North Cascades National Park Makes List of Top 10 “Hidden Gems”
Summer vacation is about to begin, and with it, the great get-away-from-it-all migration of America’s campers. So Country magazine has compiled a list of our great nation’s top 10 national park “hidden gems,” by which they mean the intersection of “most beautiful” and “least crowded.” North Cascades National Park — less than three hours from Seattle — makes the cut easily on the no-traffic-jams-in-the-parking-lot side.
“Despite the breathtaking alpine terrain, North Cascades National Park remains virtually deserted compared with America’s marquee national parks,” says writer David Jensen. “Why?” You may already have guessed the answer: “Every time I hike this park, I hike in the rain.” The park averages, says the Weather Channel, north of 75 inches of rain a year — and Jensen says the undergrowth is “impenetrable to the hesitant hiker.”
July and August are the driest months, with under two inches. Average highs are upper 70s.
On the other hand, all the wet stuff accounts for the more than 300 (shrinking) glaciers at the park, and an equal number of lakes and ponds. (Glacier National Park has just 25 glaciers large enough still to bear the name.) At the moment, report park staff, a moderate winter and spring mean it’s easier to get around trails there already: “Bouts of sunny weather have mixed with snow and rain, and low elevation trails are continuing to melt out (below 2500 feet). Higher elevation trails remain snowy, with new snow still falling.”
Because it’s a national park — as opposed to a state park — admission to North Cascades is free, as is backcountry camping. Car camping ranges from free to $12 per night.
