The “Other” Park In Washington

Just three hours from Seattle, North Cascades National Park’s rugged beauty is characterized by jagged peaks, deep forested valleys, cascading waterfalls, and over 300 glaciers — more than any other U.S. park outside of Alaska. Thousands of voices from the past crackle to life in this alpine landscape, from Native Americans to early European and American fur traders and explorers to homesteaders and miners, all of which called this land home.

Known as “The American Alps” the mountains here are very impressive. Living in Colorado I see my fair share of impressive mountains. But the mountains in North Cascades National park are truly a site to see.

These mountains beg to be hiked and explored, and that is just what we did. Because of the amount of glaciers in the area, there are a lot of lakes. Fishing is allowed, so when you go out for your hike, remember to bring along your fishing gear.

The lake in this photo is called Slide Lake. The trail seemed easy enough on the All Trails App. 3 miles. 500 feet elevation gain. This was all true. What I did not know going into this hike was that the trail is covered by a lot of bushes. Because of this, you cannot see the trail most of the time. My large feet caught more tree roots than we caught fish. I have never fallen this many times on a hike in my life. It was quite comical. After numerous falls, we arrived at Slide Lake. The scenery was beautiful. The lake was still which made the reflection perfect. I walked around the lake finding many great compositions. I love this photo because you can see the height of this impressive mountain, and you can also see the crystal clear glacier water of this lake.

 
Location: North Cascades National Park, Washington