NationalParkEntry

WA · Pacific West

North Cascades National Park entry requirements

No timed-entry or vehicle reservation is needed to enter North Cascades in 2026. There is no entrance fee. Check any visit date against the official 2026 rules.

The 2026 season at North Cascades

This is what applies across the published season. Use the date checker below for a specific day.

No reservation is required to enter North Cascades National Park in 2026. Some activities need their own permit.

This park does not charge an entrance fee.

  1. Park entrance

    Not required

    North Cascades National Park does not charge an entrance fee.

    • No entrance fee anywhere in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex — the national park plus Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. Adjacent land differs: trailhead parking on surrounding U.S. Forest Service land needs a Northwest Forest Pass ($5 day / $30 annual), and the Lake Chelan NRA dock permit is a separate charge. Neither is an NPS entrance fee.

  2. Timed entry

    Not applicable

    North Cascades National Park has no timed-entry system.

  3. Vehicle, road, or corridor

    Not required

    Nothing here is required in 2026.

    • State Route 20, the North Cascades Highway, closes for the winter. The highway is managed by the Washington State Department of Transportation, not NPS, and WSDOT can close it at any time. As of the park's July 3, 2026 road conditions update, State Route 20 was open.
    • Stehekin Valley Road closed by landslides — the park asks visitors to stay away from Stehekin. Cascade River Road is open, paved to about mile 10 then gravel with potholes and washboard to the end.

  4. Shuttle

    Not applicable

    North Cascades National Park has no shuttle system.

  5. Your campground or lodging

    Not applicable

    North Cascades National Park has no in-park stay that changes what you need to enter.

  6. Selected activity

    Required on some dates

    2 separate requirements apply during 2026.

    • Wilderness camping permit

      Dates
      Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026
      Hours
      All day
      Fee
      $10
      Opens
      Lottery · 7 a.m. Pacific Time

      Applies to Backcountry camps throughout the North Cascades complex; permits picked up at a wilderness information center

      • $10 per person for adults 16 and over, youth 15 and under free, plus a $6 non-refundable reservation fee. Not covered by an America the Beautiful pass.
      • Day hiking does not need this permit — it is for overnight backcountry trips.
      • About 40% of sites are held back for walk-up permits available the day of or the day before a trip begins.
      • Permits must be picked up by 11 am on the first day of the trip or they will be cancelled.
      • A frontcountry campground booking does not cover a backcountry night, and a wilderness permit does not cover a developed campsite.

    • Lake Chelan NRA dock permit

      Dates
      May 1, 2026 – Oct 31, 2026
      Hours
      All day
      Fee
      $10
      Opens
      On sale now

      Applies to Docks in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area

      • $10 per day or $75 annual, applying between May 1 and October 31.
      • Applies only to boaters using a dock in Lake Chelan NRA. It is not an entrance fee and does not apply anywhere else in the complex.
    Book on recreation.gov

Fees and passes

North Cascades does not charge an entrance fee.

No entrance fee anywhere in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex — the national park plus Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. Adjacent land differs: trailhead parking on surrounding U.S. Forest Service land needs a Northwest Forest Pass ($5 day / $30 annual), and the Lake Chelan NRA dock permit is a separate charge. Neither is an NPS entrance fee.

An America the Beautiful pass is not accepted here. It covers the entrance fee only. It does not cover a timed-entry permit, a vehicle reservation, a parking tag, a shuttle ticket, or an activity permit.

Not applicable for entry: there is no entrance fee, so an America the Beautiful pass buys nothing at the park boundary and fee-free days are meaningless. Nulls mean 'not applicable', not 'unknown'. A pass does NOT cover the wilderness permit fee, and the park's fees page presents the Northwest Forest Pass (for USFS trailheads) as a separate product.

Rules that apply to one area only

These do not apply to the whole park. Where you go changes the answer.

  • Backcountry camps throughout the North Cascades complex; permits picked up at a wilderness information centerWilderness (backcountry) camping permit with an early access lottery · Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026
  • Docks in Lake Chelan National Recreation AreaLake Chelan NRA dock permit, May 1 - October 31 · May 1, 2026 – Oct 31, 2026

What a campground or lodging booking does and does not cover

  • Wilderness (backcountry) camping permit with an early access lotteryNot covered by an in-park booking. A frontcountry campground booking does not cover a backcountry night, and a wilderness permit does not cover a developed campsite.

Quick answers

Do I need a reservation for North Cascades?
No. North Cascades National Park does not require a timed-entry or vehicle reservation to enter in 2026. North Cascades National Park charges no entrance fee.
Is there an entrance fee at North Cascades?
No. North Cascades does not charge an entrance fee. Other requirements on this page may still apply.

Official links, coverage, and sources

When reservations are released

  • Wilderness camping permitAwarded by lottery. Release time: 7 a.m. Pacific Time. Two-stage 2026 system. Early access lottery applications: March 2 - March 13, 2026, closing 9 pm Pacific on March 13. Results notified March 20, 2026. Lottery winners book March 24 - April 21, 2026, closing 9 pm Pacific on April 21. General on-sale for everyone else: April 29, 2026 at 7 am Pacific.
  • Lake Chelan NRA dock permitBought as a Recreation.gov activity pass. No release window or release time is published.

Official booking and park information

What this does not cover

  • Road, weather, and fire closures that change day to day. Check the park’s alerts page.
  • Backcountry and wilderness permits beyond the headline permits listed above.
  • Commercial use authorizations, filming permits, and group-size rules.
  • Availability. We tell you what is required, not whether anything is left.

Effective dates and sources

  • Fees and passesNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Park entranceThere is no fee to enter North Cascades National Park Service Complex.
  • Fees & Passes - North Cascades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to No entrance fee for the parkThere is no fee to enter North Cascades National Park Service Complex. ... Northwest Forest Pass (trailhead parking on USFS lands) $5 - Day / $30 - Annual.
  • Backcountry Reservations - North Cascades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Wilderness camping permitAll backcountry reservations are processed through Recreation.gov and approved by North Cascades National Park wilderness rangers before permits can be picked up. Early access lottery March 2 - March 13, 2026; results March 20, 2026; general on-sale April 29, 2026 at 7 am Pacific Time.
  • Road Conditions - North Cascades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to State Route 20, the North Cascades HighwayState Route 20 is open. There may be WSDOT closures at any time. ... Snow and avalanche hazards usually close the highway sometime in late November / early December; the road usually re-opens in April or early May.
  • Road Conditions - North Cascades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Stehekin Valley Road closed by landslidesAs of 12/10 the Stehekin Valley Road is closed due to landslides. ... Visitors should not travel to the Stehekin area as crews work to stabilize the situation.
  • Fees & Passes - North Cascades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Lake Chelan NRA dock permitLake Chelan National Recreation Area dock permit: $10 - Day and $75 - Annual, applying between May 1 and October 31.

Something wrong here?

Park rules change, sometimes at short notice. If a line on this page does not match what the park publishes, tell us and we will fix it and re-check the source.

corrections@nationalparkentry.com· Last factual change 2026-08-05 · Sources last reviewed 2026-07-26

Nearest other national parks

Chosen by distance from North Cascades, not by editorial preference.