You hear a lot of folks talking about Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park these days – how come no one ever mentions North Cascades National Park? I’ll tell you why – North Cascades is too beautiful and too stunning with too many amazing adventures to be had and amazing things to do.

It turns out Washingtonians have been greedily hoarding away all these best things to do in North Cascades National Park hoping it will stay their little secret forever. With a place this grand, who can blame them?

After living in the Pacific Northwest for the past five years I’ve gotten to explore many of these amazing things to do in North Cascades National Park first-hand and I must say there’s not enough hype about this place.

In this article I’ll cover all of the best things to do in North Cascades (even dispel a few places that are commonly associated with the park but aren’t actually there) and provide some helpful tips so you can plan a trip to this incredible destination.

Things to Do in North Cascades National Park

Things to Know Before Visiting North Cascades National Park

Entrance Fees

Free! But if you plan to visit more National Parks within the next 12 months I suggest you go ahead and purchase theAmerica the Beautiful Pass (which can be found at the entrance gates to most national parks). This pass gets you into all National Parks, Forests, Monuments, and more including 2,000 sites for free after a one time $79 fee.

Sunscreen

Use it. Lots of it. Especially this one which I never leave the house without because it plays nice with our dear friend, earth 🙂

Gas

Fuel up fully before you get into the park. There are no gas stations within North Cascades.

Cell Service

Cell Service is very spotty in the park.

Guide Book

The Best Guide Book for North Cascades National Park is this one.

Map

TheBest Map: I like this map best for North Cascades National Park.

Water

Drink it. Lots of it. Don’t forget it in the car.

Best Time to Visit North Cascades National Park

TheBest Time to VisitNorth Cascades is mid-July through September.

Restaurants & Food Options

Food options are limited in the North Cascades area so I recommend getting food beforehand in Burlington and packing it into the park.

Maps of the National Parks

National Parks Checklist Map: This beautiful National Parks Checklist Map can be ordered to your house.

Framed National Parks Map: We’re a sucker for maps, this framed national parks map is the best.

Top 20 Things to Do in North Cascades National Park

20. Picture Lake

I figured we’d kick off our list of the best things to do in North Cascades National Park with one of the top photos you’ll find featuring the national park that’s not actually taken from the national park.

Sorry folks, while this photo is epic, and does in fact feature Mount Shuksan which *is* in North Cascades National Park, the lake (or small pond by my account) is actually in Mount Baker National Forest.

Well that’s no biggie, right? Let’s just drive right over… Not so fast, literally. The drive from Picture Lake to North Cascades National Park will take about 2.5 hours.

In conclusion, while this is a beautiful destination that is absolutely worth the visit (and can even be visited in winter despite receiving up to 95 FEET of snow each year!), it’s not technically not in the park and requires a long drive to reach.