Backcountry Permits

The Wilderness Information Center is open mid-May to mid-October. Photo by NPS

Beginning in 2025, North Cascades National Park Service Complex will allow most backcountry visitors with advanced reservations to obtain their permits via email.

Follow these steps:

1. Make a reservation for a backcountry trip on Recreation.gov.
2. Watch a mandatory video about park rules and regulations, Leave No Trace principles and safety. Contact us if you have questions.
3. Email [e-mail] to request a permit no more than 3 days before your trip start date. Rangers will review your itinerary and issue your permit.
4. Print your permit online from Recreation.gov.
5. Bring a signed copy of your permit with you into the backcountry to show rangers in the field.

Permits for most walk-up sites and areas accessed from Cascade River Road (Eldorado, Boston Basin, and Cascade Pass) must be picked up in person.

We strongly encourage first time visitors to North Cascades National Park to talk with a ranger before going on a backcountry trip. Please email us several days in advance if you are unsure about your itinerary.

You must come in person to pick up your permit if you need to borrow a bear canister, which are required for certain camps and zones. Bear canisters are available at the Wilderness Information Center and Glacier Public Service Center.

See the details below for where to get walk-up permits, which can only be issued the day of or day before you start your trip.
Permits cost $10 per person plus a $6 fee, youth 15 and under are free.

 

Where to Pick up a Permit

These locations are only open during the summer: Operating Hours and Seasons.
No permit services are available in Sedro Woolley or Stehekin.

Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount

7280 Ranger Station Road, Marblemount WA 98267
Obtain permits here for all areas of the park. This center is the main backcountry permit office for the park complex. Wilderness rangers are on hand to provide firsthand trip planning advice for all wilderness and backcountry areas of the park, including Ross Lake and climbing areas. You'll also find current trail and camp conditions, maps, and more to assist with your trip planning. 
Note: All permits for Cascade River Road trailheads (including Cascade Pass, Boston Basin) must be picked up in person in Marblemount.

Glacier Public Service Center

10091 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier, WA 98244
This is a U.S. Forest Service ranger station that is jointly staffed by National Park Service wilderness rangers during the summer season. Backpackers and climbers can pick up backcountry permits required for trailheads along the Mt. Baker Highway, such as the Fisher Chimney’s route on Mt. Shuksan, the Chilliwack River drainage, or Copper Ridge.
Note: Permits for trips starting at the Copper Ridge and Chilliwack area can be picked up in person in Glacier June to September. Contact [e-mail] for permit questions October-May.

Walk-up Permits Issued via Email

Priority for walk-up permits will be given to in-person visitors at permit issuing stations. Rangers may issue walk-up permits via email for the following areas, subject to current conditions, availability, and closures:

Backcountry areas accessed from:

• Baker Lake Road (Baker River Trail, Bacon Peak, Sulphide Glacier route on Mount Shuksan)
• Mount Baker Highway/SR542 (Hannegan Pass, Copper Ridge, Fisher Chimneys route on Mount Shuksan)
• Trailheads on North Cascades Highway/SR20 east of Ross Lake (East Bank, Panther Creek, Easy Pass, and Bridge Creek)-Note: Walk-up permits for Ross Lake, Ross Dam, and other trailheads on SR20 will only be issued in-person at the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount.
• Twisp River Road
• Stehekin- Note: There is no cell service in Stehekin, so contact us the day before traveling to Stehekin.

To request a walk-up permit for the areas listed above:

1. Watch the mandatory video.
2. Email [e-mail] early in the morning the day before you want to start your trip. Include your Recreation.gov account email, itinerary, vehicle information, and group size. Rangers will review your itinerary and issue your permit.
3. Print your permit online from Recreation.gov.
4. Bring a signed copy of your permit with you into the backcountry to show rangers in the field.

 

Are you a thru-hiker?

Beginning in 2020, North Cascades National Park will honor the long-distance Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hiking permit issued by the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) for camping at specific camps. PCTA long-distance permit holders no longer need to obtain an overnight backcountry camping permit for Six Mile Camp and Bridge Creek Camp within North Cascades National Park.

Any hiker without a PCTA Long-distance Permit and Pacific Northwest trail hikers must request, in advance, a park-issued backcountry permit for camping inside North Cascades National Park. We recommend you make reservations ahead of time on Recreation.gov. Visit the Pacific Crest Trail and Pacific Northwest Trail pages for more information.

 

Permits help ensure solitude and a quality backcountry experience. Photo by NPS /F. Shafer

 

Permits Are Limited

To protect the wilderness and visitors’ experiences, the number of permits issued for each area is limited. Popular areas such as Cascade Pass, Ross Lake, Copper Ridge, and Thornton Lakes can be very busy during the height of summer, and permits can fill quickly. The busiest climbing areas are Sulphide Glacier, Boston Basin, and Eldorado cross-country zones. To maximize your chance of obtaining a permit and finding solitude, visit these areas midweek or after Labor Day, and have a backup itinerary or climb in mind if your first-choice area is already full. Ask a ranger for less busy alternative areas to visit. There is always somewhere to go.

Why do I need a permit?

Backcountry permits protect your wilderness experience and prevent overcrowding at camps or climbing routes, provide for opportunities for solitude and a quality backcountry experience, and protect natural resources so that all visitors – including future generations – can enjoy them. Permits also serve an important safety function in the event of an emergency or wildfire, and allow park managers to gather data important for planning and decision making. Thanks for doing your part to help steward these important wilderness resources.