Oddly enough, most visitors to the North
Cascades never actually enter the North Cascades National Park. The North
Cascades Highway stays within the Ross Lake National Recreation Area and the
scenic highway corridor to the east, which is outside the jurisdiction of the
National Park Service. The only car-accessible area of the park is along the
upper Cascade River Road leading to the Cascade Pass trailhead.
The beautiful 30-mile scenic Highway 20 corridor
from Ross Lake to Early Winters did not receive the long-term protection from
development that comes with park designation. Important lowlands, like the
Cascade River valley, were excluded from the park. Several pristine valleys
including Thunder and Big Beaver Creeks were designated as part of the Ross Lake
National Recreation Area, instead of park.
Permanent Protection Is Needed
Completing the park is not an abstract goal. Major portions of the study area are protected only by administrative provisions of the US Forest Service that can be changed by future administrations. Additional protections are needed to assure a permanent and fully functioning North Cascades ecosystem, as well as all the other amenities we have come to appreciate.
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