NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The season for hiking in the mountains is here, but your options to access the North Cascades National Park are limited.

Wildfires burning in and around the park have prompted officials to close a number of the park’s entrances.

There is currently no access to trailheads along Highway 20 between Granite Creek and Easy Pass because of the proximity to the Easy Fire.

Park officials have also closed Cascade River Road and the Johannesburg Cross-Country zone in Skagit County due to the Pincer Two Fire burning in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

Access via Stehekin at the northern tip of Lake Chelan is also limited because that area is under a level 1 evacuation order due to the Pioneer Fire, which is now burning over 30,000 acres on the north shore of the lake.

The Stehekin Ferry unloads hiking gear and mail on July 13. The community of Stehekin is a popular entry point for the North Cascades National Park and is only accessible by ferry or hiking trails. Photographer: Adam Smith.

 

You can still access the park from the Baker Lake Road near Concrete or by heading up the Mount Baker Highway from Bellingham.

If you do choose to head out, remember that campfires are currently banned in all portions of the national park.

For a full list of closures and an air quality map, visit the National Parks website.

The closures come as millions of acres of national forest lands across the Pacific Northwest are seeing record-breaking dry conditions.

That is according to the U.S. Forest Service which says the dry spell has spurred rapid wildfire growth from a string of recent lightning storms.

Those include over 2,000 lightning strikes recorded in 48 hours on July 16 and 17.

Some national forests in Oregon have gone 75 days without wetting rains, while some areas here in Washington like the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest have gone dry for 45 days.

The Forest Service says there are currently 14 large wildfires burning in national forests between Washington and Oregon.

The Pioneer Fire is currently burning over 30,000 acres on the north shore of Lake Chelan, prompting evacuation orders in the area. Photo courtesy U.S. National Forest Service.

All 17 national forests in the region are also enforcing campfire restrictions to prevent any human-caused blazes, which make up 75 percent of all annual wildfires between the two states.

Temperatures are expected to drop by the end of the week, but the continued dry conditions and gusty winds in the forecast could fan wildfires around the Cascades.