Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [291]
VISITOR CENTERS
The North Cascades Visitor Center, mile marker 120, Wash. State Route 20, Newhalem (☎ 206/386-4495), open daily in the summer and weekends only during the winter, offers exhibits, audiovisual programs, a bookstore, and assistance from rangers. A wheelchair-accessible trail (Sterling Munro Viewpoint) leads from the back of the building and affords excellent views of the surrounding mountains. Several other universally accessible trails, including the Rock Shelter Trail, are nearby.
The Golden West Visitor Center, P.O. Box 7, Stehekin, WA 98852 (☎ 360/ 856-5700, ext. 340, then ext. 14), is on the banks of the northern tip of Lake Chelan. It provides information on camping, hiking, backcountry permits,
and the local environs in general, and has interpretive exhibits and a bookstore. Call for hours of operation. Nearby, you can rent bicycles from a concessionaire.
GETTING AROUND INSIDE THE PARK
By Boat. On Lake Chelan in the spring and summer, the Lady Express, the Lady of the Lake II, and the Lady Cat (a high-speed catamaran) run between the Lake Chelan boat landing and Stehekin, at the north end of the lake. In the fall and winter, only the Lady Express operates. Rides cost $26 to $90 round-trip, depending on the boat. Contact Lake Chelan Boat Company (☎ 509/682-4584). The Ross Lake Resort (☎ 206/386-4437) operates water taxis to trailheads and campgrounds on Ross Lake and offers portage service.
By Shuttle Bus. Two different shuttle buses provide transportation up the Stehekin Valley Road.
The first, operated by the National Park Service, costs $6 one-way and operates in the Upper Valley from High Bridge to Glory Mountain. Reservations should be made at least 2 days ahead (and preferably much further in advance) by calling the Golden West Visitor Center (☎ 360/856-5700, ext. 340, then 14).
Between mid-June and the end of September, another shuttle bus, the Stehekin Shuttle, runs several times a day between Stehekin Landing and High Bridge, the Lower Valley Shuttle. No reservations are required, and the cost is $6 one-way. If you just want to ride as far as the Stehekin Pastry Company, the fare is only $1 each way.
Taxi service is also available from the North Cascades Stehekin Lodge at the boat landing.
By Air. If you want to get to Stehekin in a hurry, you can make the trip by floatplane on Chelan Airways (☎ 509/ 682-5555 or 509/682-5065), which leaves from the dock next to the ferries at Chelan. The fare is $120 round-trip. This company also offers flightseeing trips for $80 to $169. Rates are per person, with a two-passenger minimum. Children 2 to 11 pay half the adult fare.
FEES & PERMITS
There are currently no entrance fees for the park complex, though there are fees for camping (see the campground chart, below). The Northwest Forest Pass ($5 per day, $30 per year) is required for Cascade River Road parking and certain trailheads along Wash. State Route 20. A dock fee pass ($5 per day, $40 per year) is required on Lake Chelan from May 1 until October 31. Backcountry permits are required but free.
SPECIAL REGULATIONS & WARNINGS
Beware of the wintertime! Wash. State Route 20 is usually closed from mid-November through mid-April. Call the park complex headquarters in Sedro-Woolley (☎ 360/856-5700), or check the park's website, www.nps.gov/noca/ cond.htm, for current information.
Check in at a visitor center for full details on trails before you head into the backcountry. This is bear and mountain lion (cougar) country; pick up the free handout on hiking and camping safety.
Other than the general precautions that anyone would take when camping in a wilderness area, keep in mind that the North Cascades National Park Service Complex can be extremely remote for both the backcountry hiker and the midpark driver. Even when day hiking, remember to carry enough water (and all of the 10 essential items; see box, below). Don't forget bug spray—the area has a lot of water (not necessarily to drink)