By:
Submission
Great views. Alpine meadows. This forested campground is located in the Hart's Pass Area, near the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. No trailers allowed on Forest Road 5400 to Hart's Pass (very narrow road).
From Winthrop, Washington drive west on Highway 20 for 15 miles, turn right onto Lost River Road 9140 for 7.5 miles. Paved road turns into gravel forest service Hart's Pass Road 5400. Follow gravel road for 13 miles then turn left into Hart's Pass Campground (across from Guard Station). Hart's Pass Road 5400 is a narrow, windy mountain road with steep side cliffs in places. Yield to trucks. Trailers not allowed on Hart's Pass #5400 Road or on Chancelor Road 5400-700 from June 1st to December 31 except snowmobile trailers are allowed November 1 to December 31 to Cache Creek parking area.
Great campground. Wind keeps the bugs away, and interesting rock outcrops provide great
The NF guard keeps the place clean and safe. Great spot to set up a base camp to explore the N. Cascades. There are two separate camping locations at Harts Pass. The sites fill up quick on the weekend. The spots closest to the guard station are the envied spots but generally the camp site further from the guard station don’t fill up as quick.
If you can’t find camping at harts pass you can always just park and walk a mile or so and find a couple tent sites.
When hiking in the park remember to stay on trail and keep off the plant life as much as you can. It can take up to 10 years for plants to repair in the N. Cascades.
I visited the North Cascades region in August of 2017 because of the local beauty and also because this area is DARK. Local light pollution are among the lowest in the state of Washington and some of the darkest in the continental US. I selected Harts Pass campground because of the remoteness and also because of the badass mountain road one must traverse to get there (white knuckle driving at it's best). The single night I was able to spend here was wondrously clear and dark, with no moon in the way. The mountain beauty is accentuated by the pitch dark skies and quiet nature of the campsite. I can't wait to get back to this area for more exploring and photography.
It's a pain to get here, but it's worth the trip! I brought some PCT hiker buddies to Hart's Pass to begin their northern section of the trail. Coming from Bellevue area, it was quite a journey but worth stopping an numerous points along the way if you have time.
Low-riding sedans, electric cars, or small vehicles are not recommended for the final 10 miles up to Hart's or beyond. You need some clearance, traction, and smart driving to make it safely to the top and back. Be wary of oncoming traffic; this is a dangerous road in certain conditions.
Olympic Otter
Here is the scoop on getting up here. Hart’s Pass road is not difficult to get up as far as the campground and guard building. We did it in a Prius and had no issues. As long as you drive careful and keep an eye out for rocks in the road then no worries. I was surprised a lot of the road is amongst trees not along the edge of cliffs. There certainly are areas like that and they are amazing. I highly suggest you be prepared for a flat tire before you make your way up here because the person working at the guard building said they had two flat tires in 12 hours today up at the top, including one on a large 4 x 4 vehicle and one on a sedan like ours.
If you have any plans on going to the old mining area called Barron they you have to have a tough 4 WD vehicle or you will NOT make it. It is almost 3 miles there and we hiked some of the road and it was clearly impossible for any 2WD vehicles.
