North Cascades National Park

[lalit]

Hello,

<br><br>

 

North Cascades National Park over the 4th of July weekend.

<br><br>

Any suggestions for

<blockquote>

<br>a. sunrise location

<br>b. sunset locations

<br>c. Flowers around 4th of July

<br>d. Places and timings to not miss?

<br>e. Short hikes with opportunity of good views , panoramas and pictures?

</blockquote>

<br><br>

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

<br><br>

Thanx and regards!

[Jerry_]

f. through h. Take some rain gear along. Great to have if you need it, and if you luck out and don't use it, that is great, too.

 

 

 

All those evergreen trees in the forest get "watered" fairly regular in the Pacific NW.

[sknowles]

<p>i. Be ready for snow at upper elevations. We had a higher than normal snowpack but it's

melting at the near-normal rate. You can check the NRCS

<a href="http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/Washington/washington.html">SNOTEL</a>

network for snowpack information and the USFS-NPS

<a href="http://www.nps.gov/ccso/oric.htm">ORIC</a> for updated trail information. And

the North Cascades NP has their own

<a href="http://www.nps.gov/noca/">Web page</a>. Good luck.

[runkel]

A lot of people misunderstand the rainfall situation in the Pacific Northwest. The summers are very dry. From 1959 to 2001, July rainfall in Newhalem, where the NCNP visitor center is located, averaged 1.9 inches. Needless to say, that's not much. It's still wise to carry rain gear when hiking, but you are unlikely to need it.<p>

 

The standard hiking book for the area is "100 Hikes in Washington's North Cascades National Park Region" by Ira Spring and Harvey Manning. Well worth having. Another good one is "Don't Waste Your Time in the North Cascades" by Kathy and Craig Copeland. As the title suggests, this one offers strong opinions about which hikes are most and least worthwhile. Many of the hikes in these books are not in the park itself but in nearby national forests and wilderness areas. It's a completely immaterial distinction.<p>

 

As suggested, it could still be a bit early for some areas. For hikes in the park, the visitor center will be able to advise you; for other hikes you will need to determine which U.S. Forest Service ranger district to contact for trail information. These facilities should have information about flowers as well.<p>

 

One of the classic hikes is <a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/recreation/activities/trails/mbrd/mbrd_0678.htm">Skyline Divide</a>, but there are many others. Have a great trip!

[lalit]

Thank you all for your help.

[runkel]

Lalit,

 

I sent some further info to the email associated with your Photo.net account.