11. Boating in the Lakes
According to the National Park Service, there are over 500 lakes and ponds located within the boundaries of North Cascades National Park. Of these 3 provide outstanding opportunities for boating including Lake Chelan, Diablo Lake, and Ross Lake.
Kayaking, canoeing, and motorized boating are all popular activities in these lakes. If you’re looking to put in your own craft, there are boat ramps and launches at Gorge Lake, Diablo Lake, the north end of Ross Lake at Hozomeen, and Lake Chelan.
This is one of my personal favorite things to do in North Cascades National Park (or any national park) as there’s just something special about being on the water in grand nature.
North Cascades Boat Rentals
Two of these lakes offer boat rentals – Ross Lake & Lake Chelan. For Ross Lake, boat rentals are available at Ross Lake Resort & for Lake Chelan limited boat rentals are available at Stehekin.
10. Whitewater Rafting
At 120 miles long flowing from southern British Columbia to the Puget Sound, the Skagit River is the third largest in the Western US in terms of volume. It is fed by over 3,000 streams which creates some great whitewater conditions.
If you’re looking for those kind of adventures there are a number of guides in the North Cascades Region happy to help you add whitewater rafting to your list of things to do in North Cascades National Park.
Check out Cascadia Rafting (about $65/person), Orion River Expeditions (about $90/person), Triad River Tours (about $85/person) & Alpine Adventures ($85/person) for Skagit River Rafting.
