Article Overview: Best Hikes North Cascades National Park
I often think of North Cascades as Washington’s forgotten or overlooked national park. Perhaps it’s the rugged, more wild, more adventurous aspect of North Cascades that has less people going to it or perhaps it’s the remote location. For those of us who do make it out here, the hikes of North Cascades National Park are unforgettable.
North Cascades is a proper hikers’ national park with epic hikes both in distance and scenery. The average hike here starts at about 10 miles and scales up from there. If you’re afraid of elevation gain you might want to try a different park because up is the name of the game here.
In this article I’ll detail the best hikes in North Cascades National Park starting with five easy trails for families with kids or people with mobility issues before getting into the real stunners. The top ten hikes on this list are among some of the best trails in the world, let alone North Cascades.
Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
Table of Contents: Best Hikes in North Cascades National Park
Table of Contents: Best Hikes 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 the America 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
The Best 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
The Best Time to Visit North 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.
Where to Stay
Visiting North Cascades National Park? If you haven’t decided where to stay (yet) check out our favorite hotel in North Cascades.
Best Hikes in North Cascades National Park
Easy Hikes in North Cascades National Park
15. Trail of the Cedars
- Distance: .6 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: Minimal
- Time Required: 20-30 minutes
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
Trail of the Cedars is one of the easiest hikes in North Cascades National Park at just .3 miles round trip and almost no elevation gain. This is a great hike for people of all mobility classes to get out of the car, stretch your legs, and breathe in the fresh forest air.
The trail is located in Newhalem, Washington and starts with a beautiful suspension bridge crossing the Skagit River. From here it’s just a short jaunt through the stunning old-growth forest full of giant cedars, firs, & ferns.
Once you reach the Newhalem Power Station you’ll know it’s time to turn it around and head back the way you came.
14. Gorge Creek Falls Loop
- Distance: .5 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: Minimal
- Time Required: 15 – 20 minutes
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
Gorge Creek Falls Loop Trail falls into the easy, leg-stretcher category of hikes in North Cascades National Park. The trail itself is quite flat with beautiful natural scenery but not one of the more spectacular trails in the park by any means.
This is one of a few trails in North Cascades National Park that’s great for families with kids. It can be crowded on weekends as one of the few easy trails in the park so be prepared for company!
13. Ladder Creek Falls Trail
- Distance: .5 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: Minimal
- Time Required: 30 minutes
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
Ladder Creek Falls Trail falls into the category of family friendly hikes in North Cascades National Park. This is a short half mile hike featuring cool boardwalks and bridges that leads to a waterfall. For those with small children this is a great trail for the wee ones to explore.
There are a few staircases along the short hike and you can even tour the power dam here to learn about its history if you’re into that. Worth a short stop off to stretch the legs!
12. Sterling Munro Boardwalk Trail
- Distance: .3 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: Minimal
- Time Required: 15 – 20 minutes
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
This is more of a short walk, but a rare easy hike in this park so worth adding to the list of best hikes in North Cascades National Park. The Sterling Munro Trail is located just behind the park visitor center in Rockport, Washington and features an accessible boardwalk which leads to beautiful mountain views down the valley.
This is a great family hike if you’re visiting North Cascades National Park with kids as they can run free and wild on the boardwalk while being somewhat contained.
11. Picture Lake Loop Trail
- Distance: .4 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: Minimal
- Time Required: 20 – 30 minutes
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
I figured I’d include this hike often associated with North Cascades National Park as it’s typically 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. Is it worth it? Yes.
Once you arrive to the Mt Baker Ski Area you’ll find more really stunning scenery and a network of really nice trails. The Picture Lake Trail is just .4 miles long with one of the most stunning photo opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. If you want something that looks like this then try going in September when the fall colors start to come in.
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. Add this to your list of best hikes in North Cascades National Park if you’re in the Mt. Baker area.
Top 10 Best Hikes in North Cascades National Park
10. Diablo Lake Trail
- Distance: 7.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 1,500 feet
- Time Required: 3.5 – 4.5 hours
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
Diablo Lake is one of the top attractions of North Cascades National Park with turquoise colored waters that lure in visitors (like myself) from all over the world. The hike around the lake is an excellent way to get nice views of Diablo from different perspectives.
The Diablo Lake Trailhead is located near the ferry terminal for Ross Lake Resort in Rockport, Washington. From here, the trail winds its way toward the Ross Lake Dam where it the turn around point is. Along the way there are a couple of nice viewpoints of the lake.
Some folks are disappointed by the views when they hike this trail expecting they’ll see the Diablo Lake Vista Point which is located off the main highway and not accessed via this trail.
I’d add this one to your list of best hikes in North Cascades National Park if you’ve done the others.
9. Desolation Peak Lookout Trail
- Distance: 10 miles (roughly)
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Elevation Gain: 4,400 feet (approximate)
- Time Required: 5-7 hours
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
Looking for a semi-famous addition to your list of best hikes in North Cascades National Park? Desolation Peak is a great place to start!
Made famous by the poet/writer Jack Kerouac who notably stayed here as a fire lookout for 63 days in the summer of ’56, Desolation Peak features a picturesque fire lookout and sweeping panoramic views of the North Cascades.
The best way to get here is starting with a roughly 45 minute boat ride from Ross Lake Resort which makes this hike doable for day hikers. From here the accounts of just how long the trail is vary from 8 miles to 14 – quite a range! I’d plan for at least 10 miles and about 2.5 – 3 hours getting up and another 2.5 hours coming down.
“I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all.
The woods do that to you, they always look familiar, long lost, like the face of a long-dead relative, like an old dream, like a piece of forgotten song drifting across the water, most of all like golden eternities of past childhood or past manhood and all the living and the dying and the heartbreak that went on a million years ago and the clouds as they pass overhead seem to testify (by their own lonesome familiarity) to this feeling.”
Jack Kerouac “The Dharma Bums”
8. Cutthroat Pass Trail
- Distance: 10 miles (via PCT) or 11.4 Miles (via Cutthroat Trailhead)
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Elevation Gain: 2,000 feet or 2,800 feet
- Time Required: 5 – 6 hours
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
For the sticklers (I’m one of them), this hike is technically located just outside of North Cascades National Park in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. There are two ways to hike to Cutthroat Pass itself. The first and shorter one involves jumping on the Pacific Crest Trail from the west via the Maple Pass Trailhead.
The second way involves taking the Cutthroat Trail from the Cutthroat Trailhead on the east side of the pass and hiking up that way. This way has the added bonus of an optional detour to Cutthroat Lake which can be bypassed depending on time and priorities.
Either way you go the views will be stunning. I recommend going in September when the larch trees blazing golden yellow and the mosquitoes are all but gone.
This is a must-add to your list of best hikes in North Cascades National Park for fall foliage fanatics!
7. Easy Pass
- Distance: 7.7 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Elevation Gain: 3,000 feet
- Time Required: 5 – 6 hours
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
Easy Pass is a one of the great North Cascades National Park hikes that offers stunning views pretty much all along the way making it all the more enjoyable. At any point along the trail you can stop to take a drink of water and enjoy sublime North Cascades views.
At just over 7.5 miles round trip and just under 3,000 feet of elevation gain the trail is challenging but any worthwhile trail under 10 miles in North Cascades seems like a win to me.
The snow typically doesn’t clear out all the way until the end of July or early August so be prepared for some post holing if you go before then. Like several of the trails in this area, the beginning of the hike starts out on Forest Service lands and ends in the National Park which means no dogs.
6. Thornton Lakes
- Distance: 11 miles
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Elevation Gain: 3,000 feet
- Time Required: 6 – 7 hours
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
The Thornton Lakes Trail another one of the more popular North Cascades National Park hikes with epic views at the top. Unlike some other trails, the views are pretty muted until the last quarter of a mile so this one really shouldn’t be attempted until the snow to fully melts sometime in mid-late July.
July is usually the buggiest time to hike this trail and the bugs can be fierce here whereas they tend to calm down a bit in August & September. There are lots of roots to contend with along the way so be sure to keep an eye on your footing.
As one of the more popular of the best hikes in North Cascades National Park expect crowds during the peak summer season.
Top 5 Best Hikes in North Cascades National Park
5. Hidden Lake Lookout Trail
- Distance: 8 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Elevation Gain: 3300 feet
- Time Required: 5.5 – 7 hours
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
The Hidden Lake Lookout Trail is one of the best hikes in North Cascades National Park (and all of the Pacific Northwest for that matter) offering incredible views of staggering mountain peaks in all directions. From the heights of this epic North Cascades hike you truly feel like you’re on top of the world.
Views like this rarely come without effort and this case is no exception. With 3300 feet of elevation gain in just 4 miles up to the lookout it feels like constant up, up, up.
The trail starts in a deep coniferous forest complete with streams and chirping birds. As you continue up the trail the contrast is truly amazing as you rise through grassy wildflower meadows and eventually into the rarefied air of mountain peaks.
4. Sourdough Mountain
- Distance: 10.4 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Elevation Gain: 5,700 feet
- Time Required: 8 – 10 hours
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
I’d argue that some of the most epic and alluring views in all the North Cascades come from the hike up Sourdough Mountain. Sometimes epic views can be achieved with relatively minimal effort. This is not one of those times.
Almost everyone who makes it to the top of the trail will tell you it was worth it but expect a bit of stiffness on the car ride home. At 10.4 miles round trip with over 5,700 feet of elevation gain, this hike falls squarely into the difficult category.
Be sure to pack a lot of water for this hike – at least 3 liters per person I’d say as it’s an all day affair that requires a tremendous amount of energy.
The ascent is steep and the trail pretty grueling but the payoff speaks for itself. For a full trail review check out what our friends at WTA have to say about the hike.
If you’re looking for the absolute coolest view of the park then add this one to your list of best hikes in North Cascades National Park.
3. Blue Lake Trail
- Distance: 4.6 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 900 feet
- Time Required: 2.5 – 3 hours
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
As this list of the best hikes in North Cascades National Park winds down we find ourselves left with the real cream of the crop here. Blue Lake is one of the most beautiful hikes in all of the national parks featuring truly jaw-dropping views of the cascades.
The best part (other than the views) is that unlike most of the other trails in the park, Blue Lake is relatively short and easy at 4.4 miles round trip and a paltry 1000 feet of elevation gain.
Once you get to the top of the hike you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world.
2. Cascade Pass / Sahale Arm Trail
- Distance: 6.5 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate – Challenging
- Elevation Gain: 1,780 feet
- Time Required: 3.5 – 4.5 hours
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
If you’re looking for another of the the most popular hikes in North Cascades National Park then Cascade Pass is for you. While the trail does get a bit crowded in the summer (never too bad in my opinion compared to the likes of Yosemite or Zion, anyway) it’s for a good reason. The views here are sensational.
Hikers have the option to do this as a 7.4 mile out and back to Cascade Pass or an 11.8 mile out and back to Sahale Glacier (totally worth it if you’re up for it).
I’d say the views from the top of this trail alone are worth adding it to your list of best hikes in North Cascades National Park.
1. Maple Pass Loop to Lake Ann
- Distance: 7.4 miles
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Elevation Gain: 2,200 feet
- Time Required: 4 – 5 hours
About this North Cascades National Park Hike
We’re down to my absolute favorite hike in North Cascades National Park. This is one of those choosing which is your favorite kid types of situations but if I’ve got to give an answer then the Maple Pass hike to Lake Ann is the best in North Cascades.
The total length of the hike is 7.4 miles with just under 2,200 feet of elevation gain but that all washes away with the sublime scenery. Well you still might feel the incline but oh the views.
Go in the fall for even more spectacular grandeur as the larches turn into a blazing golden yellow lighting up the landscape in an unforgettable way. The views of Lake Ann are just the icing on the cake for this stunning hike.
Hikes to Skip in North Cascades National Park
1. Fourth of July Pass
- Distance: 9.3 miles
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Elevation Gain: 2,500 feet
- Time Required: 5 – 6 hours
Why to Skip this North Cascades Hike?
The bottom line is that the views are just not worth the elevation gain for Fourth of July Pass. The trail continues up, up, up but the views don’t materialize. There are some decent vantages but at the top it’s a big time let down. For this amount of effort you can do much better in the hikes department at North Cascades.
Map of the Best Hikes in North Cascades National Park
List of the Best Hikes in North Cascades National Park
- Maple Pass Loop Trail
- Cascade Pass/Sahale Arm Trail
- Blue Lake Trail
- Sourdough Mountain / Pierce Mountain Camp
- Hidden Lake
- Easy Pass Trail
- Thornton Lakes Trail
- Cutthroat Pass Trail
- Gorge Creek Falls Loop
- Picture Lake Loop Trail
- Sterling Munro Boardwalk Trail
- Diablo Lake Trail
- Ladder Creek Falls Trail
- Trail of the Cedars
- Desolation Peak Lookout Trail
About the Folks Behind More Than Just Parks
We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers (and sometimes the Parks Brothers) and we absolutely LOVE the national parks.
We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, USDA, and the U.S. Forest Service for years creating films on important places and issues. Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks.
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
If you’d like to follow along our journey we’d be delighted to have you!
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Pin the Best Hikes in North Cascades National Park
Just FYI, the majority of these are not technically in NCNP. As a local who hikes with dogs, I am VERY well versed on which trails I can take my dogs and on which they are prohibited. (All NP trails do not allow dogs.) Quite a few listed here are in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area, which does allow dogs (we boat and camp on Ross and Diablo every summer. . . with our dogs). Other hikes are just in national forest. Maple Pass, Easy Pass and Hidden Lake Lookout all border the park for maybe half a mile each, but only if you go off trail in a certain spot are you in the park. You need a Forest Service Pass, not a park pass, for those trailheads, if that’s any indication of who keeps up those trails and cleans the privy. This info might be relevant to people for pass purposes, and for traveling/hiking with dogs. Or it could at least keep them from giving people like me the evil eye when they see my leashed dogs on these trails! (Also, the Forest Serivce is waaaaay underfunded compared to National Parks — which are not exactly flush, either. Please encourage your readers to buy a FS pass if they use those trails. And to sign trail registers — those help prove usage for funding!