Moderate Difficulty Day Hikes Near the North Cascades

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If you’re looking for an exciting day hike in North Cascades National Park in Washington but aren’t interested in taking on anything too technical with loose scree, route finding, or rock scrambling, these beautiful trails will provide good bang for your buck. I would not class any of these hiking trails as “too easy” nor “too hard”, although of course everyone’s experience and baseline activity levels vary. This guide is mostly designed for people who are frequent hikers and can handle some mileage and elevation change, but maybe don’t feel like testing their nervous system on anything precarious this time around. Less confident hikers might start with the “North Cascades Scenic Highway” suggestions below as they are the easiest on the list.

This is part of my series on picking moderately difficult day hikes in America’s national parks and wilderness areas. I’ve written similar guides for Big Bend, the Smokies, Grand Canyon, and Sedona.

Prefer a guided multi-day hiking trip in the North Cascades? Wildland Trekking offers guided backcountry trips with pickup from Seattle, plus other hiking tours around the world. Or, if interested in non-hiking day tours from Seattle, start here.

Read First: Orienting Yourself

There is no fee to enter North Cascades National Park and you won’t need to show your America the Beautiful Annual Parks Pass!

North Cascades National Park Complex is actually made up of a few different National Recreation Areas, including Ross Lake NRA and Lake Chelan NRA. State Route 20, otherwise known as North Cascade Scenic Highway, runs across the park from Marblemount in the west to Mazama in the east. This will bring you to trailheads in Ross Lake National Recreation Area as well as parts of Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, but it cannot bring you to Lake Chelan or Stehekin.

Stehekin is a village situated on the shores of Lake Chelan that is only accessible by boat or via an overnight backpacking trip. To reach trailheads in Stehekin for a weekend of day hikes, you would leave your car at the Lady of the Lake boat dock and take a 2.5 hour ferry. It costs $11 per night for overnight parking, $43 for a one-way ferry ride, and $20 to reserve a frontcountry campsite in Stehekin. You could also opt to stay at the North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin instead of tent camping.

The Washington Trails Association is a great resource for researching hiking trails in and around the North Cascades and the state of Washington in general. I’ve included links to WTA for each hike below in addition to AllTrails.

Remember that roads and trailheads in the North Cascades close seasonally for winter or as a result of wildfires in the summer. Be sure to check the current conditions via the National Park Service website, as well as your favorite trail report website such as Washington Trails Association or AllTrails, to find updates on your trail before heading out for a hike. When I was there, I could not drive farther east than Blue Lake trailhead on SR-20 because of wildfires.

North Cascades Scenic Highway

The following trails are easily accessible just off the main highway State Route 20 that bisects North Cascades National Park. If you’re not able to venture too far afield to check out Lake Chelan NRA or other surrounding wilderness areas, these hikes will have you centrally located and keep things snappy.

My all-time favorite hike in the North Cascades is Desolation Peak in Ross Lake NRA, but I would call this trail “strenuous”. I wrote about how to hike to Desolation Peak here.

Thunder Knob (Ross Lake National Recreation Area)

Distance: 3.4 miles out-and-back
AllTrails / Washington Trails Association
Trailhead: Park at Thunder Knob Trailhead which is at Colonial Creek North Campground off SR-20.

I would verge on calling Thunder Knob trail “easy” since it’s one of the shorter hikes on this list with the least elevation change, but it’s a beautiful ramp-up to get your bearings for some of the longer hikes and the viewpoint at the end is worth prioritizing. You’ll ascend to a spectacular view of Diablo Lake, which is a quintessential example of the turquoise water created by “glacial flour” that North Cascades is famous for.

Blue Lake (Okanogan National Forest)

Distance: 4.7 miles out-and-back
AllTrails / Washington Trails Association
Trailhead: Park at Blue Lake Trailhead just off SR-20.

Blue Lake Trail is a classic for a reason. If you don’t have time to do Colchuck Lake or Lake Serene, Blue Lake is a short straightforward alternative that will also bring you to a sparkling alpine lake where you can go for a swim. The trail features mountain vistas and leads you out of the forest and through a pretty wildflower meadow just before you reach rocky shores along the water. This trail is rather popular, but overall North Cascades National Park is not as crowded as other parks anyway.

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area

I actually prioritized four hikes in Stehekin, but one of them was too easy for this list (the Lakeside walk) and one of them was simply not fun (Stehekin River Trail). I’d recommend the following trails if you’re looking for a beautiful moderate difficulty level day hike in Stehekin. To reach these, if you’re camping near Lake Chelan you’ll need to ride a bike or have the seasonal shuttle bus drop you off at the trailheads. The shuttle fare is $10 one-way in cash and there is a set schedule.

Camping in Stehekin: if you want to backcountry camp at a dispersed site such as High Bridge camp which is very near the trailhead for Agnes Gorge, you’ll need a permit. If you prefer a lakeside frontcountry site such as Lakeview Campground or Purple Point Campground which are closer to amenities, or the Harlequin Campground on the Stehekin River near the Rainbow Loop trail, you’ll need to reserve a site on recreation.gov.

Agnes Gorge (Glacier Peak Wilderness)

Distance: 4.7 miles out-and-back
AllTrails / Washington Trails Association
Trailhead: Take the shuttle to High Bridge.

You may meet Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers as you begin your day hike to Agnes Gorge, but quickly they will take a fork in another direction as you continue on the Agnes Gorge Trail. The gorge is a deep crevice in the earth with rushing water at the bottom that you’ll view from above. At one point you’ll walk along a cliffside as you look down over the gorge, which I found exciting rather than nerve-wracking and I believe it shouldn’t aggravate those with fear of heights. Ultimately you’ll meet the creek at a peaceful lunch spot where it’s nice to pause and listen to the water rushing around you as it emerges from a canyon on your left and disappears into the forest on your right.  

Rainbow Loop Trail (Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness)

Distance: 4.4 miles one-way
AllTrails / Washington Trails Association
Trailhead: The official shuttle stop is Harlequin Bridge and then it’s a 15 minute walk, but you could try asking the driver to drop you right at the upper Rainbow Loop trailhead.

This trail forms more of a horseshoe than a loop, with the driving road closing the gap between the two ends. You can start from either the upper or lower trailhead. I intended to hike both Stehekin River Trail and Rainbow Loop Trail in the same day because both are accessible from the upper trailhead. I tried Stehekin River Trail first and it was so boggy and full of mosquitos that I “noped” out of there and doubled back to just do Rainbow Loop instead (you can see this precise moment on my Garmin map, lol). Rainbow Loop trail brings you up higher into the mountains to overlook Lake Chelan, so you’ll get above the bugs that plague the river trail and earn some phenomenal views. I had this trail almost entirely to myself and even felt alone enough in the wilderness to have bears on the mind. I didn’t see a bear, but I did see a snake! The trail brings you across grassy meadow-like hillsides but also offers some incremental forest shade. When I completed the hike at the lower trailhead, it was too early for the return shuttle bus ride, so I just walked the road all the way back to the village. If you want to walk to the Rainbow Falls viewpoint you’ll end up having to spend some time road walking as well.

Outer Limits

These trails are technically not within the bounds of North Cascades National Park, but if you’re in the area you can’t miss them. They are both extremely scenic and the ultimate destination on each trail is a pristine alpine lake where you can go for a swim! A Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Parks Pass is required to park at the trailheads.

Another popular choice in this category is Goat Lake Trail, which is at the top of my list for my next return to Washington.

The America the Beautiful Annual Parks Pass covers all federal lands in the United States, including national parks and national forests. The Northwest Forest Pass (day pass or annual pass) covers only national forests in Washington. The Discover Pass (day pass or annual pass) covers state parks in Washington.

Colchuck Lake (Alpine Lakes Wilderness)

Distance: 8.5 miles out-and-back
AllTrails / Washington Trails Association
Trailhead: Park at Stuart and Colchuck Lake trailhead near Leavenworth, Washington.

Colchuck Lake is one of my favorite hiking trails in Washington because it’s scenic from start to finish. Some of the trails in and around the North Cascades have gorgeous destination points, but the entire lead-up to those points might be under dark forest cover without much of a view. By contrast, Colchuck Lake trail keeps your interest. I also saw a bear on the Colchuck Lake trail, my first ever up-close bear sighting on a hike! I’m not sure if I was just feeling very fit by the time I completed this hike (it’s the last one I did on my trip to the North Cascades after putting in a ton of miles) or if the ratings online are just out of whack, but I did not find it as “strenuous” as they say. There is some elevation change but nothing too crazy.

*Since this trail is not within the bounds of North Cascades National Park, it does require either a Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass.

Pro-Tip: Check out free dispersed camping options near Colchuk Lake. Unfortunately you’re no longer allowed to park and sleep for one night for free at the Leavenworth P6 Public Parking spot.

Lake Serene (Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest)

Distance: 7.6 miles out-and-back
AllTrails / Washington Trails Association
Trailhead: Park at Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls trailhead near Gold Bar, Washington.

Lake Serene is an example of a trail that is not particularly scenic until the end, and it really makes you earn it. There are non-stop stairs and switchbacks that had me pausing for breaks and breathing hard throughout the ascent; I kept thinking about Bane’s quote from the Dark Knight Rises about how looking towards the sun gives climbers in The Pit false hope because they can imagine someday reaching freedom. 😂 While some people might class this trail as “strenuous” as a result, I saw all different demographics of people completing it and there were not any technical aspects or scary moments for folks who have fear of heights. There is a spur trail to a waterfall to break up the monotony, and the lake at the end is dramatically surrounded by jagged peaks. The blue-green color of the water begs for you to jump in for a refreshing swim after you’ve sweated it out!

*Since this trail is not within the bounds of North Cascades National Park, it does require either a Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass.

If you’re feeling adventurous, next time you might level up to hike Maple Pass or The Enchantments! North Cascades National Park is one of my favorite parks in the United States because of its pristine blue waters and because it’s yet to be overtouristed or over-paved. It also has an elegant, soothing, tranquil quality that’s difficult to capture in words, though Kerouac tried. I always imagine that if I ever get the chance to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, reaching the North Cascades just before the northern terminus would feel like a warm welcome.

Do you have a favorite national park in the Pacific Northwest?

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