With its rugged, expansive beauty, breathtaking hikes, and faraway feel (despite being just 3 hours from Seattle), North Cascades is a highly underrated park. Hosting only about 30,000 visitors in 2022, North cascades is one of the least visited parks in the country. The lack of crowds was part of what made our experience at this park so wonderful, but it’s unfortunate that so many are missing out on the beauty and grandeur this park has to offer.
During your next trip to Seattle or the Pacific Northwest, be sure to include at least two days to experience North Cascades. Just a 3 hour drive from Seattle, this park will surround you in deep valleys, endless peaks, and over 300 glaciers.
About the Park
The park is in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, about 20 miles south of the Canadian border, and about 100 miles northeast of Seattle. Because of this location, the park is best visited in the summer. While it is open 24/7, many of the facilities in the park are only open in the summer.
The main (and only!) paved road in the park is Highway 20, which runs east to west through the park. Driving along this scenic road is an activity in itself, as you’ll get to see so much of the beautiful park with overlooks and short hikes. This road will take you right over Diablo Lake, the strikingly blue lake that this park is known for (pictured above).
Luckily for us (and Roscoe!), pets are allowed in a lot of areas throughout the park. Pets are allowed on a leash within the Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. Ross Lake is where many visitors spend a lot of their time; this includes Diablo Lake and many surrounding hikes. Pets are also allowed on most surrounding national forest lands. Please always be sure to be a responsible pet owner, picking up after your pet and being respectful of other animals in the area.
Katrina Mayer
“You can’t find happiness at the end of your journey if you didn’t bring it with you all along.”
What to do in North Cascades
Diablo Lake Vista Point
This view is unbeatable. The Gatorade-blue color of the water is surreal, and spending time at this lake can’t be missed during a visit to the park. The Diablo Lake Vista Point is accessible from Highway 20, so there is no strenuous hike involved to get to this beautiful view (although there are some hikes to take you to a different vantage of the lake).
The lake gets its unique color from melting glaciers, when silt from the glacier is deposited into the lake. If you’re feeling very brave, we also recommend taking a dip into the lake. Nothing like a little ice bath after a strenuous hike to relieve the muscles. And Roscoe loved it!
Hike Thunder Knobb
This was one of our favorite trails in the park, and brought us to a beautiful view of Diablo lake (where the picture above was taken). It is dog-friendly, and a mild-strenuous difficulty. The 3.6 mile trail has a 425 ft elevation gain and took us about 2 hours, with plenty of time spent at the top taking in the view.
Maple Pass Loop
This trail is not technically in the park, but it is right off Highway 20 and the trail takes you right against the park up to amazing views of the park, so we consider it a wonderful addition to your North Cascades itinerary. It’s a 7.2-mile, strenuous hike, but well worth it.
The panoramic views of the jagged peaks of the cascades is truly breathtaking and worth every mile of the hike. There is so much greenery, lakes and wildflowers you’ll see along the way, it was easy to say this was one of the best hikes of the trip.
Happy Creek Forest Walk
If you’re looking for something a bit less strenuous, the Happy Creek Forest Walk is a leisurely .03 mile (with optional 2 mile break off to a waterfall) stroll through the forest alongside a creek.
We hope you enjoy your trip to the park! Remember to always leave no trace, and appreciate the incredible beauty of the world around you.