North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park is best known for its rugged mountain peaks, pristine alpine lakes, and abundant glaciers, earning it the nickname “The American Alps.” Located in the state of Washington, the park is a vast wilderness that showcases the dramatic beauty of the North Cascades mountain range. It is home to over 300 glaciers, making it one of the most glaciated regions in the United States outside of Alaska.
The park’s jagged peaks, such as Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker, offer world-class mountaineering opportunities. Visitors can explore a network of trails that lead to breathtaking viewpoints, cascading waterfalls, and serene alpine meadows filled with wildflowers. North Cascades National Park also provides habitat for a diverse array of wildlife, including mountain goats, black bears, and bald eagles, making it a haven for wildlife enthusiasts. The park’s remote and pristine nature appeals to those seeking solitude and an immersive wilderness experience.
VISIT North Cascades National Park:
Park Details
North Cascades National Park was established on October 2, 1968, and has a total area of 61,949 acres (97 square miles, or 251 square kilometers).
| Address | 810 State Route 20, Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 360 854-7200 |
| Hours | All year, 24 hours a day |
| Entrance Fee | Free |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
North Cascades National Park is the 305th most visited park in the country.
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit North Cascades National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit North Cascades National Park is.
Our data shows the best months to visit North Cascades National Park are July, August, June & September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | 9 | 0 | 26 | 44 | 1,241 | 4,520 | 10,656 | 12,576 | 8,581 | 373 | 101 | 81 |
| Precipitation | 276 | 177 | 203 | 133 | 106 | 80 | 43 | 48 | 76 | 180 | 296 | 243 |
| Avg Temp | 21 | 23 | 28 | 35 | 43 | 49 | 56 | 56 | 51 | 39 | 27 | 21 |
| Max Temp | 30 | 34 | 41 | 51 | 61 | 64 | 70 | 70 | 66 | 56 | 40 | 30 |
| Avg Temp | 13 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 27 | 32 | 37 | 38 | 33 | 25 | 17 | 12 |
| Min Temp | -9 | -5 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 27 | 22 | 12 | 0 | -10 |
North Cascades National Park Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where North Cascades National Park is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| North Cascades to Whistler, British Columbia | 671 | 8 |
| Olympic, Mount Rainier to Mount St. Helens | 396 | 7 |
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to North Cascades National Park.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve | 92 mi |
| San Juan Island National Historical Park | 106 mi |
| Mount Rainier National Park | 113 mi |
| Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area | 114 mi |
| Waterton Lakes National Park | 121 mi |
| Gulf Islands National Park Reserve | 132 mi |
| Olympic National Park | 132 mi |
| Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 188 mi |
| Whitman Mission National Historic Site | 189 mi |
| Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area | 191 mi |
Nearby Campsites & RV Parks
If you are looking to pitch a tent or park an RV at a campsite near North Cascades National Park, here is a list of the closest campsites in the surrounding area. They all have slightly different amenitites, so its best to check them all out instead of just chosing the first on the list.
| Name | Details | Miles Away |
|---|---|---|
| Weaver Point - North Cascades National Park | Stehekin, WA more | 0 miles |
| Purple Point | Stehekin, WA more | 1 miles |
| Moore Point | Stehekin, WA more | 7 miles |
| Refrigerator Harbor | Chelan, WA more | 9 miles |
| South Creek | Twisp, WA more | 11 miles |
| Roads End | Twisp, WA more | 11 miles |
| Poplar Flat | Twisp, WA more | 11 miles |
| Mystery | Twisp, WA more | 11 miles |
| War Creek | Twisp, WA more | 13 miles |
| Prince Creek | Chelan, WA more | 15 miles |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of North Cascades National Park:
| Name | Location | Summit | Difficulty Score™ | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ski Bluewood | Dayton, WA | 5,670 ft | 43% | 40 mi |
| Stevens Pass | Leavenworth, WA | 5,845 ft | 56% | 44 mi |
| Loup Loup Ski Bowl | Okanogan, WA | 5,280 ft | 55% | 45 mi |
| Manning Park Ski Area | Manning Park, BC | 5,868 ft | 53% | 53 mi |
| Badger Mountain | East Wenatchee, WA | 3,800 ft | 39% | 55 mi |
| Mt. Baker | Deming, WA | 5,000 ft | 48% | 61 mi |
| Mission Ridge | Wenatchee, WA | 6,820 ft | 60% | 68 mi |
| The Summit at Snoqualmie | Snoqualmie Pass, WA | 5,420 ft | 68% | 71 mi |
| Apex Mountain | Hedley, BC | 7,187 ft | 51% | 82 mi |
| Baldy Mountain Resort | Oliver, BC | 6,965 ft | 37% | 87 mi |
| Sasquatch Mountain | Agassiz, BC | 4,501 ft | 54% | 93 mi |
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight. For those of you looking to fly into North Cascades National Park, we've listed the closest airports in the area.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to North Cascades National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle–Tacoma International Airport | SEA | Seattle, WA | 97 mi |
| Vancouver International Airport | YVR | Vancouver, BC | 129 mi |
| Portland International Airport | PDX | Portland, OR | 209 mi |
| Calgary International Airport | YYC | Calgary, AB | 354 mi |
| Edmonton International Airport | YEG | Edmonton, AB | 463 mi |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to North Cascades National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snohomish County (Paine Field) Airport | PAE | Everett, WA | 79 mi |
| Abbotsford International Airport | YXX | Abbotsford, BC | 91 mi |
| Bellingham International Airport | BLI | Bellingham, WA | 91 mi |
| Penticton Airport | YYF | Penticton, BC | 93 mi |
| Boeing Field King County International Airport | BFI | Seattle, WA | 93 mi |
| Yakima Air Terminal McAllister Field | YKM | Yakima, WA | 121 mi |
| Kelowna International Airport | YLW | Kelowna, BC | 127 mi |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.