North Cascades National Park · Washington
Most popular alpine zone.
Get an alert when a night opens on your Cascade Pass dates.
Source: recreation.gov
70% of the openings our scanner caught on Cascade Pass were gone within 10 minutes.
3,940 ft of descent · 8.3% average grade
Cascade Pass Trailhead
End of the Cascade River Road, 23.1 miles from SR 20 at Marblemount. Paved to about mile 10, then gravel; no vehicles over 22 feet.
As of September 2026, Cascade Pass in North Cascades National Park, Washington requires a permit issued via reservation. Cascade Pass is a high-demand permit, rating 7/10 on PermitSnag's demand index. Cancelled Cascade Pass permits are re-released on the booking system, and PermitSnag alerts you the moment one opens. The Cascade Pass lottery opens March 2, 2026 and closes March 13, 2026, 9:00 pm PT, with results announced March 20, 2026. Awarded applicants book March 24 to April 21; general on-sale April 29 at 7:00 am PT. The Cascade Pass route covers 5.9 miles with 3,940 feet of elevation gain, rated strenuous.
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Cascade Pass permit fee: $10 per person per trip for adults 16 and over, youth free, plus a $6 non-refundable reservation fee.
Six sites on a moraine at 7,600 feet, four people each, with glaciers on three sides and a composting toilet with the best view in Washington.
Cascade Pass is North Cascades National Park's shortest route into big glaciated country, and Sahale Glacier Camp above it is the park's signature high camp. From the Cascade Pass Trailhead at 3,660 feet the park publishes 3.7 miles and 1,700 feet to the pass at 5,400, 5.9 miles and 3,940 feet to Sahale Glacier Camp at 7,600, and 9.0 miles to Cottonwood Camp.
There is no camping at Cascade Pass, at Doubtful Lake or anywhere along the trail. You camp only at designated camps. Sahale Glacier holds six sites of four people each with a composting toilet, no campfires, and a bear canister requirement. Pelton Basin has four sites, three of four people and one of twelve, with a composting toilet and a food storage box. Basin Creek and Johannesburg each hold three sites of four.
The season is short and the park enforces it. Cascade Pass and Sahale Glacier campsites melt out in early July and become unreachable in late September when snow returns to high elevations, and reservations for this area are not allowed for trips starting before July 1, though walk-up permits are available year round. The park lists the hazards for the area as steep snow where an ice axe may be needed, high water crossings at Doubtful Creek and Basin Creek early in the season, camping and route-finding in snow, and the Cascade River Road's early season closure. It says the Cascade Pass Trail may have steep snow sections requiring an ice axe for safe travel as late as July.
Permits run on the park's camp-based system: $10 per person for adults 16 and over, youth free, plus a $6 non-refundable reservation fee, with the 2026 early-access lottery open March 2 to March 13 (9:00 pm PT deadline), results March 20, awarded booking March 24 to April 21, and general on-sale April 29 at 7:00 am PT. Around 60% of the park's campsite inventory is reservable in advance and the remainder is walk-up, up to 24 hours ahead. One rule specific to this trailhead: while most North Cascades permits can now be issued by email, all permits for Cascade River Road trailheads, including Cascade Pass and Boston Basin, must be picked up in person in Marblemount.
The road itself was listed open as of the park's July 3, 2026 update: paved to about mile 10, then gravel with some potholes and washboard to the end, not suitable for sedans or low clearance vehicles, and no RVs, large trailers, or vehicles over 22 feet allowed. It typically opens to the Cascade Pass parking lot by the end of June, or early July in heavy snow years. The park's July 9, 2026 field note had the trail to the pass in good shape, Pelton Basin melted out, and a few snow patches still on the Sahale Arm, recommending trekking poles.
The park publishes the distances from the Cascade Pass Trailhead at 3,660 feet: 3.7 miles and 1,700 feet of gain to Cascade Pass at 5,400 feet, rated moderate; 5.9 miles and 3,940 feet to Sahale Glacier Camp at 7,600 feet, rated strenuous; and 9.0 miles to Cottonwood Camp, gaining 1,700 and losing 2,600.
Camping is not allowed at Cascade Pass itself, at Doubtful Lake, or anywhere along the trail. You camp only at designated camps. The four nearby are Pelton Basin, Sahale Glacier, Basin Creek and Johannesburg. Sahale Glacier has six sites, each taking four people, with a composting toilet, no campfires and a mandatory bear canister. Pelton Basin has four sites (three for four people and one for twelve), a composting toilet, a food storage box and no campfires. Basin Creek and Johannesburg each have three sites of four.
Sahale Glacier Camp is the highest and most photographed camp in North Cascades National Park, and Cascade Pass below it is the shortest way any hiker gets into serious glaciated country in this range. The park calls the Cascade Pass area one of the most popular backcountry destinations in the park and says permits can be difficult to obtain during busy periods.
Thirty-three switchbacks through hemlock, then the pass opens and Johannesburg Mountain is across the valley shedding avalanches all afternoon. Above the pass the Sahale Arm climbs open heather and then rock until you are camping on the moraine with ice below you.
Best for: Fit backpackers who want a genuine alpine camp without technical climbing. Six miles and 3,940 feet with a pack is the whole difficulty.
Recommended experience: Multi-day backpacking with a big climb. The exposure rating covers steep snow on the Sahale Arm and a camp perched on a moraine, not technical ground.
Not recommended for: Early-season parties without an ice axe, and anyone driving a low-clearance car or anything over 22 feet.
Trailhead information
NPS locates the Cascade Pass Trail at the end of the Cascade River Road, and gives the day hike as 7.4 miles roundtrip with 1,700 feet of gain.
All permits for Cascade River Road trailheads, including Cascade Pass and Boston Basin, must be picked up in person in Marblemount. North Cascades emails most other backcountry permits, but not these.
Trailhead information
7280 Ranger Station Road, Marblemount WA 98267. NPS calls this the main backcountry permit office for the park complex, and says it is open mid-May to mid-October.
Marblemount. NPS says no permit services are available in Sedro Woolley or Stehekin.
Where every Cascade River Road permit is issued. Bear canisters are loaned here, and Recreation.gov lists canisters as required at Sahale Glacier Camp.
Mid-July through mid-September. The park says the Cascade Pass and Sahale Glacier campsites melt out in early July and become unreachable in late September when snow returns, and it does not accept reservations for trips starting before July 1. The primary hiking season it publishes for the area is July 1 until snowfall, typically mid-to-late September.
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
Backcountry Tips
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Sunset from Sahale Glacier Camp, with the light running down the Cascade River valley and the peaks going pink one after another.
Early morning at the pass, before the sun gets on Johannesburg's north face and blows the contrast out.
Day-hikers turn around at the pass and are gone by 5 pm. Everything above the arm belongs to the six Sahale parties after that.
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for Cascade Pass.
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for Cascade Pass · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
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Yes, a North Cascades National Park backcountry permit, required year-round for all overnight trips. It costs $10 per person for adults 16 and over, youth free, plus a $6 non-refundable reservation fee. Permits for Cascade River Road trailheads must be picked up in person in Marblemount.
5.9 miles one way with 3,940 feet of gain, from 3,660 feet at the trailhead to 7,600 feet at the camp. The park rates that strenuous. Cascade Pass itself is 3.7 miles and 1,700 feet, rated moderate.
Six, each taking a maximum of four people. It has a composting toilet, no campfires are allowed, and bear canisters are required. Pelton Basin below it has four sites: three of four people and one of twelve.
No. The park prohibits camping at Cascade Pass, at Doubtful Lake, and anywhere along the trail. Camping is allowed only at the designated camps: Pelton Basin, Sahale Glacier, Basin Creek and Johannesburg.
The park says it typically opens to the Cascade Pass parking lot by the end of June, except in heavy snow years when it may not open until early July. It was listed open as of July 3, 2026: paved to about mile 10, then gravel with potholes and washboard, not suitable for sedans or low-clearance vehicles, and closed to RVs, large trailers and vehicles over 22 feet.
Because the park does not allow it. Cascade Pass and Sahale Glacier campsites melt out in early July, and the park's rule is that reservations for this area are not allowed for trips starting before July 1. Walk-up permits are available year round if you want to try an earlier trip, but expect steep snow and possible ice-axe terrain.
The 2026 early-access lottery took applications from March 2 to March 13, with a 9:00 pm Pacific deadline, notified results on March 20, and let winners reserve from March 24 to April 21. General on-sale opened April 29 at 7:00 am Pacific.
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The 33.5-mile loop over Hannegan Pass and along Copper Ridge, with a fire lookout at about 6,270 feet.
Longer and drier (the park warns there is no water between Boundary Camp and the ridge), and several camps on the Chilliwack side are closed for fire damage.
The park complex's general wilderness permit, covering every camp and cross-country zone.
Same lottery and fees, and most of it can be issued by email, unlike Cascade River Road trailheads, which must be collected in Marblemount.
Alpine and trailside camping on a bigger volcano three hours south.
More expensive at $12 per person per night and permits must also be collected in person, but a much longer season and far more camps.
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