Great Western Road Trip: North Cascades National Park in Washington

North Cascades National Park in Washington is a largely unknown national park that contains plenty of hidden beauty, majestic views, and recreational activities. The pristine beauty and allure of the North Cascades make it the one place I'd most like to return to than anywhere else we visited on our entire trip.

North Cascades National Park is located in northern Washington and can only be accessed by one main road. Washington's Highway 20 runs straight through the park providing a scenic tour to passersby or an access point to trails and wilderness throughout the park. There is no entrance fee for North Cascades National Park, whether you're just driving through or you stay for a day or a month.

North Cascades National Park is one of the most recently designated national parks in the country and is still largely unknown and unvisited even by people familiar with most of the nation's other 58 national parks. This means you don't have to fight crowds to enjoy it and the park's original natural beauty has been left undisturbed.

Many national parks have one defining feature that earned its designation and title - the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Sequoia, Petrified Forest, etc. This is not so with the North Cascades. I never could figure out exactly why it was known as the "Cascades." Though there are plenty of waterfalls throughout the park, they're by no means the main feature. Glacier National Park, obviously known for its glaciers, actually has very few (27) compared to the North Cascades' 318 glaciers.

North Cascades National Park is made up of over 1,000 square miles of land. It's filled with massive mountains, deep valleys, lush forests, glaciers, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. No one feature stands out more than the rest; they all mix together (in nearly every direction and from every angle you look) in a perfect harmony of splendor and beauty.

A drive through the North Cascades on Highway 20 can be as long or as short as you'd like it to be. There are plenty of places to stop for a picnic, get closer to a waterfall, or stare at the towering mountain ranges. There are plenty of great overlooks, including Gorge Creek Falls, Ross Lake, and Diablo Lake. However, the best of the three is definitely Diablo Lake and you don't want to miss it no matter what else you do in the park.

If you want to do more than just drive through (and you definitely should want to), there are plenty of campsites available throughout the park for both tents and RV's. Currently however, there are not yet any cabin or hotel-style lodging options. Also, the general camping fees are much less than at most of the more popular national parks. Most of the North Cascades is designated wilderness, so there are also plenty of backcountry camping opportunities.

There are plenty of recreational activities in the North Cascades National Park. The park's main visitor center, just off Highway 20 towards the western side of the park, has a great museum showcasing the wide variety of climates and wildlife to be found throughout the park. It's exhibits are some of the most attractive and informative of any of the parks we've visited.

There are also plenty of long and short hiking trails in North Cascades National Park that can be accessed from Highway 20 or the more rugged Mount Baker Scenic Byway. Boating and canoeing can be done in most of the park's lakes, though there is a dock pass fee required in most instances.

About 93% of North Cascades National Park's 1000 square miles is designated wilderness. That means no roads, no buildings, and very minimal human activity are allowed in the majority of the park. It also means that the towering mountains, distant glaciers, and hidden valleys have often been completely undisturbed by people and are left as close as possible in their natural state. And they can only be accessed by days of backcountry hiking and camping. It's this feature, more than anything else, that has me dreaming of the day I can return and spend at least a week in the amazingly beautiful wilderness of the North Cascades.

Everyone has their own opinion about what makes for the best landscape and beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. But I think the North Cascades may possibly hold the best harmony of peaks and valleys, the best balance of rivers, snow, and waterfalls. And there are over 1000 square miles of it! Whether you're content with a quick pass of scenic sights or you have plenty of time to soak it in and explore the untouched landscape, the North Cascades National Park surely won't disappoint.