North Cascades National Park is in northern Washington State. It’s a vast wilderness of conifer-clad mountains, glaciers and lakes. The North Cascades Highway passes viewpoints and leads to trails such as the steep Thunder Creek Trail. Boats dot Ross Lake. The remote community of Stehekin lies at the northern tip of deep Lake Chelan. The park shelters grizzly bears and gray wolves, plus more than 200 bird species.
Less than three hours from Seattle, an alpine landscape beckons. Discover communities of life adapted to moisture in the west and recurring fire in the east. Explore jagged peaks crowned by more than 300 glaciers. Listen to cascading waters in forested valleys. Witness a landscape sensitive to the Earth's changing climate. Help steward the ecological heart of the Cascades.
Are you hoping to encounter alpine wilderness, hike among dense evergreen forests, or car-camp with the whole family? Whatever your interest, get started here planning an enjoyable, safe, and memorable visit to the North Cascades.
North Cascades National Park Service Complex is comprised of three units: Ross Lake National Recreation Area, North Cascades National Park, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.
North Cascades National Park is one of the most rugged and remote national parks in the US. That said, it still has several wheelchair-accessible trails, including a substantial section of the River Loop Trail. Technically the trail begins in back of the visitor center, but unfortunately a steep section near the beginning ruins the accessibility. Best bet is to pick up the trail between campsites 37 and 38 in Loop B of the Newhalem Creek Campground. From there, this hard-packed dirt trail loops 1.4 miles through the forest, along the Skagit River and through the walk-in campground. Accessible restrooms are located in Loop B of the campground, and next to campsite 130 in Loop A. Don’t let the steep section of this trail near the visitor center trail deter you – take the alternate “more accessible” route through the woods.
North Cascades National Park Service Complex has been working hard to make recreational facilities available for everyone.
Accessible restrooms are available at all visitor information stations and most campgrounds. The North Cascades Visitor Center, Sedro-Woolley information station, and Wilderness Information Center are fully accessible. The approach to the Golden West Visitor Center is an unpaved, sloping path which can be negotiated with assistance. There is a ramp into the center and an elevator inside.
The Sterling Munro Trail at the North Cascades Visitor Center and the Happy Creek Forest Walk at milepost 135 on State Route 20 are fully accessible boardwalk paths. Happy Creek is a 1/3 mile (1/2 kilometer) loop through ancient forest. The River Loop Trail (the section at the campground is lower grade than near the visitor center), Linking Trail and Newhalem Creek Rockshelter Trail, all in the vicinity of the North Cascades Visitor Center, are accessible trails with good surfaces and less than 10% grade throughout. Rockshelter Trail ends in a boardwalk providing a view and interpretation of an archeological site.
East of Newhalem along State Route 20, the Gorge Overlook Trail is partially paved. There are accessible campsites and restrooms in the park's campgrounds and accessible picnic shelters at Newhalem and Goodell Creek Campgrounds.
Service animals may accompany service animal users in information and visitor centers of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. A service animal is a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability. The task(s) performed by the animal must be directly related to the person’s disability. Service dogs are subject to the same vaccination rules that are applied to all dogs.
