One Of The World's Snowiest Places Is This Gorgeous And Underrated US National Park

While visitation has been steadily climbing in recent years, Washington state's North Cascades National Park is still often listed among the least-visited national parks in the United States. This park is frequently overshadowed by its famous neighbors, the staggering peak of Mount Rainier and the intoxicating rain forests of Olympic National Park. For those who make the journey to the icy lakes and snow-capped mountains of North Cascades, however, a gorgeous glimpse into the Washington wilderness is waiting.

When seeking out an icy wonderland in a national park, you might think of Alaska's iconic, bear-filled Katmai National Park or Montana's "Crown of the Continent" Glacier National Park, but North Cascades is among the snowiest places on the planet. The park gets its name from the North Cascade Range, a collection of jagged, towering peaks, with networks of cold, clear glacial streams and lakes running through them. This is real wilderness, and traversing this park is not for everyone. For those who long to see the incredible landscape of glaciers and peaks, and wild creatures like gray wolves, grizzly bears, cougars, otters, bobcats, and lynx that make this natural place their home, exploring North Cascades can be the adventure of a lifetime.

While Goliaths like Yellowstone and Yosemite are larger-than-life destinations, there are also little-known national parks that provide thrilling adventures — and at North Cascades National Park, those can be found out on the trails. If you're an avid hiker, North Cascades has all the tricky trails and incredible views you need to get your blood pumping — just make sure to bundle up! While you will find hot, snow-free days in the summertime, the higher elevation trails are snowy for all but the hottest months, and in the winter, this whole park will be blanketed in snow.

One of the most popular trails in the park is Ross Dam Trail — as underrated as this park still is, you'll definitely find other hikers there in the warm weather, scrambling up the steep paths to be rewarded by the incredible views at the end. Just be aware that trails can be closed due to dangerous conditions, so you might need to adjust your plans. If you're looking to explore the park, you'll want to plan ahead. Your best tool will be the Wilderness Trip Planner map from the National Park Service, so you can learn about all the trails and backcountry camping spots the park has to offer. And if you're looking for solitude in nature, the map offers much-needed information about the less-explored areas of the park where you can venture off the beaten paths.

Whether you're longing to sleep under the clear night sky, get an early start on your hiking trip, or maybe, if you're extremely lucky, hear the distant yips and howls of wolves in the mountains, camping in North Cascades National Park might be for you. To stay at most of the campsites, you will need to pay for a reservation, but the park itself is one of the U.S. national parks that you can visit for free.

Tent camping is allowed, but if you're coming in the cold weather, you might be happier at a drive-in site with an RV. Just make sure you research the campground to confirm what RV amenities it has. You can find campsites close to civilization or far from it, deep in the forest or near lakes and riverbanks. If you like the idea of rowing across an aquamarine glacial lake under the shadow of snowy peaks, there are even some campsites that you can get to by boat, which have their own boat launches.