Hi all, I'll be traveling to NC for 3 days & 2 nights. Can you recommend any "must do" day hikes with good views - good vista, near glacier...etc.

Also, any recommendation to the lodging is much appreciated. (E.g, Ross Lakes - takes up too much time? Worth it?)

Thanks - Mary (world traveler)

Blue lake trail. 2-3 hrs. Mountain goats possible on cliffs overlooking Blue lake.

Mary, when will you be here? Recommended hikes depend on the snow level, so it would help to know that. Also, what level of hike---easy, moderate, or strenuous?

There is very little lodging actually "in" the park, only on the edges. Ross Lake is a lovely place, but it does take time to get there and back, and it is better as a base for kayaking than for hiking. The lodge at Stehekin, at the head of Lake Chelan, is also in the park, but is very time-consuming to get to---a long boat ride from the town of Chelan. Either of those would be a nice getaway for several days if you like to be near water. But most people who come to hike (and see glaciers) stay in Marblemount (Skagit River Resort) for hikes up the Cascade River Road, or over the mountains in the Methow Valley, for hikes near the Pacific Crest trail. Mazama, at the western edge of the vally, has several lodges---North Country Basecamp, Mazama Ranch House, etc. There are lots of places to stay in the town of Winthrop. There are also two high-end places, the Freestone Inn in Mazama, and Sun Mountain Inn above Winthrop.

Hi, thanks for the quick reply... actually, I plan to visit Olympic for 1 & 1/2 day (mainly see the seashore & the rainforest)prior to my visit to NC. I really like to be in the "high" places w/ sweeping vista, getting close/on the glacier is definitely a plus. But I am not quiet ready for the strenous trails...

BTW: I am visiting the last week of August - spending 6 days in the Seattle area...

Best day hikes for sweeping vistas:

Off the NC Hwy (20)-
Cutthroat Pass
Cascade Pass/Sahale Arm
Maple Pass
Windy Pass (The trailhead is up the Slate Peak Road, which is dirt but good enough for most passenger cars. The view from the end-many people just drive to the old fire lookout-is worth the trip. It's the highest road in WA state)

Off the Mt. Baker Hwy (540)
Skyline Divide
Heliotrope Ridge (ends at a glacier)

I just saw that you said you weren't ready for "strenuous trails." Strenuous is pretty subjective-can you give us an idea of how far and how far up you can go? None of the hikes I mentioned would be considered difficult by hikers, but they are real hikes, not nature trails. If you want very easy and very short trails, go to the Heather Meadows area at the end of the Mt. Baker Highway. You will get wonderful views with little effort.

Enzian gave a good overview of the lodging choices-it's Marblemount or Mazama/Winthrop. If you choose the Mt. Baker area, there is lodging on Hwy 542.

Good list, Christy1. I would add Lake Ann in the Mt. Baker area---great views of Shuksan and its glacier.

Actually, for easier hikes with gorgeous icy views I would suggest to the OP the Mt. Baker area over the North Cascades NP---most of the really good hikes off the North Cascade highway are in the "pretty strenuous" class. The easiest of the group, Mary, would be Cascade Pass, about 1900 feet of climbing but on a well-graded path.

Mt. Baker area offers lodging in the small town of Glacier, as well as right at Mt. Baker ski area----the Mountaineers lodge is open on weekends, and non-members can visit once or twice without signing up. It is more of a "hostel" type of lodging. But the hikes around there are spectacular, especially in late August when the blueberry bushes start turning red.

I like to keep the hike under 8-10 miles, so I can squeeze in 2 hikes/day. Elevation gain is no problem. (But not ready for any trails that requires ice axes.: )) This looks like a great list to start my research - where in general would you suggest I stay... in the Skagit Gorge area? Thanks again.

Oh, then you'll be fine with all the hikes I listed! You could stay in either area listed by Enzian and be close to hikes-some are toward the western side of the mountains (you'd stay in Marblemount/Rockport/Skagit Valley) and some are towards the east (stay in Mazama/Winthrop). Maybe see which hikes look best to you (google, etc), and use that to decide?

Since "strenuous" is no problem, then I would say of all the hikes we've mentioned in North Cascades N.P., the one with the most spectacular peak and glacier views is Cascade Pass, especially if you continue on to Sahale Arm--about 10-11 miles RT.

Next most spectacular is probably Maple Pass Loop, which starts up near Washington Pass on Highway 20.