A Quick Guide to North Cascades National Park

I recently read an article on some of the least visited National Parks, and on the list was North Cascades! I’m surprised, yet not surprised. This park is remarkable in a number of ways. First, it is ruggedly beautiful. Period. Also, there weren’t that many people there when we visited and, as the article suggests, it appears that there might not ever be all that many people there. This park is only a couple hours outside of Seattle – a major city. It’s surprising to me that more people don’t visit. On the other hand, the citizens of Seattle live even closer to both Mount Rainier NP and Olympic NP so, when it comes to national parks, their cup runneth over! Anyway, let’s talk about why you should go to North Cascades National Park (and why you should bring your kids!). It’s an easy day trip from Seattle, but I highly recommend staying if you can.

Stunning Natural Beauty

As the name indicates, the park is located in the northern part of the Cascade Mountain Range. There are glaciers, lakes, rivers, trees and wildlife all along the twisty road that cuts through the mountains. If you’re coming from the west, you’ll start out driving along the river. Then there are a couple of dams, forming mountain lakes. Turnouts and overlooks with grand vistas crop up every few miles for the length of the drive. The lakes are a kind of uncanny turquoise color, caused by rock sediments that were ground down by the glaciers. The photos look like I’m using a filter, but that’s truly the color of the lake! There are waterfalls everywhere. At first we were trying to stop and look at each one, but pretty soon we gave up.

The Great Outdoors

We only did two hikes in North Cascades National Park, but they were both really different from each other. The Visitors Center can provide you with a trail guide, and there are tons of hikes to choose from. Ross Dam was our first hike. It’s a beautiful forest trail – pretty steep – that goes past waterfalls and a river. We also took what I would call more of a walking trail than a hike out to Rainy Lake. This trail was easy and went through a more shrouded, ferny forest out to a lake. This trail is across the road from where the Pacific Crest Trail passes through North Cascades.

We drove down to Diablo Lake, so my husband and daughter could swim, but I just stuck my feet in because it was FREEZING! We saw people kayaking, jet skiing, floating on inner tubes, etc.

Where to Stay in North Cascades

As far as camping goes, we loved our campsite. It was in Newhalem, right near the Visitors Center. There are no hookups for RVs, but all the sites are nice, level, clean, fairly well spaced-out and shady. There are other places to camp, like down by Diablo Lake, which would be great to have a campsite right by the water. We noticed that there were empty spaces every night we were there. You can find out more about camping and reservations at https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/camping.htm

If you’re looking to stay in a hotel, there are some beautiful lodges along highway 20 in the mountains, or you could stay down in one of the nearby towns like Winthrop.

The Scenic Drive

The drive through North Cascades is worth it all by itself. If you are not a hiker or camper or lake swimmer or kayaker or any other kind of outdoorsy active type, this is still the park for you. You could stay in one of the cabins or lodges, and just do the drive. My cousin who lives near Seattle suggested that we drive past the end of the park to the town of Winthrop, and we’re so glad we did! As I mentioned before, there are numerous turnouts throughout the drive, but don’t miss the Washington Overlook. It has a little walking trail of its own, and it’s possible to see mountain goats up there! The view is spectacular. As you drive down out of the mountains, the landscape changes considerably and becomes mostly farmland.

As you get back to flat land, you’ll arrive at an old western town called Winthrop. It’s a picturesque little town with shops and restaurants lining the main street. We had a great lunch at the Old Schoolhouse Brewery. It’s right on the river and has a pretty diverse menu as well as tasting flights of their beers. The drive from Newhalem, at the beginning of North Cascades NP, to Winthrop takes about an hour and a half if you just drive it straight. With the overlooks and other places to stop it could easily take two hours or more. It’s just as lovely on the way back because the park looks very different when driving West.

North Cascades National Park with Kids

This park is super kid-friendly. The Visitors Center has fun interactive displays on the wildlife and geology of the park, as well as a film and some interesting taxidermy! Make sure to pick up a Junior Ranger packet for fun activities your child can do throughout the park. Click here for a more complete post on the Junior Ranger program and National Parks with kids.

North Cascades has hikes for all levels and abilities, but small children will enjoy the Rainy Lake hike I mentioned above; it’s paved so you could even bring a stroller. For swimming and water sports, head to Diablo Lake. It’s very shallow near the campground, so there’s a great area for smaller children to play.

With your kids, be sure to drive out to the town of Winthrop to visit the Shafer Museum. It has recreated pioneer buildings such as a school, a miner’s cabin, a general store and more. It was really cheap (in fact I think it was donations only) and they have a scavenger hunt for kids, with a gumball reward if you finish! Walking through the town, there are several old-fashioned stores and, best of all, fantastic ice cream.

We had a great three days in North Cascades National Park! If we missed anything, leave your suggestions in the comments!