North Cascades National Park

Visited: Sept 2016

Nearby cities: Seattle, WA; Sedro-Woolley, WA (west entrance); Winthrop, WA (east entrance)

The Cascade Mountain Range (or simply "The Cascades") is a major north-south mountain chain that stretches from Lassen Peak in northern California and extends north across Oregon, Washington, and into southern British Columbia. This range is home to many famous and beautiful mountains such as Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier, the tallest of the Cascades. Most of these prominent peaks are also volcanoes. and form a part of the "Ring of Fire" around the Pacific Ocean. They are not dormant, Mt. St. Helens particularly violent eruption occurred in 1980, and before that Lassen Peak had minor eruptions in 1914 and 1921.

North Cascades National Park protects a remote and rugged section of mountains in north-central Washington up to the Canadian border. The North Cascades National Park Complex consists of the National Park (which is divided into a North and South Unit), plus two National Recreation Areas (Lake Chelan NRA and Ross Lake NRA). Ross Lake NRA (which is traversed by State Highway 20) bisects the National Park into the North and South Unit. 

North Cascades is a true wilderness park. Most visitors visit the Park by driving through on State Highway 20, known as the North Cascades Scenic Highway. However, the highway is technically not in the Park boundaries, it is wholly contained inside Ross Lake NRA. So, you'll need to get out of the car and do some hiking to truly enter the Park. The only road that accesses the park boundaries is the Valley Road, a gravel road that starts at Stehekin Landing (the north end of Lake Chelan, and the only way to get there is take a ferry from the south end of Lake Chelan) which goes a few miles into the South Unit of North Cascades. 

So, pretty much the entire Park is designated as backcountry wilderness. Even if you don't have a lot of time or stamina to explore the park, driving through on State Highway 20 and doing some short hikes is a great way to explore this Park. You'll see magnificent mountain vistas and incredible lakes. It truly is a wonder to behold. We approached the park from the western side.

First things first, what a rocking entrance sign! I love it.

Make sure to stop at the Visitors Center. Our next stop was Gorge Creek Falls. Get out of the car, stretch your legs, take a short hike for some great views of Gorge Lake.

The Falls far below the trail

Gorge Lake

Gorge Falls from the bridge

it was a very HIGH bridge. Kind of scary. Can you see our two small shadows?

Our next stop was Thunder Knob Trail. This trail is 3.6 miles (round trip) and offers view of Lake Diablo. Honestly, this hike can be skipped mainly because further down the road is an overlook just off the highway that offers arguably better views of Lake Diablo. It's a pretty good hike and you get some great views of far off peaks, but I would try a different one if you visit (like Thunder Creek, Fourth of July Trail, or Sourdough Mtn. Trail).

Pyramid Peak 7,182 ft.

Diablo Lake

when the sun shines on Diablo, the Lake is incredibly blue

Continuing on State Highway 20, make sure to stop at Diablo Lake Overlook for incredible views of the lake.

absolutely incredible, it hardly seems real

At the western edge of the park, make sure to stop at Washington Pass Overlook. It provides great views of the winding road and Liberty Bell Mt. It started to rain faintly, but not enough to dampen any spirits, in fact, it complimented the view.

Liberty Bell Mountain 7,808 ft

State Highway 20 at Washington Pass

a rainbow came out

If we had more time (and a little more experience in backpacking, etc.) it would be a lot of fun to really delve into the wilderness and experience everything that this park has to offer. It truly offers some of the last "untouched" wilderness in the lower 48. I'll provide the website, but bear in mind that it will not be updated during the present government shutdown. https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm There are no entrance fees for the Park. State Highway 20 is closed during winter, so check Washington Department of Transportation for road status.