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North Cascades National Park contains some of America's most breathtaking beautiful scenery - high jagged peaks, ridges, slopes, and countless cascading waterfalls. Hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering are the most popular activities in the park. The park's 505,000 acres encompass some 318 glaciers, more than half of all glaciers in the United States. There are a few roads into the park, but views into the park can be had on clear days from the North Cascades H wy at Goodell Creek, Diablo Lake Overlook, and other places. The Cascade River Road, 23 miles of improved dirt and gravel, gives summer and fall access into the park and to the Cascade Pass Trailhead.
From many park trails endless views unfold of glacially sculpted valley, glaciers, and snowfields. Rumbling sounds frequently interrupt the subalpine stillness as icefalls crash into the valley floor. At Cascade Pass, over which Alexander Ross is presumed to have traveled, flower-sprinkled hillsides and meadows enhance spectacular views of the Cascade and Stehekin Valleys. Here, as at other passes and high elevation viewpoints, you can best see the rock ridges, glaciers, snowfields, cascading waterfalls, and other alpine and subalpine features against their backdrops of sky.
Most hikers enter the national park from trailheads along the North Cascade H wy. Others enter from trailheads along the Cascade River Road, the Steheikin Valley, and the Forest Service trails surrounding the park. Within the three National Park System areas, more than 1,500 different species of plants have been identified along with hundreds of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and thousands of insects. While not abundant, bears, wolves, mountain lions, falcons, and bald eagles also add to the genetic richness of this area. Many scientists feel that the future of our planet lies in preserving biological diversity in places such as the North Cascades.
Ross Lake National Recreation Area divides the two units of the North Cascades National Park. Its 117,000 acres encompass and provide the corridor for the popular North Cascade H wy. This scenic route across the Cascade Mountains affords travelers many recreational opportunities. From trailheads, hikers may head off into the park's far reaches. At roadside locations are self- guiding trails, exhibits, and information and camping facilities.
Seattle City Light sponsors regular, scheduled tours of Diablo Lake and Ross Dam hydro facilities. The reservoirs provide spectacular water gateways to the more remote parts of the three NPS areas. Ross Lake, 24 miles long and 2 miles at its greatest width, covers about 12,000 acres. Food, lodging, gasoline, boat and motor rentals, tackle, licenses, and basic camper supplies are available in the recreation area.
The only launch facilities on Ross Lake are at its north end, at Hozomeen, reached by a 39-mile dirt and gravel road from Canada. Bald Eagles are frequently seen in mid-winter feeding on salmon along the Skagit River between Newhalem and the Ross Lake Recreation Area boundary near Bacon Creek.
The North Cascades Highway is closed by snow for part of the year. The date of the opening and closing may vary, but it is generally from mid-Nov to Apr, depending on the weather and on snow depths and avalanche hazard. In all seasons, please watch for fallen rocks in the road.
The North Cascades Visitor Center near Newhalem, open daily spring to fall; weekends in winter, offers information, exhibits, and audiovisual and ranger programs.
Visitors can hike, boat, or fly to Stehekin, at the head of Lake Chelan, but you can't drive there in your car. This wilderness community, some 55 miles uplake from Chelan, Washington, is popular with hikers, backpackers, canoesists, boaters, and campers. The Stehekin Valley, surrounded by towering mountains, enjoys a rich history of fur trapping and mining (both short lived), and homesteading and recreation. It was recognized early this century that the Stehekin area's greatest importance lay in its recreational and scenic values. About 1900, hotels and summer cabins began to be built. The few year-round residents at that time depended on fruit farming, timber, horse-packing, and recreation to make a living.
Travelers find refreshment in the coolness and beauty of Rainbow Falls. A touch of nostalgia surrounds the log school house used from 1928 through 1988 and the historic Buckner Orchard. In season you can take the National Park Service shuttle bus to up-valley campgrounds, or the valley road's end within North Cascades National Park. Most people take the commercial uplake boat trip to Stehekin from Chelan. The four hour trip (quicker boat service is available seasonally) provides shoreline views of private residential and farming development on the lower lake, rugged mid-lake shorelines and national forest lands, and the lake's upper 4 miles within Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Floatplane service is available from Chelan.
Lake Chelan, a natural lake, rests in a glacially carved trough. At a depth of nearly 1,500 feet, it is one of the Nation's deepest lakes, and its bottom lies about 400 feet below sea level. A dam built at Chelan in 1927 raised the lake level 21feet to increase power production. Lodging and meals, postal service, and some basic supplies for campers are available at the Stehekin Landing.
Check the Hiking Page for more information on hikes and waterfalls. Check the Camping Page for information on camping throughout the different areas.
Where to view glaciers:
Mt. Baker National Recreation Area
The trails on the south side of Mt Baker provide tremendous views of glaciation at work. Six- miles long, Scott Paul Trail crosses the terminal moraine on Squak Glacier. Railroad Grade Trail deposits hikers at the Easton Glacier on Mt Baker.
Stateroad 20
Glaciers on Colonial and Pyramid Peaks are visible from Diablo Overlook at milepost 132. From the Cascade Pass parking area at the end of the Cascade River Road you can view spectacular glaciers on Johannesburg Peak.
Stateroad 542
From Glacier Creek Road take Heliotrope Ridge Trail to Mt. Baker's Coleman Glacier and dynamic views. From Heather Meadows, several of the nine glaciers that surround Mt Shuksan are visible along Picture Lake Path. View some of the 13 glaciers surrounding Mt Baker from the Artist Ridge Trail.
Where you can visit ancient forests:
Stateroad 20
Happy Creek Forest Walk at mile 134.5. This fully accessible boardwalk takes you through outstanding western slope, low elevation old-growth forest. For longer hikes, try Thunder Creek and Big Beaver trails.
State Route 542
Horseshoe Bend Trail across from Douglas Fir Campground at milepost 36. 1.5 mile hike on forested ledge above the North Fork Nooksack River.
Baker Lake Area
East Bank Trail follows the east shore of Baker Lake and enters the Noisy Creek drainage at upper end. Shadow of the Sentinels is a barrier-free loop trail through old-growth forest (this trail suffered recent storm damage - check with ranger for current condition).
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This site is in no way associated with the United States Government, the Department of the Interior or the National Park Service
