North Cascades National Park Complex is a complex of the United States National Park Service (NPS) located in the north-central portion of the state of Washington. The complex manages three contiguous NPS units: North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area totaling 684,187 acres and simultaneously established on Oct 2, 1968.
The park complex is located in the northern portion of the Cascade Range. Its northernmost boundary is the Canada–United States border, while its southernmost boundary includes the northern portion of Lake Chelan. Approximately 93 percent of the park complex is overlaid with the Stephen Mather Wilderness, which was created by the Washington Parks Wilderness Act of 1988. On the U.S. side the complex is completely surrounded by wilderness or forest managed by the United States Forest Service, while Skagit Valley and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks border portions of the park complex boundary on the Canadian side.
North Cascades National Park is the largest unit of the park complex. It is divided into a North Unit and a South Unit, bisected by the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. The park features numerous mountain peaks and glaciers.
The Ross Lake National Recreation Area (NRA) lies to the south and east of the North Cascades National Park North Unit. The area features Ross Lake, Diablo Lake, and Gorge Lake, all of which are reservoirs created by dams erected along the Skagit River by Seattle City Light. The Ross Lake NRA features the only developed areas within the park service complex, including the only visitor center within the complex boundaries, and the only paved access road to the complex (Washington State Route 20). As such it receives considerably higher visitation than the two other units.
The Lake Chelan National Recreation Area lies to the south of the North Cascades National Park South Unit, and is the southernmost unit of the park complex. The area encompasses the northern tip of Lake Chelan and is only accessible by boat, floatplane, or by foot.
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Coordinates: 48°20′N121°00′W / 48.333°N 121.000°W
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North Cascades National Park is an American national park in the state of Washington. At more than 500,000 acres (200,000 ha), North Cascades National Park is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Complex. North Cascades National Park consists of a northern and southern section, bisected by the Skagit River that flows through Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Lake Chelan National Recreation Area lies on the southern border of the south unit of the park. In addition to the two national recreation areas, other protected lands including several national forests and wilderness areas, as well as Canadian provincial parks in British Columbia, nearly surround the park. North Cascades National Park features the rugged mountain peaks of the North Cascades Range, the most expansive glacial system in the contiguous United States, the headwaters of numerous waterways, and vast forests with the highest degree of flora biodiversity of any American national park.
The Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington is a National Forest extending more than 140 miles (230 km) along the western slopes of the Cascade Range from the Canada–US border to the northern boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. Administered by the United States Forest Service, the forest is headquartered in Everett. There are local ranger district offices in North Bend and Skykomish.
The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in the U.S. and Canada as the Cascade Mountains. The portion in Canada is known to Americans as the Canadian Cascades, a designation that also includes the mountains above the east bank of the Fraser Canyon as far north as the town of Lytton, at the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a U.S. national recreation area in southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. Operated by the National Park Service, Lake Mead NRA follows the Colorado River corridor from the westernmost boundary of Grand Canyon National Park to just north of the cities of Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona. It includes all of the eponymous Lake Mead as well as the smaller Lake Mohave – reservoirs on the river created by Hoover Dam and Davis Dam, respectively – and the surrounding desert terrain and wilderness.
The Okanogan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Okanogan County in north-central Washington, United States.
The Skagit River is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7 million acres (690,000 hectares) of the Cascade Range along the northern end of Puget Sound and flows into the sound.
Ross Lake is a large reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state, United States, and southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The lake runs approximately north-south, is 23 miles (37 km) long, up to 1.5 miles (2.5 km) wide, and the full reservoir elevation is 1,604 feet above sea level.
Lake Chelan is a narrow, 50.5-mile (81.3 km) long lake in Chelan County, north-central Washington state, U.S. Before 1927, it was the largest natural lake in the state by any measure. Upon the completion of Lake Chelan Dam in 1927, the elevation of the lake was increased by 21 feet (6.4 m) to its present maximum-capacity elevation of 1,100 feet (340 m). Two communities lie on the southern end of the lake, and a third sits at the far north end, providing a gateway to the North Cascades National Park.
Newhalem is a small unincorporated community in northwestern Washington, United States, located in the western foothills of the North Cascades along the Skagit River. It is located within Whatcom County.
There are 40 protected areas in the United States designated as national recreation areas (NRA). They are established by an act of the United States Congress to preserve enhanced recreational opportunities in places with significant natural and scenic resources. National recreation areas emphasize a variety of activities for visitors, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing, swimming, biking, horseback riding, and wildlife viewing, in areas that include multiple-use management including both conservation and limited utilization of natural resources. They have diverse features without universal context, being established around reservoirs, in urban areas, and within forests. Due to their size, diversity of activities, and proximity to population centers, NRAs are among the most visited units of the National Park System, with six among the thirty most visited sites.
Ross Lake National Recreation Area is a US national recreation area in north central Washington just south of the Canada–US border. It is the most accessible part of the North Cascades National Park Complex which also includes North Cascades National Park and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Ross Lake NRA follows the Skagit River corridor from the Canada–US border to the western foothills of the Cascades. The NRA contains a portion of scenic Washington State Route 20, the North Cascades Highway, and includes three reservoirs: 12,000-acre (4,900 ha) Ross Lake, 910-acre (370 ha) Diablo Lake, and 210-acre (85 ha) Gorge Lake. These reservoirs make up the Skagit Hydroelectric Project operated by Seattle City Light. Nestled in the "American Alps" the Ross Lake NRA bisects the north and south units of North Cascades National Park.
The Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness is a 153,057-acre (61,940 ha) protected wilderness area located within the Okanogan and Wenatchee national forests in Washington State. The wilderness borders Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and North Cascades National Park and the Stephen Mather Wilderness to the northwest. It was designated with the passage of the Washington Wilderness Act of 1984, on lands occupied by the old Chelan Division of the Washington Forest Reserve, now part of both the Okanogan and Wenatchee national forests.
The Pasayten Wilderness is a 531,539 acres (215,106 ha) protected area located within Okanogan National Forest and Mount Baker National Forest in Washington state, centered on the Three Forks of the Pasayten River, a tributary of the Similkameen River. Although part of the wilderness lies in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, the largest section falls within the boundaries of Okanogan National Forest, which has responsibility for the wilderness's management. The wilderness is bordered by the Stephen Mather Wilderness to the west. The northern boundary of the wilderness is the Canada–US border. Across the border are Manning Provincial Park and Cathedral Provincial Park. The wilderness area is adjacent to the Ross Lake National Recreation Area to the west, and North Cascades National Park beyond that. The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail has its northernmost section in this wilderness. The western part of the wilderness features dramatic views and peaks of the northern Washington Cascade Mountains while the eastern section is known for its grasslands and Alpine tundra. The tallest point in the Pasayten is Jack Mountain.
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area is a national recreation area located about 35 miles (56 km) south of the Canada–US border in Chelan County, Washington. It encompasses an area of 61,958 acres (25,074 ha) including the northern end of Lake Chelan and the surrounding area of the Stehekin Valley and the Stehekin River. The area is managed by the U.S. National Park Service as part of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex.
Ross Dam is a 540-foot (160 m)-high, 1,300-foot (400 m)-long concrete thin arch dam across the Skagit River, forming Ross Lake. The dam is in Washington state, while Ross Lake extends 23 miles (37 km) north to British Columbia, Canada. Both dam and reservoir are located in Ross Lake National Recreation Area, is bordered on both sides by Stephen Mather Wilderness and combined with Lake Chelan National Recreation Area they make up North Cascades National Park Complex.
The Stephen Mather Wilderness is a 634,614 acres (256,819 ha) wilderness area honoring Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service. It is located within North Cascades National Park, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, and Ross Lake National Recreation Area in the North Cascade Range of Washington, United States.
The geography of the North Cascades describes a range of rugged mountains in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, United States. In Canada, the range is officially named the Cascade Mountains but is commonly referred to as the Canadian Cascades.
Buckner Mountain is a tall peak in the North Cascades of Washington state and in the Stephen Mather Wilderness of North Cascades National Park. At 9,114 feet (2,778 m) in elevation it is the highest in Skagit County and one of about ten of Washington's non-volcanic peaks above 9,000 feet high. It is ranked as the 14th highest peak in the state, and the third highest peak in North Cascades National Park.
The North Cascades National Park Service Complex Fish Stocking Act is a United States public law that was introduced into the United States House of Representatives of the 113th United States Congress. The law authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to stock fish in lakes in three units of the National Park System in the state of Washington - the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. The law spells out the specific details of this program, which is a continuation of historical practice, reversing a decision from 2009.
