North Cascades National Park - Washington
Photo of North Cascades National Park courtesy NPS
Few fully know the intense and rugged beauty of the North Cascades - jagged peaks, deep valleys, cascading waterfalls and over 700 glaciers. North Cascades National Park Service Complex contains the heart of this mountainous region in three park units which are all managed as one and include North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. Each area offers different experiences and contains wilderness. A vast majority of the park complex, over 93%, is managed as the Stephen T. Mather Wilderness, which was established by Congress in 1988. The wilderness area was named in honor of the first director of the National Park Service.
Long before North Cascades National Park Service Complex was established in 1968, this area was a home. It was the home to many Native American tribes and a trade gateway between the Plateau tribes to the east and the Coast Salish tribes to the west. Native Americans have been in these mountains for over 8,000 years. More recent settlers came in the nineteenth century to establish homesteads in places like the Stehekin Valley, or to mine elusive minerals - like gold, or to trap furbearing animals such as the beaver, otter, and marten. Now it is preserved as a national park for future generations to enjoy.Have you visited North Cascades National Park?
- Do you have a favorite campsite or one to avoid?
- What is your favorite trail?
- How is the food at the restaurant, any favorites?
- Any fishing tips, bait, location or types of fish?
Facilities available at North Cascades National Park:
North Cascades National Park website
Recreation Area Map
Park Email: NOCA_Interpretation@nps.gov
Phone numbers
Headquarters 360/856-5700
Visitor Information 360/856-5700
Address
North Cascades National Park
810 State Route 20
Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284-1239
