North Cascades National Park
| North Cascades National Park | |
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IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
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View from Sahale Arm
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| Location | Whatcom, Skagit, and Chelan counties, Washington, USA |
| Nearest city | Mount Vernon, Washington |
| Coordinates | 48°49′58″N 121°20′51″W / 48.83278°N 121.34750°WCoordinates: 48°49′58″N 121°20′51″W / 48.83278°N 121.34750°W |
| Area | 504,781 acres (2,042.78 km2) |
| Established | October 2, 1968 |
| Visitors | 28,646 (in 2016) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | North Cascades National Park |
North Cascades National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the state of Washington. The park is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Several national wilderness areas and British Columbia parkland adjoin the National Park. The park features rugged mountain peaks and protects portions of the North Cascades range.
Human history in the region now part of North Cascades National Park dates back to the end of the last glacial period, and the region has been continuously inhabited for at least the last 8-10,000 years. At that time, Native American ancestors of Skagit tribes slowly advanced from Puget Sound into the interior mountainous region as the glacial ice retreated. Archeological evidence of continuous human presence in the North Cascades dates to 4,470 B.P. and rocks procured from sources in the region were used to manufacture stone tools and weapons for several millennia.Hozomeen chert, a type of rock well-suited to the fabrication of implements, was mined from near Hozomeen Mountain, just east of the park border, for the last 8,400 years. Hozomeen chert is part of the archeological record throughout the Skagit River Valley, west of the park and in regions to the east, indicating people visited the region if for no other purpose than to obtain raw materials. Prehistoric micro blades dating back to 9,600 years before present have been discovered at Cascade Pass, a mountain pass that connects the western lowlands to the interior regions of the park and the Stehekin River Valley. The micro blades are part of an archeological assemblage that includes five distinct cultural periods, indicating that people were traveling into the mountains nearly 10,000 years ago. The archeological excavation at Cascade Pass is one of the 260 prehistoric sites that have been identified in the park.
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Wikipedia