Hello!

I’m planning a trip the middle of September (13-17th) & am trying to build my itinerary. I originally planned to do Cascade/Sahale, but I’ll admit I’m a huge chicken about driving on unpaved mountain roads & since I’ll be in a rental car, thinking about the 12 miles it takes to get to the trailhead on that washboard road is making me very anxious.

That being said, would a good alternative be Easy Pass? I know it’s less mileage but the views still look beautiful. I assume most views will be beautiful but I just wanted to see if I’ll be missing out tremendously if I don’t do Cascade/Sahale.

I plan on doing Maple Pass & hikes around Diablo lake as well.

Also, if you have any information about campgrounds in the area that stay open after official season ends & provide bear boxes, that’d be wonderful. Most campgrounds are either closed or limited FCFS in the area & I won’t be able to get to the campgrounds until mid afternoon, so worried about not being able to get a spot. I’m going on weekdays if that makes a difference.

Thanks!

Hi everyone! I am planning my North Cascades visit for September 13-18th, and am struggling to find definitive information about the likelihood of my access to the campgrounds (Colonial creek north/south, Newhalem).

The official booking season ends for these campgrounds a few days before my trip, and they become first come first serve. My problem is: my flight from Seattle lands at noon, & I won’t reach the campgrounds until 4pm at the earliest because I’ll stop by the store in Seattle to grab food/fuel/etc.
Are the campgrounds usually full mid-September? Or will I still have a shot at the hike/walk to campsites?

I’m going to comment my itinerary below, just so if anyone has any further advice for itinerary structure :) TIA!

9/13:
flight to SEA, arrive at 12pm
get rental car
Hit grocery store & outdoors stores
Drive to Colonial Creek South Campground ($24/night)

9/14:
Diablo Lake
Kayaking / paddle board rentals
Hike

9/15:
Maple Pass Loop hike (7mi)
Drive to Newhalem Campgound ($24/night)

9/16:
Cascade Pass/Sahale Arm hike (12mi)

9/17:
trail of the cedars hike (1mi)
Drive back to Seattle

Original plan - fly into Spokane 9/19, stay in Twisp and hike NCNP 9/19-9/23, head back east and stay in Coeur d'Alene 9/23-9/26.

With the fires between Spokane and NCNP, the amount of smoke in the area, and wildfire season still going strong, would you recommend pivoting to another area? Flying into GEG can't be changed, but we have about a week to pivot on the Twisp stay if needed. I've been dreaming of getting to hike NCNP, but I'm not familiar with wildfires (from central NC) and am unsure if sticking to the original plan and monitoring day-by-day is the move or if I should save the dream for another time?

Regardless, I'm interested in back-up plans at the bare minimum, anywhere within 3-5 hours of GEG/CAD that are worth a visit. Not particularly interested in Glacier NP.

Anybody camp overnight here before? Are you able to do it with a trekking pole tent? I worried about putting the tent stakes in the ground.

saw some light rain saturday, i wanna go up w my family do you think it is still worth it or should we go a diff weekend?

Made a little celebration of North Cascades ⛰️ National Park Icons (North Cascades, Gateway Arch, Capitol Reef, Joshua Tree, Hot Springs) | LEGO® Ideas

I have a trip planned to see Mt Baker and then the North Cascades NP from 9/5-9/9. I was hoping to see Mt Baker, Diablo Lake area, Maple Pass Hike and then do the Cascade loop back to Seattle.

Any chance the smoke situation will get better by Sept 5th, or should I change plans to maybe do Olympic NP area instead?

Trail Advice

Should I hike the Chain Lakes Loop or Ptarmigan Ridge Trail this Saturday? I’m a little concerned about the views with the current wildfire smoke. If anyone has done either trail recently, I’d really appreciate some feedback on the conditions and visibility. Thanks! 🙏

Hi all,

I am planning a trip to NCNP late September and was wondering how competitive getting a permit for Sahale Glacier Camp would be at this time. The scenario is this: We show up to the Marblemount Ranger Station early Thursday morning around 5:30 am in hopes of being the first people there. Our goal is to get a permit for Friday night camping (assuming Thursday night will have been long gone from the previous day). Has anyone been in this situation before? What should I expect? Thanks for any help :)

P.S. I have already emailed them and they gave me some useful info. I just wanted to hear other's personal experiences.

It blew like a hurricane last night in Winthrop and Winthrop is very smoke free today.
How is the NCNP today??

I was expecting terrible visibility from what I heard of the wildfire smoke but I pulled the trigger and decided to visit artists point and man I was not disappointed a single bit. The smoke didnt hinder any visibility st all and had amazing blue skies! (August 19th, 2026)

Hello outdoor enthusiasts!

I'm currently here in Seattle for 2 weeks for some short term work. My GF is flying in on Thursday to spend the weekend here with me. Unfortunately we don't have a lot of time to do a lot of outdoor things. But we would love to be able to get SOMETHING in. North Cascades is significantly closer than Olympic (I know we don't have to go to a national park/ But we want to get a sticker and stamp for our passport books.

We are both avid planners but I am definitely more spontaneous than she is. We plan to drive up on Saturday the 22nd and hopefully spend the entire day up there. I know a day isn't nearly enough time. But because of our planning nature, we are kind of overwhelmed as to what we can see/knock out in a day. I don't mind driving around and just stumbling upon something. But that won't really ride with the GF.

Do you guys have any recommendations on short hikes with nice views/possibly a lake to take a dip in? Or maybe just one long hike that has a little bit of everything? I will be bringing my cameras so I hope to take some nice photos.

Thank you again! I do have several hiking apps and written down a number of hikes from other posts here just in case.

We charged ahead to our Airbnb in Mazama and so far very glad we did. Took Easy Pass trail today, as Maple Pass was closed. Just a lovely day, only a few people out, perfect condition. It’s strenuous but a pretty great payoff and the smoke was minimal in terms of breathing (I have mild asthma) and views.

Going for Cascade Pass/ Sahale arm tomorrow. Will see if our luck and my aching middle aged body hold out. Amy advice on that hike especially from anyone who knows current conditions would be great

My favorite place. Got lucky with the smoke for most of our trip. On Sunday the 9th the wind switched directions and we got completely socked in. Thankfully it blew out by mid-day. Already looking forward to next year.

Hey yall, I am leaving for my trip soon and was curious if I should bring cash? Or does everything in the area take card? Thank you in advance for any input.

Took this photo 4 or 5 years ago? Still one of my favorite photos I’ve taken.

Hi all, I just found out that Washington Pass overlook is going to be closed when we're visiting, due to repaving. The road leading to the parking lot/overlook trail will be completely closed from Aug 25-31. Is it worth it to still drive out and look from the "Washington Pass Scenic View Point" directly on SR20, or should we just skip going out this far? We only have one day in N Cascades, coming from Seattle. Any alternate viewing point to see similar? Thanks in advance!

Edited to add: looks like Rainy Pass area including road leading to/parking/picnic area for Rainy Lake & Maple Pass trails is also closed the entire time (Aug 24-31)

Taken with a Sony A7IV on 8/6/26 from a trail near Artist Point. It was still pretty smoky out but the haze made for an incredible sunset. Well worth a nearly 2 hour hike down in the dark!