Looking toward Magic Mountain from the Cascade Pass trail
North Cascades National Park
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North Cascades National Park is a U.S.National Park located in Washington state.
The park complex consists of 505,000 acres (2045 km²) of the Cascade Range in two separate sections, as well as the adjacent Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas which are managed together with the park. Several national wilderness areas and British Columbia parkland also adjoin the National Park. The park features rugged mountain peaks. Approximately 83 percent of the park was designated as wilderness in 1988.
Nearly all of the national park is protected as the Stephen T. Mather Wilderness, so there are few facilities within the park itself. The park is most popular with backpackers and mountain climbers. The most popular destination in the park is Cascade Pass, which was used as a travel route by Native Americans. It can be accessed by a four-mile trail at the end of a gravel road. The North and South Picket Ranges, as well as Eldorado Peak and the surrounding mountains, are popular with climbers due to glaciation and technical rock. Mount Shuksan, in the northwest corner of the park, is one of the most photographed mountains in the country and the second highest peak in the park (9,127 ft / 2,781 m).
Lower Curtis Glacier in 2003 compared with 1985
The park had 318 glaciers with an area of 117 km² (Post et al., 1971). Excluding Alaska, this is the most of any U.S. national park and about half of the U.S. total. All the glaciers in the park have retreated significantly from 1980-2005 and the rate is increasing, including the Yawning Glacier pictured above. The recent warmer climate has led to more summer melting and more winter melting events, reducing winter snowpack. Several glaciers in the range have melted away in the last decade [link]. The Boston Glacier, on the north slope of Boston Peak, is the largest glacier in the park with an area of 7 km². The other large glaciers (with areas greater than 2.5 km²) are:
Redoubt (Mount Redoubt)
Nooksack (Mount Shuksan)
Sulphide (Mount Shuksan)
Challenger (Mount Challenger)
Inspiration (Eldorado Peak)
McAllister (Eldorado Peak)
Neve (Snowfield Peak)
This park is noted for its wildlife. Due to its wilderness nature, it is home to wolves, grizzlies, lynx, moose, and many other rare species.
Another interesting way to experience the park is by boat up Lake Chelan to Stehekin. Boating, including canoeing and kayaking, as well as fishing and backcountry camping are popular on Ross Lake.
Access
Although one gravel road open to the public enters the park, most automobile traffic in the region travels on the North Cascades Highway (Washington State Route 20), which passes through the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. The nearest large town on the west side of the park is Sedro-Woolley, Washington, while Winthrop lies to the east. Chelan is located at the southeastern end of Lake Chelan.
Spectacular scenery is visible from the North Cascades Highway
