North Cascades National Park

The North Cascades hold more glaciers than anywhere else in the lower forty-eight, over three hundred of them, packed into a range so steep and broken that it is often called the American Alps. Despite sitting a couple of hours from Seattle it receives a tiny fraction of the visitors that Rainier or Olympic do, largely because there is essentially one road through it and almost everything else requires walking. That road, Highway 20, runs past Diablo and Ross lakes, whose water is an opaque turquoise from glacial flour, with overlooks straight off the tarmac. Trails climb quickly and hard to Cascade Pass, Maple Pass and Hidden Lake, delivering alpine scenery within a day. Black bears, marmots and, rarely, wolverine live here.

Highlights

• Diablo Lake overlook - the turquoise reservoir from the highway.
• Cascade Pass - the classic day hike up into the alpine.
• Maple Pass Loop - a circuit of larches and lakes, spectacular in October.
• The glaciers - over three hundred, more than the rest of the lower forty-eight combined.

When to go

July to September is the practical window; the highway closes over the passes from roughly November to April, snow lingers on trails into July, and the larches turn gold in late September and early October, which is the loveliest and busiest fortnight. Check road status before travelling in shoulder seasons.

Before you go

Highway 20 is closed by snow for around half the year, which catches people out. Trails gain height fast and are still snowbound well into summer. There is almost no accommodation or food inside the park, with Marblemount and Winthrop the practical bases. The weather on this side of the Cascades is wet and views vanish in cloud for days.

Nearby

Winthrop and the Methow valley are east of the pass; Seattle is two and a half hours south.

Key facts