BACKCOUNTRY PERMIT SYSTEM

United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE North Cascades National Park Service Complex Wilderness District 7280 Ranger Station Road Marblemount, Washington 98267 (360) 873-4500, ext. 39

BACKCOUNTRY PERMIT REQUIREMENTS:

• Required year round for all overnight stays in the backcountry of North Cascades National Park Service Complex (which includes North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas).
• Each party (individual or group) must carry a permit on the actual backcountry trip as proof that the party has checked in at a ranger station and is cleared for camping.
• Permits are specific to a site (along trails or boat-in areas) or a zone (in cross-country areas) each night of the itinerary.
• You are asked to display your backcountry permit. Failure to possess and display a valid backcountry permit may result in a fine and/or immediate removal from the backcountry.

OBTAINING A PERMIT:Backcountry permits are issued in person only, the first day of your backcountry trip or up to one day before, on a first-come, first-served basis (no reservations). There are a limited number of permits available for each camp and cross-country zone. Be flexible and plan alternate camp or trip locations if you are visiting during the busy season or going to popular areas, such as Cascade Pass, Copper Ridge, and the Sulphide Glacier and Boston Basin areas.

Backcountry permits can be obtained from the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount. This center has the most current and comprehensive information on backcountry conditions and can best assist with trip planning. The center has extended hours during the summer, and self-issue backcountry permits are available for many (but not all) destinations when the center is closed. Permits are also available at other locations under the circumstances described below:

STARTING TRAILHEAD	MUST OBTAIN BACKCOUNTRY PERMIT AT
All trips passing through Marblemount en route to the trailhead (entering the park from the west via State Route 20); all destinations accessed via the Cascade River Road	Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount
Baker River drainage (Baker Lake area)	National Park headquarters in Sedro-Woolley
Nooksack River drainage (Mount Baker Highway 542)	Glacier Public Service Center
Hozomeen (north Ross Lake)	Hozomeen Ranger Station or National Park headquarters in Sedro-Woolley
Along State Route 20 east of Marblemount (if traveler arrives from the east, not through Marblemount)	North Cascades Visitor Center in Newhalem or Methow Valley Visitor Center in Winthrop (USFS)
Twisp River drainage	Methow Valley Visitor Center (USFS)
Chelan Lakeshore or Summit Trails	Chelan Ranger Station
Stehekin Valley	Golden West Visitor Center in Stehekin

PARTY SIZE LIMITS:

• Along trails and in established camps: 12 pairs of eyes (persons + stock animals, where stock are permitted)
• In designated cross-country zones near Mount Shuksan, Eldorado Peak, and Forbidden Peak: 12 people
• All other cross-country areas: 6 pairs of eyes

FEES/RESERVATIONS: Backcountry permits are free. There are no backcountry campsite reservations for the general public.

QUESTIONS? If you have questions, please call the Wilderness Information Center at (360) 873-4500, ext. 39 from May through October, or call the National Park Headquarters at (360) 856-5700, ext. 515, during other months.