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North Cascades National Park

Photo: Dave Waddell / CC BY 2.0 · source

⛰️ Mountains

North Cascades National Park

Newhalem, WA · North Cascades, Washington

About

North Cascades National Park packs more than 300 glaciers into a wall of jagged, snow-streaked peaks, the most heavily glaciated park in the Lower 48. Pull off Highway 20 at the Diablo Lake overlook, where glacial rock flour turns the water a brilliant milky turquoise, then climb the Cascade Pass trail to alpine meadows beneath Sahale Arm. Summer and early fall offer the clearest access to this rugged corner of Washington near Newhalem.

Highlights

More than 300 glaciers, the most of any U.S. park outside AlaskaDiablo Lake, glowing turquoise from glacial rock flour, viewed off the North Cascades HighwayCascade Pass and Sahale Arm trail to high alpine meadows and panoramic ridgelinesHundreds of alpine lakes and dense old-growth evergreen forestScenic Highway 20 cutting through the heart of the range

Getting there

810 State Route 20, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284

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Curated guides that feature North Cascades National Park.

The United States National Parks63 places

The United States National Parks

All 63 of America's national parks in one place: the geysers and canyons, glaciers and giant sequoias, coral reefs and live volcanoes the country set aside for everyone. From the Grand Canyon to the Everglades to the wilds of Alaska, this is the complete collection, each one worth building a whole trip around.