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North Cascades National Park, WA

North Cascades National Park is a large national park in Washington, in the United States. The park forms the largest national park in the North Cascades National Park Complex, and it features beautiful rugged mountain peaks, and the ever-scenic Cascade Pass and Pelton Basin. North Cascades National Park has two sections: the northern section and the southern section, separated by the Skagit River. Also, in its surroundings, are the Canadian Provincial Parks, other national forests, as well as wilderness areas.
North Cascades National Park is home to vast and beautiful glaciers, mountainous regions, and natural forest developed for hiking and such sports through the numerous trails therein. Due to its natural setting and minimal modern developments, the North Cascades National Park region has become a popular tourist destination as well as a popular hiking site. The park remains protected and is used for numerous studies of the natural environment, and is currently the record holder for the earliest recorded and longest-lasting study and research programs in the region, dedicated to climate change studies.

When to visit North Cascades National Park

The North Cascades National Park experiences moderately mild and cool weather during summer and an extremely cold and snowy one during winter. Snow is widespread in the park, and affects both the high altitude areas and the lower altitude regions, resulting in high snow depths for up to six months of the year. The western side of the North Cascades National Park experiences between 400" (10160mm) and 600" (15240mm) of snow cover on the higher altitudes and between 50" (1270mm) and 75" (1905mm) in the lower altitude areas. The only highway that runs through the park, State Route 20, remains closed for safety purposes from autumn through spring, only to open up as summer approaches.
The eastern side of the glorious North Cascades National Park mountain ranges is generally warmer and drier than the western side. This part is the side that is frequented more by visitors and is open for many fun activities. During summer, the temperature here rises to read between 77°F (25°C) and 89.6°F (32°C) on the warmest days. On most days, though, the mercury sticks around 68.5°F (20.3°C) and 78.1°F (25.6°C).
Rainfall is higher during winter with December as the rainiest month, fetching a high 7.9" (200.7mm) in precipitation from an average of eighteen rainfall days. It gets colder as there are only two sunshine hours per day on average, and the ground is always generally covered in snow.
North Cascades National Park is an all-year-round travel destination and is open for relevant activities throughout all seasons. However, it is recommended that visitors tour the glorious and scenic region during summer, from June through September, as this time witnesses drier and hotter weather for camping and hiking as well as for other activities on the eastern side. Also, this time sees most roads open and minimal snow on the trails - a perfect time to take on the stunning natural setting of the North Cascades National Park. Winter is cold and snowy and tends to make most activities somewhat hard due to the snow that is deposited on the trails. Winter is a bit risky because of possible avalanches occurrences that may pose significant harm to visitors.