Remote and Beautiful
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Sitting on flat land, in the
wide valley of the Skagit River, the sleepy
little town of Sedro Wooley (a joining together
of two villages) serves as the headquarters for
North Cascades National Park. It is a
half-hour's drive from the town to the park
boundary, via the North Cascades Highway, and
has some basic motel accommodations.
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The park is one of the least visited
federal park areas, and while millions visit the Grand
Canyon, stumbling over each other in the furious rush to
be the first from their bus to peer over the brink, only
a few thousand come to the northeastern corner of the
nation to take in the equally-stupefying wonders of the
northern Cascade Mountains. And if hordes arrived, there
would be no place to stay.
Only two small resort operations are found
inside the park: at Ross Lake, beside Ross Dam on
the North Cascades Highway, and at the south end of the
park, Stehekin Lodge. However, there are small towns on
each side of the park (via the highway), and there are
numerous campsites along the highway, in addition
to those along the Cascade River Road, an unpaved route
which leads southeast from the village of
Marblemount.
Actually, these are not the most northerly
of the Cascades. Those are in Canada, immediately north
of the international border. If you want to experience
the complete series of ranges, you have to drive to
Vancouver B.C., take the Trans-Canada Highway (#1) to the
town of Hope B.C., then make a right turn, heading east
into the Cascades to Manning Provincial Park.
Here, a road to a mountaintop will deliver you to a
spectacular view of the northernmost Cascades. You can
also walk to the Canadian mountains over the northern
portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, hiking north from the
North Cascades Highway, along the shore of Ross Lake,
around the base of Desolation Peak, and across the border
into Manning Provincial Park.
Consisting primarily of the Picket Range
of the Cascades, the mountains in North Cascades
National Park are completely unlike the freestanding
volcanoes to the south and west. This is a range of
upthrust mountains, with huge vertical walls, jagged
peaks, glaciers, and greenish-blue lakes, all
contributing to a landscape which has been dubbed the
North American Alps. The geology of these mountains is
the result of a combination of plate tectonics and
volcanism, brought about by the usual culprits: the
mainland and Pacific plates, and the rim of fire lying
deep underground and escaping long ago to help shape the
mountains. Mount Baker, not part of the park, but within
the adjacent Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, is
the nearest volcano. This beautiful mountain sits
immediately west of the park boundary.
The park area is divided into three sec
How to Get There
tions. The large northern and southern
portions (called "units") are separated by the Ross Lake
National Recreation Area, through which the North
Cascades Highway runs. The recreation area is the
most-visited portion of the park complex, providing
campgrounds, short trails, and recreational facilities on
the lake.
From Seattle (115 miles from the park), or
from the Canadian border at Blaine, take Interstate 5 to
Washington Highway 20, also known as the North Cascades
Highway (exit 230). From the east, take Washington
Highway 20 south of the community of Mazama.
To get to the south end of the park takes
some advance planning. Stehekin Lodge is located
north of Lake Chelan, inside the park. If you don't mind
some hiking, you can drive southwest on Cascade River
Road, from Highway 20 at Marblemount. This route comes to
an end, and you have to hike over Cascade Pass to reach
Stehekin River Road. Otherwise, you drive to the town
of Chelan, at the southern end of Lake Chelan via
U.S. Highway 97, and then take a four-hour ferry ride to
the north end of the lake. This park section is the
Chelan National Recreation Area. You can also take
a chartered floatplane from Chelan. No wonder that most
motorized visitors use the North Cascades Highway as
their axis for visits to the park.
To reach the park headquarters from the
north, drive south on Interstate 5, and turn east onto
Cook Road, at interstate exit 232. From the south, take
I-5 to State Route 20 (Exit 230) and drive through Sedro
Wooley on the North Cascades Highway. There is also a
park information station at Marblemount, 6.5 miles west
of the park boundary.
Park
Essentials
Headquarters and main information
center:
2105 Highway 20, Sedro Wooley, WA 98284
Phone (360) 856-5700
Other information centers are located at
the North Cascades Visitor Center, near Newhalem,
and at the Golden West Visitor Center in Stehekin.
Both centers have exhibits and audio-visual programs.
There are also ranger stations in the park units,
offering information on trails and campground
facilities.
Campgrounds are located along the North
Cascades Highway (#20), and backcountry locations along
major trails. There are campgrounds in the Lake Chelan
National Recreation Center, south of the south park unit.
Ranger-led interpretation walks are available during
summer, at Newhalem, Stehekin, and Colonial Creek
campgrounds.
Food and lodging are available at Ross
Lake Resort, and in Stehekin at North Cascade
(Stehekin) Lodge. Food stores are located in Newhalem and
Marblemount, both on Highway 20.
