Planning Your Wilderness Trip

The Stephen Mather Wilderness is at the heart of over two million acres of some of the wildest lands remaining.
Use the resources below to plan your trip and learn how to help preserve and protect the fragile ecosystem.

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Backcountry permits are required year-round in North Cascades National Park for all overnight trips

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STEP ONE

Research where you want to hike, climb, or boat. Check area regulations and what amenities are provided with the resources below.

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Backcounty Camp Information

See the table below for information on group size limitation for each backcountry camp, food storage requirements, and campfire rules. Group size is limited to protect wilderness values. The size limit is 12 within all trail corridors and camps, and in cross-country zones around Mount Shuksan, Eldorado Peak, and Forbidden Peak. Group size limit is 6 for the remainder of the cross-country zones. Group size limits include people and stock. Due to natural terrain constraints in some places, not all camps can accommodate 12 people.

Big and Little Beaver Trails

Camp	Toilet	Food Storage	Sites	Max. Size	Notes
39 Mile	Pit	Hang	4,4,4	4
39 Mile Stock	Pit	Hang	12	12
Beaver Pass	Pit	Hang	4,12	12
Beaver Pass Stock	Pit	Hang	4	4
Luna	Pit	Hang	4,4	4
Perry Creek	Pit	Hang	4,4,12	12
Pumpkin Mountain	Pit	Hang	4,4	4
Stillwell	Pit	Hang	4,4,4,4	4
Twin Rocks	Pit	Hang	6,6	6
Twin Rocks Stock	Pit	Hang	12	12

Thunder/Fourth of July/Fisher/Park Creek Trails

Camp	Toilet	Food Storage	Sites	Max. Size	Notes
Buckner	Pit	Wire	4,4,4	4
Cosho	Pit	Hang	4,4,4	4
Fisher	Pit	Canister	4,4,4	4	No Campfires, Bear Canister Required
Five Mile Stock	Pit	Wire	6,6	6
Fourth of July	Pit	Hang	4,4,4	4	No Campfires
Junction	Pit	Hang/Canister	4,4,4	4
Junction Stock	Pit	Hang	12	12
McAllister	Pit	Wire	4,4,4,4	4
McAllister Group	Pit	Wire	12	12
McAllister Stock	Pit	Hang	12	12
Neve	Pit	Hang	4,4,4	4
Panther	Pit	Hang	12	12
Skagit Queen	Pit	Hang	4,4,4	4
Thunder	Pit	Hang	4,4,12	12
Thunder Basin	Composter	Canister	4,4	4	No Campfires, Bear Canister Required
Thunder Basin Stock	Pit	Hang	4	4
Tricouni	Pit	Hang	4,4	4
Two Mile	Pit	Wire	6	6

Ross Lake/Diablo Lake/East Bank Trails

Camp	Toilet	Food Storage	Sites	Max. Size	Notes
Big Beaver	Vault	Box	8,8,8,8,8,8,12	12
Big Beaver Stock	Pit	Box	12	12
Boundary Bay	Vault	Box	8,8,12	12
Buster Brown	Vault	Box	4,4,4	4
Cat Island	Vault	Box	4,4,4,12	12
Cougar Island	Vault	Box	6,6	6
Deerlick Stock	Pit	Hang	6,6	6
Desolation	Pit	Canister	8	8	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required
Devil’s Creek	Pit	Hang	4,4,4	4
Devil’s Creek Stock	Pit	Hang	12	12
Devil’s Junction	Vault	Box	8	8
Dry Creek	Vault	Box	4,4,4,12	12
Green Point	Vault	Box	4,4,8,8,12	12
Hidden Cove	Vault	Box	4	4
Hidden Hand Group	Pit	Hang	12	12
Hidden Hand Stock	Pit	Hang	8	8
Hozomeen Lake	Pit	Hang	4,4,12	12
Lightning Creek	Vault	Box	8,8,8,8,12	12
Lightning Creek Stock	Vault	Box	8,8	8
Little Beaver	Vault	Box	4,8,8,8,12	12
Lodgepole	Vault	Box	8,8,8	8
May Creek	Vault	Box	6	6
May Creek Stock	Pit	Hang	8	8
McMillan	Vault	Box	8,8,12	12
Nightmare Group	Pit	Hang	12	12
Ponderosa	Vault	Box	12,12	12
Rainbow Point	Vault	Box	8,8,8	8
Roland Creek	Pit	Hang	4,4,12	12
Roland Point	Vault	Box	8	8
Ruby Pasture	Pit	Hang	6	6
Silver Creek	Vault	Box	8,12	12
Spencer’s	Vault	Box	8,8	8
Ten Mile Island	Vault	Box	4,4,4	4
Thunder Point	Vault	Box	4,4,4	4
Willow Lake	Pit	Hang	4	4

Bridge Creek/North Fork/Twisp Pass/McAlester/Rainbow Lake and Creek/McGregor

Camp	Toilet	Food Storage	Sites	Max. Size	Notes
Bench Creek	Pit	Hang	4,12	12
Bowan	Pit	Hang	6,6	6
Dagger Lake Group	Pit	Wire	12	12
Dagger Lake Stock	Pit	Wire	12	12
Dan’s	Pit	Wire	4	4
Fireweed	Pit	Box	6,6	6
Fireweed Stock	Composter	Box	8,12	12
Grizzly Creek	Pit	Wire	4,4,4	4
Heaton Stock	Pit	Hang/Canister	12	12	No Campfires
Hidden Meadows Stock	Pit	Hang	12	12
Hideaway Group	Pit	Box	12	12
High	Pit	Wire	4	4	No Campfires
McAlester Lake	Pit	Wire	4,8	8
McAlester Lake Stock	Pit	Hang	8	8
North Fork	Pit	Box	4,12	12
Rainbow Bridge	Pit	Wire	4,4	4
Rainbow Ford	Pit	Hang	4	4
Rainbow Lake	Pit	Hang	4,4	4	No Campfires
Rainbow Meadows	Pit	Hang	8	8
Rainbow Meadows Group	Pit	Hang	12	12
Rainbow Meadows Stock	Pit	Hang	12	12
Six Mile	Composter	Box	PCTA PERMIT HOLDERS ONLY
South Fork	Pit	Box	4,4	4
South Fork Stock	Pit	Wire	12	12
Walker Park Stock	Pit	Wire	12	12

Copper Ridge/Chilliwack/Brush Creek Trails

Camp	Toilet	Food Storage	Sites	Max. Size	Notes
Boundary	Pit	Box	4,4,4	4	No Campfires
Copper Creek	Pit	Hang	4,4,4,4,4	4
Copper Lake	Composter	Box	4,4,4	4	No Campfires
Egg Lake	Composter	Box	4,4,4	4	No Campfires
Graybeal	Pit	Hang	4,4	4
Graybeal Stock	Pit	Hang	12	12
Indian Creek	Pit	Hang	4,4,4	4
Silesia	Composter	Box	4,4	4	No Campfires
U.S. Cabin	Pit	Hang	4,4,4,4	4
U.S. Cabin Stock	Pit	Hang	12	12
Whatcom	Composter	Hang/Canister	4,4,4	4	No Campfires

Cascade Pass/Sahale Arm Trails

Camp	Toilet	Food Storage	Sites	Max. Size	Notes
Basin Creek	Pit	Box	4,4,4	4	No Campfires
Cottonwood	Pit	Box	6,12	12
Johannesburg	Pit	Box	4,4,4	4	No Campfires
Pelton Basin	Composter	Box	4,4,4,12	12	No Campfires
Sahale Glacier	Composter	Canister	4,4,4,4,4,4	4	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required

Upper Stehekin Valley Trail/Stehekin Road

Camp	Toilet	Food Storage	Sites	Max. Size	Notes
Bridge Creek	Vault	Box	4,4,4,4	4
Bridge Creek Group	Vault	Box	12,12	12
Bridge Creek Stock	Vault	Box	8	8
High Bridge	Vault	Box	4,12	12
Park Creek	Pit	Box	4,4	4
Shady	Vault	Box	8	8
Tumwater	Vault	Box	6,6	6

Boulder/War Creek/Chelan Summit Trails

Camp	Toilet	Food Storage	Sites	Max. Size	Notes
Hooter	Pit	Canister	4	4	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required
Juanita Lake	Composter	Hang	4,4	4	No Campfires
Juanita Lake Stock	Pit	Hang	12	12	No Campfires
Rennie	Pit	Wire	4	4
Reynolds	Pit	Hang	4	4
Reynolds Stock	Pit	Wire	12	12

Short Trails

Camp	Toilet	Food Storage	Sites	Max. Size	Notes
Pierce Mountain	Pit	Canister	4	4	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required
Sourdough	Pit	Canister	4	4	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required
Sulphide Creek Group	Pit	Hang	12	12
Thornton Lake	Composter	Canister	4,4,4	4	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required
Monogram Lake	Pit	Canister	4,4	4	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required

High Use Cross Country Zones

Cross Country Zone	Toilet	Food Storage	Sites	Max. Size	Notes
Price	None	Hang/Canister	12,12,12,12,12,12	12	No Campfires
Sulphide Glacier	Composter	Canister	12,12,12,12,12,12	12	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required
Tapto Lakes	None	Canister	6,6,6	6	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required
Triumph	None	Hang/Canister	6,6	6	No Campfires
Boston Basin	Composter	Canister	12,12,12,12,12,12	12	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required
Eldorado	Composter	Canister	12,12,12,12,12,12	12	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required
Hidden Lake	None	Canister	12,12,12	12	No Campfires, Bear Canisters Required

 

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The diversity of climate and geography creates very different habitats on the west and east side of the Cascade crest, fostering a great array of plants and animals. Cascading water is fed by over 300 glaciers and countless snowfields. Lakes are abundant. Almost 400 miles (644 km) of trails, mostly in major drainages and over high passes, traverse this tremendous landscape. Your path may follow a route used for many centuries by people who have long crossed these mountains or sought food and resources here, or you may venture to an area so wild it feels as if you are the first explorer.

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STEP TWO

Check the current road and trail conditions. Consider the seasons, weather forecasts, and snow conditions. Be aware of closures related to current or past wildfires.

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STEP THREE

Obtain a backcountry permit for your overnight stay in the park. Make a reservation on recreation.gov and pick up your permit the day before your trip starts.*
Alternatively, visit the Wilderness Information Center to obtain a walk-up permit.
*Visit the backcountry permits page to learn details on when and where to pick up your permit

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STEP FOUR

Check additional resources here for information that may pertain to your trip

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Still have questions?
Contact the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount via email ([e-mail]) or visit us in person!
Check the Operating Hours and Seasons page for current visitor facilities.