North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park in northern Washington was established in 1968 to preserve 504,781 acres of rugged alpine landscape, divided into two units by the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Heavily forested, steep-walled valleys are home to mountain goats, mountain lions, black and grizzly bears, moose, deer, and wolverines. Birdlife includes the spotted owl, bald eagle, white-tailed ptarmigan. Plant communities display striking contrasts: from the rain forests of the wet, western sides of the mountains to the pine forests and shrub lands of the dry eastern slopes. Lake Chelan National Recreation Area is centered on the 55-mile long lake.