The Cascade Mountains
Hiking Guide.

Cascade Mountains national & state parks, recommended guides, books, & weather information.

Make your North, Central, or South Cascades hiking or camping mountain adventure even better...

The Cascade Mountains form a beautiful 700 mile range running north to British Columbia, Canada and south through Washington and Oregon to California dividing west from east. The division means the western portion gets the rain while the eastern side is drier and more desert-like. This makes for a lot of hiking, camping, and backpacking opportunities because there are not only mountain ranges but forest, desert, and ocean views all within a few hours drive of each other.

The Cascade Mountains include several volcanoes (Harris, 1988):

British Columbia- Mt. Garibaldi.

California- Chaos Crags, Cinder Cone, Lassen Peak, Medicine Lake, and Mt. Shasta.

Oregon- Crater Lake, Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. McLoughlin, Mt. Thielsen, Newbury Caldera, and Three Sisters.

Washington- Glacier Peak, Mt. Adams, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. St. Helens.

The most active volcanoes in the Cascade Mountains are in Northern Oregon and Washington with Mount St Helens having the most recent eruptions between 1980 and 1984.

There are also many non-volcanic mountains in the Cascade Mountain range with peaks usually under 10,000 feet. These mountains typically get a lot of snow plus have big glaciers so the snow and ice climbers love them. Hikers should keep this in mind so they can plan a safe route and time of year to hike.

The highest peak in the Cascade Mountains is Mt. Rainier at 14,410 feet.

Weather

Average annual precipitation west of the Cascade Mountains is 30 inches (75 centimeters or cm) with more falling in the mountains. East of the Cascade Mountains precipitation is usually less than 20 inches (50 cm) and depending on the area can be less than 7 inches (18 cm). July and August are the driest months for both the east and west sides. The snowfall is extremely heavy in the mountains, Mount Baker set a new world record in 1998-1999 for a total of 95 feet (29 meters) of snow between October and September. Talk about snow days... :-)

Average summer temperatures are 15-25º F (8-14º C) higher on the east side than on the west and winters are colder than the coastal west side too. Where some of the lower coastal areas hit a summer high in the mid 60's F (19º C) the lowlands on the east side of the Cascade Mountains can hit between 80-90º F (27-32º C) depending on the location. Remember it will be cooler than this in the Cascade Mountains with temperatures varying between freezing and up to 80º F (27º C) in the summer. So appropriate hiking gear and/or equipment used for camping are important.

I think the snow makes for some of the most beautiful mountain scenery I've ever seen. I can still remember seeing Mount Shasta's beautiful snow-capped peak for the first time while headed north during June. Breath-taking is a good way to describe it.

Oh, make sure if you visit that you make time to see Crater Lake, it was one of the highlights of my trip. The vivid blue color of the water actually makes the sky look pale and washed-out. On your way to the top notice the tall skinny poles that mark the road when the 533 inches of annual snow decide to fall.

Make sure you get a detailed guide and a map. You should be able to find most of these at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades, 5/5 rating, by William L. Sullivan: This book was written by a hiker that did a 1,361 mile solo trek in two months. While there are 25 heavy-duty hikes in this book there are also a nice mix of 50 hikes for children and "20 all-accessible trails" for wheel-chairs and/or a baby buggy. The author rehikes the trails every year or so to make sure the books are up to date. Ignore the feedback rating system if you go to amazon as the author posted about the book and didn't rate himself which dropped his rating.

100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon, 5/5 rating, by William L. Sullivan: See above. The author hikes these trails and knows them well. Covers the Columbia Gorge, Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, and the area around Portland. The writing is detailed but not too much as to ruin seeing it first-hand. You'll also learn about "secret" hikes, although with the popularity of this series of books I'm not so sure how secret they are now.

100 Hikes in Southern Oregon, by William L. Sullivan: Yet another recommended book by William Sullivan. Huh, I see a pattern here. ;-) This one covers Crater Lake National Park, Mt. Shasta, the Rogue River, the Siskiyous, the Trinity Alps, and also mentions a hot spring and a "wild flower mecca". Another thing I like about this author is that he breaks down trips with 48 routes recommended for backpackers, 22 trails for mountain bikers, 59 for horses, and if you have ice in your veins 24 trails open all-year-round. Also 54 hikes are chosen for kids. Good stuff.

100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Oregon Coast & Coast Range, by William L. Sullivan: Going to the coast? This book covers hiking the Pacific shore, as well as information on the lighthouses, beaches, camps, aquariums, and more. 64 hikes for children, 44 hikes through old-growth forest, and 42 hikes for physically challenged or for those pushing a stroller are nice features.

Day Hike! North Cascades (Day Hike), 5/5 rating, by Mike McQuaide: The nice thing about this book is it's organized around highways and major roads making day hikes all that much easier. It gives the traditional difficulty level, elevation gain, topographical maps, and trail rating but also mentions permits required, special notes and a brief overview of a hike as well as a longer detailed description. If you're looking for vivid color photography this isn't your book as it has black and white photographs.

Don't Waste Your Time in the North Cascades: An Opinionated Hiking Guide to Help You Get the Most from This Magnificent Wilderness, rating 4/5, by Kathy Copeland, Craig Copeland: This is a very opinionated book on what to see and not see in the North Cascades. You'll love it or hate it. It has descriptions, directions, and ratings. If you don't mind people that grumble a little they can save you a lot of time by recommending which trails are the best and which to avoid.

100 Hikes in Washington's North Cascades National Park Region, 5/5 rating, by Ira Spring, Harvey Manning: An opinionated book on hiking the Cascade Mountains. But I would rather have a knowledgable opinion about a hike to avoid wasting my time because I had to fill-in-the-blanks myself. Trail descriptions, 16 pages of color photos so you'll see what to expect, and maps. Also reports elevation, distance, and seasonal information.

Washington's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide, 5/5 rating, by Kai Huschke, Charles Gurche: If you're looking for great pictures this is the book for you. Also provides detailed hike descriptions from someone who has been there and appreciates beauty in nature. A cross between a hiking guide and a work that will pull you to Washington's wilderness.

Best Hikes With Children: Western Washington & the Cascades, 5/5 rating, by Joan Burton, Ira Spring: Got kids? This book has easy day and over-night hikes for families with kids or less-active people. If you're tired of trying to research if a hike is right for your child than save yourself a headache and get this book.

Hot Showers, Soft Beds, and Dayhikes in the North Cascades, by Sally O'Neal Coates: If you're looking for a more comfortable way to see the Cascade Mountains without the camping take a look at this book. If you like to hike and camp but your spouse only likes the hiking this may be a way to smooth the wrinkles. This book has pictures of lodging (Bed & Breakfasts, rustic cabins, etc.) and places to eat from restaurants to fine dining.

Best Old Growth Forest Hikes: Washington & Oregon Cascades (Best Hikes), by John Cissel, Diane Cissel: When an author hikes 2,000 miles to do research for his book that's a good start! If you're looking to hike old-growth forests take a look at this book of 100 day hikes with tree, plant, and animal identification lists and drawings. You may want to compliment it with another guide or map though.

100 Hikes in Washington's South Cascades and Olympics: Chinook Pass, White Pass, Goat Rocks, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, by Ira Spring, Harvey Manning: As you've probably noticed there are a lot fewer hiking books about the Southern Cascades than the Northern Cascades. I debated about including this book because it didn't impress me as being great, but there would have been a void so I decided to mention it. That being said the decision is yours... This book isn't perfect, some of directions could be clearer and it isn't as detailed as it should be but it will give you an idea of what you'll encounter. What you will have is a point of reference that you can work from. I would at least recommend getting some additional maps to supplement this book.

Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Rainy Pass to Fraser River, 5/5 rating, by Fred W. Beckey: This book has more of a focus on mountaineering than hiking but is a great resource if you're experienced and want to head toward the high routes. The author has ascended hundreds of peaks. This guide provides detailed route and alternate route summit information.

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I hope this information makes your visit to the Cascade Mountains a trip to remember. :-)