One of five Trails Illustrated maps for the Washington Cascades region offering the most detailed and up-to-date map for the forest, carefully researched and developed in co-operation with local land managers and agencies. Each map contains easy to read trails, numbered forest service roads, campsites, access points, scenic points-of-interests, and important facilities.
More than 700 lakes and mountain ponds fill practically every low spot in the glacier-carved terrain of Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Valleys thick with trees give way to rocky ridges and rugged peaks along the crest of the Cascades, some slopes permanently cloaked with snowfields. Diverse is the word that best describes the Alpine Lakes: from wet forests of Douglas fir, cedar, and western hemlock understoried with salal and berries at lower elevations on the western side; to true firs and mountain hemlock opened by extensive meadows matted with low growth; to the crest and 180 inches of precipitation per year (largely as snow); countered by spruce, whitebark pine, and larch on the eastern side; and ending farther down with a dry forestland of ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine understoried by grasses and dampened by as little as 10 inches of annual precipitation.
The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) enters from Stevens Pass on the north to follow the crest south, with a long westward bend to Snoqualmie Pass, a distance of 67 trail miles. Hordes of people take advantage of the PCT's 450 miles or so of excellent trails. Subsequent use and abuse of the area has resulted in a permit system, which is applied to some regions of the Wilderness between June 15 and October 15. No dogs are permitted, and campfires are banned above 5,000 feet.
More than just a map, National Geographic Trails Illustrated topographic maps are designed to take you into the wilderness and back. Printed on tear-resistant, waterproof material, this map can go anywhere you do. Each map is based on exact reproductions of USGS topographic map information, updated, customized, and enhanced to meet the unique features of each area. The maps include valuable wilderness tips and Leave No Trace guidelines, along with updated trails, trailheads, points of interest, campgrounds, and much more. With a new color palette and stunning shaded relief, backcountry navigation has never been easier.