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Exploring North Cascades National Park
The North Cascades National Park complex links four neighboring units:
North Cascades National Park North and South Units, and Lake Chelan
and Ross Lake National Recreation Areas. Other wilderness and
national forest lands border the park complex on all sides.
 Like the other two National Parks in
Washington, most of the North
Cascades is designated as wilderness, which means foot travel is the
only means to explore much of the park area. Within park lands, the
most glaciers can be found outside of Alaska, as well as rugged
mountain peaks and broad U-shaped glacial valleys. Two such valleys
have been dammed to produce Lake Chelan and Ross Lake, and travel
across these lakes by canoe or kayak is a very popular method to
explore the backcountry.
Protected as a wilderness area, the North Cascades National Park
complex is home to a variety of large animals rare in the lower 49
states, like grizzly bears, wolves, and lynx. Many travel to the park
with the hope of observing this animals from a distance in the wild.
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North Unit |
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The two halves of North Cascades are
divided
by Highway 20, and most of the access points to the highest reaches of
the range are off this valley road. Other trails lead into the park
from Highway 542 north of Mount Baker and
from Canada to the north.
- Heather Meadows – Although west of the park boundaries, the
several campgrounds in this area north of Mount Baker offer brilliant
views of massive Mt. Shuksan, which is dwarfed only by Mt. Baker
itself. The Little Beaver Creek trail traverses the park here to Ross
Lake.
- Thorton Lake Trail – A nice day hike or overnight backpack trip
to a beautiful sub-alpine lake surrounded by a mature hemlock forest
and meadows of wildflowers.
- Newhalem Area – Several trails of varing difficulty can be found
in this area, heading both north and south. The “To Know A Tree”
nature trail, departing from the Newhalem Creek Campground, is a short
interpretative trail featuring common trees along the way.
- Ross Lake National Recreation Area – Scenic trails head up the
west and east banks of Ross Lake, and eventually reconnect with the
Hozomeen area and Little Beaver Creek trail. A kayak or canoe trip up
the waters allow you to quickly explore the glacial mountains.
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South Unit |
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The South Unit is more accessible than the North Cascades National
Park North Unit, and has miles of trails that are generally considered
some of the best in the park. Lake Chelan National Recreation Area to
the extreme south brings visitors via ferry to the Stehekin area to
join trails heading over Cascade Pass.
- Easy Pass – Extensive meadows and glacial peaks define this short
and steep trail. The panoramic vistas of Fisher Basin, wildflowers,
and mountain goats reward the determined.
- Stehekin Area – This small community on the northern end of Lake
Chelan, accessed by boat or floatplane, is a romantic destination for
hikers wishing to explore the surrounding area. Trails pass
historical buildings to War Creek Pass, and up the Stehekin River
Valley to Cascade Pass.
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