The North Cascades National Park is one of the least visited national park in the lower 48! And thankfully, it’s only a couple hours from home!
This is one of the favorite places that my husband and I love to spend time. We will take day trips, but we’ll also take the travel trailer up and stay the week.
Here are some of our favorites:
Maple Pass Loop
One of the most popular hikes in the North Cascades is Maple Pass loop. It is technically outside of the North Cascades National Park, but at the top of the pass, you will step back into the park. It’s about a 6.5 mile (my personal Strava records say it is over 7.5 miles) and over 2,100 ft of elevation gain, but the views make every single step worth it!
It is a loop that heads up, has amazing vistas all the way up. The views at the top are amazing in all directions. As you head back down, you’re going through the woods for the last bit.
Blue Lake
Blue Lake is another gorgeous lake that is technically outside of the North Cascades National Park, but well worth the drive out Highway 20 through the park.
As you walk up the trail, you can see the Liberty Bell spire to your left. Often, there are climbers working their way up. When you get close to the lake, there are the remains of an old cabin. When you arrive at the lake, the name fits it perfectly! It is an incredible shade of blue. Take your time, sit and eat lunch as you soak up the magnificent views.
Cascade Pass
I have to stop myself from gushing about Cascade Pass. There is nothing at all not to love about it. Even the trailhead parking lot has amazing views. This area is called the American Alps, and this trail definitely makes that nickname make sense. My husband and I eloped at the top of the pass. (Now you know why I gush about Cascade Pass.)
This has easy switchbacks up the mountain and then the trail opens up. When the trees open up, you can look down at your car in the parking lot. Once you reach the top of the pass, there is a gravel area with large stones set up to sit and enjoy the view overlooking the valley below. It truly is a magical place!
You can hike down the valley in the picture to a town called Stehekin which is only accessible on foot or by ferry.
Big Beaver campground
The Big Beaver campground is on Ross Lake. You can either boat in from the resort or hike in. We hiked in and backpacked in the area and loved how gorgeous it was. We backpacked in 13 miles our first day to a small campground called 39 mile, but we had stopped just around the inlet from the Big Beaver campground. The second night, we headed back to Big Beaver stock camp, but we walked up to the main campground to check things out.
It had boat docks for easy access from the lake. Or, it was about a 7.5 mile hike in from the Ross Lake Dam parking lot on Highway 20. It had many camp sites near the lakeshore and the bathrooms were quite nice for backcountry toilets. If you’ve never backpacked, then trust me, vault toilets that are clean and stocked with toilet paper are a luxury!
We will definitely be heading back to that area for future backpacking trips.
Ross Lake Resort
The Ross Lake Resort is a bucket list item. My husband & I were able to get in to stay for a couple of nights due to a cancellation.
The Ross Lake Resort is 15 floating cabins on Ross Lake National Recreational Area. It is the type of place that you can’t just make a reservation to get into. You fill out the waitlist for each year and/or watch their website for cancellation availability. But it is worth any amount of effort to get in.
The cabin we stayed in was one of the two duplexes. It had a full kitchen, running water, flush toilets – not what you expect when floating on a lake. It also had a small wood stove for heat if needed and a pile of firewood outside the front door. Or, if the weather is warm, take a dive off the dock out your front door to cool off!
We will continue to try getting in this resort as it is a quiet, relaxing trip with the most amazing views.
While the North Cascades is an easy to drive through National Park, there is a lot there! It is well worth your time to come this far north and check it out.