North-Cascades-Nationalpark
The North Cascades National Park is a national park in the United States in the north of the U.S. state of Washington on the border with Canada. It covers more than 2040 square kilometers in the high mountains of the eponymous Cascade Range, a mountain range of volcanic origin. Only the high altitudes belong to virtually uninfluenced by man National Park, the valley of the Skagit River with its three reservoirs is reported as Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and splits the National Park into a northern and a southern part. In the south of the park merges into the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Both National Recreation Area administered by the National Park along with the National Park Service. Tourist and other infrastructure are only available in the National Recreation Areas, the National Park is undeveloped. Therefore, it is the least visited national park in the United States outside of Alaska.
The park was dedicated in 1968, and since 1988 its territory is additionally designated as Wilderness Areas, the most severe class of protected natural areas in the United States.
Geography
The park is located about 50 km east of the Puget Sound and about 150 km north-east of Seattle. He has completely high mountain character. Its highest point is the Goode Mountain with 2806 m in the southern part of the park. The park is being developed in the valley of the Skagit River through the Washington State Route 20, which is closed in winter typically from October to May. From northwestern Washington state route 542 to the Mount Baker Ski Area, where hiking trails begin to the north of the National Park and in the southwest reaches the gravel road Cascade River Road and into the park. From the south there from Chelan on Lake Chelan a ferry crossing to the north shore, from where you can hike in the national park.
The image of the mountain is characterized by over 300 glaciers, the park is therefore the most glaciated area of the United States outside of Alaska. The entire landscape shows the traces of glaciation during the ice age.
The national park is completely surrounded on the U.S. side of the Mt Baker - Snoqualmie National Forests National Forest and Okanogan National Forest. They are managed by the U.S. Forest Service. In the National Forests Wilderness Areas and several Mt Baker National Recreation Area are incorporated. At the Canadian border of the national park is immediately adjacent to the Skagit Valley Provincial Park and the Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia.
Geology
The northern part of the Cascade Range to the older part of the mountain range and is different than the southern portion no longer today primarily characterized by volcanism. The National Park itself is no recent volcano, Mount Baker is a good 10 km to the west, Glacier Peak about 20 km south of the park, they are both over 3200 m high. The mountains of the Northern Cascade Mountains consist mainly of metamorphic rocks, mainly gneiss and schist, with intrusions of granite.
They came in two phases. The oldest parts originated from sediments that have accumulated over up to four hundred millions years at the western edge of present-day North American continent. This was done by plate tectonic processes in which island arcs and pushed sediments from former seabed on the continent. Here, massive pressure developed in the material, which led to the metamorphosis of the rock. The sedimentary rock was converted into gneiss and schist. The northwest-southeast orientation of most mountain ranges comes from the impact of a small tectonic plate in front of about 90 million years ago.
Before approximately 40-35 million years ago the Juan de Fuca plate began on the North American Plate incident. It formed a subduction zone and the melting of the subducting material Juan de Fuca plate volcanism triggered on the one hand and on the other hand led to a raising of the entire rock complex. As a result, increased erosion and the younger rock layers were removed. So also all the younger volcanoes within the park. Therefore, today is the old, mostly metamorphic rock free.
Today's appearance of the mountains is dominated by the massive glaciation during the ice age and today. The typical terrain structures are cirques and deep U-shaped valleys, the striking Mount Shuksan in the northwest of the park is a Karling, created by several glaciers that emanate from its flanks and the Shield to a pyramidal tip with sharp ridges. The strong glacier is due to the location on the west flank of the Cascade Range, which has particularly high rainfall result.
The central valley of the Skagit River has been ground out only the east and west by two independent glaciers as a glaciated valley. The middle part, between about Newhalem and the Ross Dam, is a self- dug from the river V-shaped valley, which is now largely gone under in the reservoir. The Lake Chelan in the south is a classic Zungenbeckensee.
Flora and Fauna
Giant trees of life and Western American hemlock covered especially the wetter western valleys, ruffled by the wind Rocky Mountain fir form the transition to subalpine mats. Within the three areas of the National Park system has more than 1,500 plant species have been determined, as well as hundreds of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and thousands of insects. Bears, wolves, cougars, and hawks are not very numerous, but contribute to the genetic wealth of the area at. Between Newhalem and the boundary of the Ross Lake National Recreation Area at Bacon Creek you can see bald eagles, which feed along the Skagit River salmon in the middle of winter often.
History
The North Cascades region was explored only in the 19th century by white explorers. As the first white fur traders Alexander Ross is said to have traveled to the region. From 1880 to 1910 miners dug for gold, lead, zinc and platinum. They claimed a moderate yield, but the transportation was so difficult and the profit is so low that the mining was abandoned. The first settlers and loggers came in 1900 in the region. Breakfast was recognized that the Skagit River could provide electricity, and 1924-1961 established the Electricity Company Seattle City Light three dams with hydroelectric power plants along the Skagit River, which today cover about a quarter of the electricity needs of Seattle. On 2 October 1968, the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area were established. 1988 were designated by Congress under the name of Stephen Mather Wilderness as Wilderness Area to preserve their wilderness character permanently about 93 percent of these three areas.
Activities
Almost the entire National Park is designated as Wilderness, so there are few facilities within the park. The national park has a visitor center at Newhalem, which is open from spring to autumn and winter daily on weekends. It provides information and exhibits on the natural and cultural history as well as audiovisual and guided by rangers programs and short hiking trails. For the North Cascades National Park you need to pay tolls.
Hiking and mountain climbing are the most popular Aktiväten in the National Park. Overall, the reserve offers over 580 miles of hiking trails, where you can roam all habitats in most multi-day hikes. Also, the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the valley of the Stehekin River to the south of the park. Seattle City Light offers regular tours to the dams of Diablo Lake and Ross Lake. The reservoirs also serve as waterways that lead to remote areas, these three areas of the National Park Service. Boats and motor boats can be rented at party in the National Recreation Area.