7 Best Sights in North Cascades National Park, Washington

This is a must-stop photo op: indeed, countless photos of the gorgeous lake with its turquoise water have been taken from here over the decades.

Old-growth forests are the focus of this kid-friendly boardwalk route, a ½-mile loop through the trees off the North Cascades Scenic Highway. Interpretive signs provide details about flora along the way. Easy.

The main visitor facility for the park has extensive displays on the surrounding landscape. Learn about the history and value of old-growth trees, the many creatures that depend on the rain-forest ecology, and the effects of human activity on the ecosystem. Check bulletin boards for special programs with park rangers.

An easy, accessible, 1-mile paved trail leads to Rainy Lake, a waterfall, and a glacier-view platform. Easy.

Take this flat and easy, 1¾-mile, wheelchair-accessible trail through stands of huge old-growth firs and cedars toward the Skagit River. Easy.

This short trail—partly boardwalk—leads to a campsite used 1,400 years ago by Native Americans; interpretive signs tell the history of human presence in the region. Easy.

Less than ½ mile long, this loop trail winds its way through one of the finest surviving stands of old-growth western red cedar in Washington. Some of the trees along the path are more than 1,000 years old. Easy.