top of a mountain with great views and hikes. I stayed in Winthrop, wild west town recently to explore the Eastern side of the park, that we couldn't get to from La Conner when we went that year due to wildfires.
To get there from La Conner or Anacortes you simply just follow State Route 20 East as far as you want to go. There is a visitors centre at Marbemount. If you are doing a day trip you probably won't want to go further than Ross Lake or maybe Winthrop. You could go further on to Lake Chelan and stay there a while at a Lake Chelan resort hotel. There are lots of hotels and restaurants at Lake Chelan, I stayed at Lakeside Lodge and Suites, but there are lots of choices here, this was a good value option. If you are driving from Seattle, stop at La Conner or Anacortes the night so you don't have a long drive in one day. If you get time you can take a detour near the village of Concrete to Baker Lake. Mt Baker is a huge volcano and that area is worth a visit too.
The park is very close to the Canadian border, so this park has similar scenery to the well known parks just north of the border. Ross Lake actually straddles the border at the north point. Take a look on Google maps.
This spectacular park is very remote, 3 hours from Seattle and one of the least visited National Parks, but we loved it!!! It is easy to drive around and still see amazing sites without walking far if you are disabled or can't hike far. For an experienced hiker though it really is paradise, as it is huge covering 505,000 acres of wilderness with over 300 glaciers and several volcanoes, including Mt Baker. You probably won't even see other hikers in some parts of the park.
There isn't much accommodation there, it's camping really and you do need to get a permit for that. The nearest town on the west side is Sedro-Woolley, where there is a nice supermarket we visited called Pioneer Marketplace, so stock up with food and drinks there as there isn't much to eat further past this point. We stayed in the cute small town of La Conner, the best place to stay is La Conner Channel Lodge to view this park and the San Juan islands. Anacortes would be good as well, both lovely towns. The nearest town on the East side is Winthrop, the accommodation I would recommend there is the the Sun Mountain lodge on top of a mountain with great views and hikes. I stayed in Winthrop, wild west town recently to explore the Eastern side of the park, that we couldn't get to from La Conner when we went that year due to wildfires.
To get there from La Conner or Anacortes you simply just follow State Route 20 East as far as you want to go. There is a visitors centre at Marbemount. If you are doing a day trip you probably won't want to go further than Ross Lake or maybe Winthrop. You could go further on to Lake Chelan and stay there a while at a Lake Chelan resort hotel. There are lots of hotels and restaurants at Lake Chelan, I stayed at Lakeside Lodge and Suites, but there are lots of choices here, this was a good value option. If you are driving from Seattle, stop at La Conner or Anacortes the night so you don't have a long drive in one day. If you get time you can take a detour near the village of Concrete to Baker Lake. Mt Baker is a huge volcano and that area is worth a visit too.
The park is very close to the Canadian border, so this park has similar scenery to the well known parks just north of the border. Ross Lake actually straddles the border at the north point. Take a look on Google maps.
This is an interesting video I found on Youtube.
Must see place to see.
In my opinion the most spectacular site to see is Diablo Lake. A stunning emerald colour, this really is breathtaking, so look out for the brown sign on SR20 for Diablo Lake and make sure you stop there. There is a small car park, which wasn't full when we went. Photos below.
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When to visit
This park is only fully accessible from late May until late September, or until the snow starts to get heavy. June or early July are the best months to visit to avoid wildfire smoke and all routes fully open. The spring and autumn are the most colourful times to visit, but in Spring all routes won't be open and autumn risks peak wildfire season. The weather can vary by date and location, so wear layers and take sun cream and warm clothing with you. Check the website here for any road closures, as wild fires can affect the summer. North Cascades website.
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The other must see viewpoint is Washington Pass Overlook. This is a spectacular view and the highest point in the Park. Here you pass between Western Washington State and Eastern Washington State, the weather and culture do change on the other side. Western Washington is usually cooler and more unsettled and it's where most people live in the state, more cities and politically more Progressive. Eastern Washington State is more rural, more conservative, although all tourist towns such as Leavenworth, Winthrop, Chelan are very used to tourists and very welcoming to all nationalities and gender identities, so don't be put off going there. It is still Washington State. I know people personally who are not white Christians who were a little hesitant, but these main tourist towns are very welcoming, so don't worry. There are lots of Mexicans, Ukrainians and other nationalities that live in Eastern Washington. Photos of Washington Pass below.
I love this park as it is one that not many people have heard of and visited. There are rarely queues, but avoid the weekends for even less traffic. Some of the staff at the hotel in La Conner hadn't even been there and wanted to go there after we told them it was amazing! The strangest thing about this park at the moment is that there isn't an entrance fee!!! Therefore it is very accessible to anyone with a car.
It is truly wild and grizzly and black bears live here as well as cougars, wolves, bobcats, wolverines and lynx as well as many smaller mammals and birds. North Cascades has more plant species within the park than any other National Park.
The park features mountains, volcanoes, alpine meadows, waterfalls with Mount Baker the highest peak at 10,781 ft. It is an active volcano.
The native people were the Skagits, which the Skagit river that runs through the park is named after. Europeans arrive in the 1700's. Alexander Ross was the first European explorer to discover the park, whom Ross Lake is named after.
There are over 500 lakes within the park and recreational water sports are available on Ross Lake, Baker Lake, Diablo Lake and the largest lake which is Lake Chelan.
Mount Shuksan is another famous peak in the park, it's jagged rock very distinct.
There are over 400 miles of hiking trails which are mostly suitable for very experienced hikers, but there are some that are suitable for families. Check with the visitor centre before embarking on one as this park is very remote and people regularly get lost and sometimes do not return.
The Wilderness area is called the Stephen Mather Wilderness, named after the first director of the National Park Service.
Best Hikes in the Park
- Park Butte Lookout trail from Concrete, a moderate 7.5 mile trail which is beautiful and recommended by locals.
- Cascade pass trail
- Maple pass loop
- Ladder creek falls
- Thunder knob
-Pierce Mountain
- Diablo Lake trail
- Blue lake
-Copper ridge
-Gorge creek
There are many, many more.
A spectacular one a bit further away is this one. The bridal Veil Falls via Lake serene trail, a 9 mile strenuous trail for those of you up to that it is spectacular! I haven't done this myself, being asthmatic.
- Cascade pass trail
- Maple pass loop
- Ladder creek falls
- Thunder knob
-Pierce Mountain
- Diablo Lake trail
- Blue lake
-Copper ridge
-Gorge creek
There are many, many more.
A spectacular one a bit further away is this one. The bridal Veil Falls via Lake serene trail, a 9 mile strenuous trail for those of you up to that it is spectacular! I haven't done this myself, being asthmatic.
The video below is one I took at Diablo Lake.
This video below is one I found freely available on YouTube and is very interesting.
Nearest National Parks to combine with this one
Olympic National Park 151 miles
Mount Rainier National Park 180 miles
Banff National Park, Canada 490 miles
Glacier National Park 510 miles
Yellowstone National Park 746 miles