Sedro-Woolley · RedAwning

North Cascades National Park504,654 acres, 312 glaciers — more than every U.S. park outside Alaska combined — and the 1,800-square-mile North Cascades Highway through Diablo Lake's turquoise water

North Cascades National Park covers 504,654 acres of jagged peaks, hanging glaciers, and old-growth forest in the Cascade Range of northern Washington — designated a national park in October 1968 and managed jointly with Ross Lake National Recreation Area and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area as the North Cascades National Park Complex (789,000 acres total). The complex contains 312 glaciers — more than every other U.S. park outside Alaska combined — and over 300 lakes, including the turquoise Diablo Lake (whose color comes from glacial rock flour suspended in the water). State Route 20, the North Cascades Highway, is the only paved road through the park; it climbs to 5,477 feet at Washington Pass and closes mid-November through April for snow.

Hours todayOpen 24 hours – undefinedTuesday hours
TicketsFrom $8Backcountry permit (overnight)
LocationSedro-Woolley, Washington810 State Route 20
Official sitenps.govPlan your visit

1968Established
504,654Acres
312Glaciers
~30KAnnual visitors

North Cascades National Park was established October 2, 1968 — the result of a decade-long campaign by the North Cascades Conservation Council (founded 1957) and Justice William O. Douglas to protect the wildest 1,800-square-mile block of mountains in the contiguous U.S. The legislation created the North Cascades National Park Complex: a 504,654-acre national park (split into a north and south unit by the Skagit River and Ross Lake), the 117,575-acre Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and the 61,947-acre Lake Chelan National Recreation Area at the south end. The complex contains 312 glaciers — more than the rest of the contiguous U.S. national park system combined — and the highest concentration of alpine peaks above 8,000 feet south of the Canadian border.

The park has only one paved road — State Route 20, the North Cascades Highway — and it doesn't actually enter the park, but rather threads the Ross Lake National Recreation Area between the park's two units. From the west the highway passes Newhalem (population 78, the Seattle City Light company town), the North Cascades Visitor Center, and Diablo Lake Overlook (the most-photographed view in the park, the lake's turquoise color a result of glacial rock flour). It climbs to Rainy Pass (4,855 feet) and Washington Pass (5,477 feet) before dropping into the Methow Valley. The closure of Highway 20 between Ross Dam (mp 134) and Mazama (mp 178) every November is one of the longest seasonal road closures in the national park system.

Plan two to four days. Day-trippers can drive Highway 20 from Sedro-Woolley to Mazama in 4–5 hours with stops at Diablo Lake Overlook, the Trail of the Cedars in Newhalem, and Rainy Lake (a paved one-mile loop at Rainy Pass). Backpackers go deeper — the 19-mile Cascade Pass to Sahale Arm trail is the standard introduction, accessed by the rough Cascade River Road from Marblemount. The Stehekin Valley at the park's south end is reached only by the Lady of the Lake ferry from Chelan (4 hours each way) or floatplane; once there, the Stehekin Valley Road serves the orchards, the Stehekin Pastry Company, and Rainbow Falls. Bring layers — even August nights drop into the 30s at high elevation.

Diablo Lake Overlook
The most-photographed view in the park — Highway 20 milepost 132, with a paved pull-out and interpretive panels overlooking the turquoise reservoir 600 feet below. The color comes from glacial rock flour (suspended sediment ground from the bedrock by upstream glaciers) refracting blue-green light. Best light is 10 AM–2 PM; clouds sit on Colonial Peak and Pyramid Peak in the morning.
Cascade Pass & Sahale Arm
The classic North Cascades day hike — 7.4 miles round-trip and 1,800 feet of gain to Cascade Pass, or 12 miles round-trip and 4,000 feet to the Sahale Glacier campsite. Trailhead is at the end of the rough 23-mile Cascade River Road from Marblemount (steep gravel; passenger cars OK in summer, slow). Mountain goats reliably visible above Sahale Arm; the campsite at 7,600 feet is one of the most stunning in the park system.
Stehekin & the Lady of the Lake
Stehekin (population ~75) sits at the head of 50.5-mile-long Lake Chelan inside Lake Chelan National Recreation Area — accessible only by the Lady of the Lake ferry from Chelan ($73 round-trip, 4 hours each way) or floatplane. Once there, the 23-mile Stehekin Valley Road is served by NPS shuttle and reaches Rainbow Falls (312 feet), the High Bridge trailhead, and the Stehekin Pastry Company. No cell service, no through-road. Plan an overnight at North Cascades Lodge.
Ross Lake & Resort
Ross Lake is a 23-mile reservoir on the Skagit River — managed as Ross Lake National Recreation Area between the park's north and south units. Ross Lake Resort (open mid-June through October, reservation by mail-in lottery in the spring) has 15 cabins floating on the water — accessible only by ferry from the Diablo Lake dock plus a portage truck around Ross Dam. The Big Beaver Trail (37 miles round-trip to the lake's head) is one of the great unsung backpacks in the system.
Maple Pass Loop
A 7.2-mile loop from the Rainy Pass trailhead at Highway 20 milepost 158 — climbs 2,000 feet through subalpine meadow to Maple Pass at 6,650 feet, then drops past Lake Ann back to the road. Larch trees turn gold the last week of September through the first week of October — peak fall-color hike in Washington. Trailhead parking fills by 8 AM on autumn weekends; arrive early or use the upper Lake Ann pull-out as overflow.
Washington Pass Overlook
Highway 20 milepost 162.5, at 5,477 feet — the highest point on the road, with a 0.25-mile paved overlook trail (ADA-accessible) above the Liberty Bell group of granite spires that frames the upper Methow Valley. The most dramatic roadside view in the state. The pass closes mid-November through mid-April; in summer it's the backdrop for climbers attempting the Liberty Bell South Face (5.9, the standard route).
Trail of the Cedars — Newhalem
A half-mile interpretive boardwalk loop in Newhalem (Highway 20 milepost 120) through old-growth Western red cedar — the easiest way to see the temperate rainforest understory in the park. The trail crosses a suspension footbridge over the Skagit River and connects to the Ladder Creek Falls Trail behind the Skagit power plant — Ladder Creek's lit waterfall display runs nightly from dusk through summer.
Wildlife: black bears, mountain goats, gray wolves
North Cascades supports the largest population of black bears in the state (300+ estimated). Mountain goats reliably appear above the Sahale Arm and Maple Pass tundra in summer. Gray wolves recolonized the Methow Valley in 2008 after a 70-year absence; the Lookout Pack now ranges between Mazama and the eastern park boundary. The park is also home to the only U.S. population of the Cascade red fox below Canada.

Open hours

The park is open 24/7 year-round but the only road through it — State Route 20, the North Cascades Highway — typically closes between Ross Dam (milepost 134) and Mazama (milepost 178) from mid-November through mid-April for avalanche control. Confirm current status at the WSDOT North Cascades Highway alert page before driving. Lake Chelan National Recreation Area at the south end is reached only by boat (the Lady of the Lake ferry) or floatplane from Chelan.

MondayOpen 24 hours
TuesdayTodayOpen 24 hours
WednesdayOpen 24 hours
ThursdayOpen 24 hours
FridayOpen 24 hours
SaturdayOpen 24 hours
SundayOpen 24 hours

Note · North Cascades Visitor Center in Newhalem (milepost 120): 9 AM–5 PM daily mid-May through mid-October, weekends only otherwise. There is no entrance fee — North Cascades is one of the few U.S. national parks with free entry. Cell coverage drops at Marblemount and is gone east of Ross Lake; download offline maps from the NPS app before entering. Backcountry permits are required for overnight stays and reserved at recreation.gov.

Ticket pricing

Per-person admission. Buy in advance to skip the gate line.

Park entryFreeNo entrance fee — North Cascades is free
Backcountry permit (overnight)$8$8 reservation + $5/person/night, recreation.gov
Lady of the Lake ferry — Stehekin$73Round-trip from Chelan to Stehekin (4-hour each way)
Diablo Lake boat tour$492.5-hour tour with Skagit Tours, mid-June through Sept
Newhalem Skagit dam tour$39Seattle City Light Skagit Tour, summer weekends only
America the Beautiful Annual$80All 423 federal recreation sites for 12 months

Entry is free year-round. Backcountry camping requires a permit and a bear canister at most sites. Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest campgrounds along Highway 20 (Newhalem Creek, Goodell Creek, Colonial Creek) are operated by the NPS and reservable at recreation.gov for $24/night. The Stehekin Valley at the park's south end is roadless — access requires the Lady of the Lake ferry from Chelan or a floatplane.

Plan your visit

Where to stay