the north cascades national park is located at lake chelan.
the north cascades national park is located at lake chelan.
where is the north cascades national park located?
lake chelan
north cascades national park is an american national park in the state of washington. at more than , north cascades national park is the largest of the three national park service units that comprise the north cascades national park complex. north cascades national park consists of a northern and southern section, bisected by the skagit river that flows through ross lake national recreation area. lake chelan national recreation area lies on the southern border of the south unit of the park. in addition to the two national recreation areas, other protected lands including several national forests and wilderness areas, as well as canadian provincial parks in british columbia, nearly surround the park. north cascades national park features the rugged mountain peaks of the north cascades range, the most expansive glacial system in the contiguous united states, the headwaters of numerous waterways, and vast forests with the highest degree of flora biodiversity of any american national park.
north cascades national park
by the mid-1930s, forester bob marshall argued that the region should be set aside as wilderness. rival interests continued to argue over whether the lands should remain under the management of the forest service or the national park service, but by the 1960s the environmentalist argument advocating for a national park prevailed. president john f. kennedy directed the departments of agriculture and the interior to fund a joint study into a possible national park in the north cascades region, which was completed in january 1966 and submitted to congress. the size of the national park was subject to debate locally and in congress, as well as its effect on the local logging industry. the north cascades national park act designated the region as a national park on october 2, 1968, and the national park service commenced direct management on january 1, 1969. the north cascades national park act also designated ross lake and lake chelan national recreation areas. redwood national park in california was also signed into existence on the same day as the north cascades. by 1988, much of bob marshall's original plan to set aside the future park as wilderness was achieved when almost all of north cascades national park was designated as the stephen mather wilderness.
north cascades national park