North Cascades National Park: Wild and remote

Located in the northwest corner of Washington. North Cascades National park is only 100 miles from Seattle, but don’t be fooled this park is known as a “wilderness” park. Which caught us off guard to say the least.

Centered around the rugged North Cascades Range, the most expansive glacial system outside of Alaska. The park is over 500,000 acres and features approximately 312 glaciers. Thats more glaciers than Glacier National Park has!

If you saw my post on Grand Teton National Park you will know that I have a strong fascination with rough and jagged mountains so I figured I would be right at home, here at the North Cascades.

After hours of driving through rolling hills covered with apple trees, we had finally reached the North Cascade range!

We didn’t do much pre-trip planning so I think it goes without saying we didn’t check the weather either. The overcast clouds were somewhat concerning considering all the rumors that it rained everyday in this part of the country.

Some of the peaks disappeared into the clouds as we approached the park entrance but the rain seemed to be holding off.

As soon as we arrived we learned that North Cascades National Park didn’t have an entrance fee. Money wise, this didn’t matter to us because we had already purchased the annual America the Beautiful park pass. However, it was a cause of concern because I wanted to know why there was no entrance fee?

The visitor center was easy to find unlike Redwood National Park. The fact they even had one was surprising since they weren’t charging anyone to get in. We made a quick trip inside to pick up a map and so I could buy a souvenir magnet. We couldn’t have been inside longer than ten minutes but the bottom of the clouds had fallen out and the rain was coming down!

We instantly realized why there was no fee when we unfolded the waterlogged map.

Sure the park encompasses a huge area of land, but if you want to see any of it. You have to walk!

I am never opposed to long walks, hikes or runs, I actually quite enjoy them. But we didn’t have the gear for a proper backcountry hiking/camping experience. Which left us out of luck for exploring North Cascades National Park.

There is only one road through the park and we were on it. No side roads, no camp grounds you could drive to, no infrastructure whatsoever!

Until now, every park had surprised me for the better. To say I was let down would be an extreme understatement. We had planned to camp and spend the next day hiking but were unable to execute that plan without having an accessible campground.

Diablo Lake

We made the most of the park by stopping at Diablo Lake, one of the only places on the road where you have the opportunity to get out and explore. There was a trail that looped around the lake but we opted out because the rain picked up. It was also much colder than my clothing would lead you to believe, I took my jacket off for the picture.

Wasn’t long before we were back on the road heading east towards Seattle. Our stay had been cut short, but we were the only ones to blame. Should have done more research before hand.

Chasing one last waterfall before leaving North Cascades National Park

The park in undeniably beautiful and I would definitely like to spend more time exploring the vast, rugged area. I will just have to be more prepared and geared up next time. The weather cleared as soon as we got on the east side of the mountain range. So I wouldn’t let the rumors of bad weather deter you. Just bring a rain jacket and you’ll be fine.