Notice this map. We drove on highway 20. We stopped at two beautiful lookouts (Washington pass & Diablo lake) and hiked 4.4 miles at Blue Lake only to notice we may never have actually been INSIDE the park. We’re finding it’s not uncommon to be in a National Forest or Recreation area more than the actual National Park itself.
We camped in Klipchuck campground which is not listed on the map above but would be just a few miles NE of Rainy Pass (as would Blue Lake). This wasn’t technically a National Park campground. Those are more on the west side and were completely full and we did not want to chance the first come first serve that so many offer. We drove from Winthrop (the East side). That is one cute town and once 5 minutes past Winthrop you have no more cell or internet coverage through the entire park (about a 2 hour drive).
Pictures don’t do the views justice. It was the closest to Banff that I’ve seen.
Blue Lake was a perfect hike with 1,100 feet elevation gain and a nice clear and chilly lake to dip into at the halfway point. Seeing snow while the sun warmed us felt ironic. We learned North Cascades has approximately three times more glaciers than Glacier National Park.