Washington State has plenty of stunning destinations. The Pacific Northwest offers tons of lush green forests and towering snowy mountain peaks. Washington is well known for Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks, each bringing their special landscapes as two of the most popular parks in the National Park Service. Nevertheless, the state has a third park worth visiting, North Cascades National Forest.
Remarkably, the Cascades don’t even see a portion of the visitors of Washington’s other 2 parks. It’s a decent drive from downtown Seattle but not worse than the other parks. So, what keeps this park quiet?
Lots of think it involves gain access to. There are few highways into the park, leaving the North Cascades more popular with the real travelers.
However, if you can go out there, it’s worth it. Here’s why North Cascades National Park deserves going to.
( Source: Alex Moliski)1. Explore Numerous Lakes While the park is known for its absence of streets, there’s a lot to check out by boat. Several lakes are the ideal outings for canoes. Sometimes, the waters turn a shade of blue-green, supplying much more appeal to this special location. The National Park Service states this color is a result of “suspended great rock particles refracting sunlight.” Just know that sometimes you should bring your boat to get access to the water. (Source: NPS) 2. North Cascades Highway When it comes to roadways, the park has among the most picturesque paths in the nation, the North Cascades Highway. Along the way, visitors pass by mountains and waterfalls while traveling through an old-growth forest. The views are endless. Thanks to the park’s absence of appeal, this picturesque route will not bring too much traffic compared to other West Coast parks. (Source: NPS) 3. Explore the Glaciers and Snowfields While the Pacific Northwest is understood for its rain, the North Cascades sees a lot more snow. The National forest Service states the location is among the snowiest in the world. All this snow melts annual and compacts into ice, forming glaciers. The park has more than 300 glaciers, with some unique locations to visit, specifically in the summer season, making the ice and snow an additional amazing tourist attraction.
4. They’re really Unusual, but There Are Grizzlies in the North Cascades Mountains
While the majority of people associate Alaska, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks with grizzly bears, they were as soon as found more often in North Cascades National Park. Nevertheless, it is exceptionally uncommon that you may see one now. A few have been recorded in the mountains simply north of the border in Canada, however officials state it’s had to do with twenty years considering that a verified sighting within the park. Conservationists are making efforts to bring these brown bears back to the park in more abundant numbers.
5. Delight in the Privacy
When we say that few individuals check out the North Cascades, we suggest it. In 2022, just 30,000 individuals visited the park for the whole year. It ranks 58th out of the 63 national parks by visitor numbers. Compare that to Yellowstone National Forest, which averages more than 60,000 individuals in a week, and you get a much better image of how peaceful the Cascades genuinely are. The location is a real wilderness.
From a traditional Pacific Northwest forest to mountain peaks and glacial lakes, here’s why it deserves visiting North Cascades National forest.