Wonders of the North Cascades
Guided Backpacking Trips
4 Days, 3 Nights 34MI / 55KM
Trip Highlights
This incredible off-the-beaten-path trek spans 32 miles and gains over 6,600 feet in elevation over four days, exploring a less-traveled part of North Cascades National Park due to its remote location. We’ll hike along the famous Pacific Crest Trail, meandering through quiet old-growth forests of Douglas-fir and Ponderosa Pine, and alongside pristine mountain creeks.
With thrilling water crossings, high mountain passes, and stunning lakes, this trip offers an invigorating and scenic adventure in a relatively short time. If you want to experience everything the North Cascades have to offer—alpine lakes, jagged peaks, high and sub-alpine meadows, glorious campsites, and glacier-fed waterways—this trek is an excellent choice!
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Pacific Crest Trail
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Mountain Solitude
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Mountain Passes & Summits
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Stunning Views
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Wildflower Filled Meadows
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Alpine Lakes
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Amazing Campsites
Book This Trip
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Trip Details
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Trip Type
Guided Backpacking Trips -
Trip Length
4 Days, 3 Nights -
Daily Hiking Distance
5-10 mi -
Group Size
1-10 Guests
- day by day itinerary
- logistical and travel information
- gear and clothing lists and more
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Is This Trip Right For me?
This trip is rated Level 5 difficulty due to the consecutive 8-10 mile hikes on Days 2 and 3 that are coupled with significant elevation gains (2500-3000+ feet). Beyond the difficulty of the hiking, the cruxes of this trek lie in the first river crossing which if attempted early season can be challenging due to the runoff from snowmelt. One of our mountain passes can also be challenging, if attempted too early in the season, due to lingering snow. There is potential for hiking on steeper glaciated terrain that would requires micro spikes (provided) and enhanced caution.
Difficulty Level
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Solitude Level
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Trip Itinerary
Please Note: We always do everything in our power to follow the set itinerary, however it can change occasionally based on temporary access restrictions, weather, lodging/campground availability, guest ability/injury, natural events like fires and flooding, and other potential causes. Normal terms and conditions apply to trips with itinerary changes.
Day 1
Shuttle to Trailhead: 5 hours
Hiking Mileage: 4.7 miles
Elevation Loss: 1100 feet
This multi-day North Cascade National Park hike begins with a pick up in Seattle and then a scenic drive into the North Cascades. When we reach the trailhead, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch before packing up and hitting the trail. We’ll have a moderate hike down the forest canyon following a beautiful mountain creek, as it winds among groves of Douglas-fir and Ponderosa Pine. The creek will lead us to our first camp where we’ll enjoy a hearty dinner to prepare ourselves for a more challenging day 2.
Day 2
Hiking Mileage: 10 miles
Elevation Gain: 3100 feet
Elevation Loss: 1000 feet
On day 2 we’ll rise, fuel our bodies with a quick breakfast, and pack up camp in a timely manner as we have much elevation to gain today! We’ll continue to follow yesterday’s creek until we reach a fork at which point we will ford the river to continue south toward a stunning lake. After making it safely across the creek, we’ll begin our trek toward an amazing pass with stunning views of Bowan Mountain. Our climb takes us up 3,100 feet over 6.9 miles. Just after the pass, we descend slightly, down to a mountain lake where we will relax and snap some photos. Once we arrive at camp, we’ll have the opportunity to relax over another delicious dinner.
Day 3
Hiking Mileage: 9 miles
Elevation Gain: 2500 feet
Elevation Loss: 1800 feet
The morning of day 3 we’ll wake up and get ready for another full day of hiking! After we hit the trail, we’ll hike down through meadows of wildflowers and along a majestic creek, where we can soak up stunning views of jagged Rainbow Mountain. We’ll head north at the junction of another creek and start climbing along a ridge toward a high mountain pass. Once over the pass, we’ll make our way down toward a beautiful lake, heading off the main trail to camp in a spectacular subalpine meadow for the night. We’ll enjoy a rejuvenating dinner under the light of the stars to prepare for an invigorating last day of hiking.
Day 4
Hiking Mileage: 9.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 1000 feet
Elevation Loss: 2700 feet
On our final day we’ll enjoy our breakfast watching the sun rise before embarking on our longest hike of the trip in terms of distance. We’ll hike down, down, down into the forest and have one more creek to ford before reaching the familiar site of the creek from day 1. All that’s left from here is a final push up the forested canyon where our journey began to our awaiting vehicle. A small celebration in the parking lot for completing a difficult loop in one of the North Cascades’ lesser known and traveled areas is in order! After a nice break, we’ll climb back into the car and head for your luxurious Seattle hotel room where a warm shower and a real bed await you!
Trip Dates
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What's Included
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Top-of-the-line tent, backcountry sleeping pad and multi-day backpack
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High quality, synthetic sleeping bag (professionally laundered after every use)
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Use of trekking poles
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All meals are included from breakfast the first day through lunch on the last day
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Trained hiking guide(s) with years of personal wilderness and hiking experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into breathtaking landscapes. See Guide Bios.
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Comprehensive, roundtrip transportation from your hotel in Seattle and back
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All entrance fees, permits and passes
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Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and communication device
What's Not Included
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Clothes, raingear, and footwear -
Sunscreen, toiletries and personal items
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Water bottles and a headlamp or flashlight
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Guide gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-20% of trip cost)
Accommodations
Backcountry Sleeping
TENT CAMPING
Sleeping on backpacking trips is in premier 1-person, 2-person or 4-person backcountry tents. Solo travelers, and anyone else who requests it, are issued single tents. Top-of-the-line self-inflating sleeping pads and synthetic-fill sleeping bags (professionally laundered after every trip) are also provided.
Backcountry Cuisine
FRESH & DELICIOUS
Meals from breakfast Day 1 through lunch the last day are fully included and prepared by your guide. We never use dehydrated backpacking meals, instead serving freshly prepared, delicious backcountry cuisine made with a variety of common and specialty ingredients that travel well in the wilderness.
Amazing Campsites
IN THE ACTION
Campsites vary by destination, trip and even by the individual day of a trip. However, you can expect to camp in beautiful areas that put you right in the action to make the most of your trekking adventure. We carefully design our itineraries with campsites in mind.
Trip Logistics & FAQs
Where Do We Meet?
Your guide will conduct a virtual orientation meeting (via conference call) at 5:00 PM the evening before your trip begins to review the packing list, communicate the first day’s logistics and answer any last minute questions you have. Your guide will give you the phone number for this call during the pre-trip contact approximately 10 days before your trip start date.
Early on the morning of Day 1 your guide will pick you up from your accommodations in Seattle, WA.
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about flights, shuttles, recommended lodging and more.
Travel to Seattle
Seattle is one of the United States’ most convenient cities to travel to. SeaTac (Seattle-Tacoma) Airport is one of the most easily accessed destinations in the country. Many major cities in the United States and internationally offer direct flights into Seattle. Please stay at one of our recommended hotels (coming soon!), all of which have airport shuttles so you do not have to rent a vehicle.
Start/End Times
Your guide will inform you of the first day’s pick-up time. Generally, you can expect it to be between 5 and 8 am, although the exact time will depend on current weather and road conditions. We will drop you off at your hotel on the final day normally before 5 PM (this time is not guaranteed, as a variety of circumstances can influence our exact return time).
Safety Precautions
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.
If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
Age Restrictions
Age restrictions on this trip are as follows:
- 12 and older to join scheduled tours (mixed groups)
- 10 and older to join private tours, with final approval and specific logistical requirements (such as porter or stock assist) determined on a case by case basis
Reviews
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Adam M & Alecia W
3 years agoWorth the effort!
We went from 8/26-8/29 with Jordan (who was an excellent guide with a lot of local knowledge). The hiking (especially the final three days) was very strenuous, and featured climbs and descents that far exceed anything we could train for in a flat part of the US, and are not ideal for people with bad knees. The reward for all of this effort is endless jaw-dropping views of the "Alps of the Americas", delicious thimbleberries and huckleberries to sample (if they're in season when you go), and if you're lucky, an encounter with a pika. We recommend this trip to anybody who is prepared for it, and we would gladly go hiking with Jordan again.
Jim H
3 years agoVery challenging!
We went on this hike 8/18-8/21 with Jordan as our guide. First off, Jordan was awesome! He cooked great meals for us and took care of everything! Our group was the first for this hike with wildlandtrekking as it is a new offering. This hike is much more difficult and longer than listed. We all agreed this should be listed as difficulty 5 (for this reason I gave the hike a 3 rating)! Day 2 for example turned out to be an 11+ mile hike with almost 3400 feet of elevation gain and 1800 feet of descent. We hiked for about 11 hours that day and did not have much daylight to enjoy our campground. Jordan ended up cleaning everything in the dark while we crashed in our tents. I can't thank Jordan enough! The total trip was 37 miles with almost 8000 feet of elevation gain and another nearly 8000 loss. Day 3 when we crested McAllister pass, we had another mile hike with 300-400 elevation gain to get to our campsite. I believe they should choose campsites more wisely to even out the daily mileage and include a better day 3 campsite that does not include more elevation gain.
Yes, it was tough! We did see bears, marmots (heard them also lol), pikas, and even a mountain goat! Scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed eating wild berries throughout our hike. Mountain meadows were beautiful with the many blooming flowers and greenery. I enjoy wildlandtrekking as their guides are always great, well prepared with great food.
Management Response: Thank you for your feedback Jim. We very much appreciate it. Based on your and other guests' input, we have upgraded the difficult of this trip to Level 5. We're glad you enjoyed the scenery and your guide, and we're sorry this trip was more difficult than expected.
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