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 in .
| Address | |
|---|---|
| Phone | 360 854-7200 |
| Hours | All year, 24 hours a day |
| Entrance Fee | Free |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
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.