The Pasayten Wilderness encompasses more than half a million acres. Spread along the Canadian border, between The North Cascades National Park on its west side and the rolling foothills of the Okanagan to the east, the Pasayten is the place to go if you love forests, rugged mountains, wild rivers, intense green meadows adorned with flowers and solitude.
Established as a designated wilderness in 1968 the Pasayten is closed to all motorized vehicles. To visit its grandeur one must travel by foot or horseback. There is an extensive network of trails where one can trek for weeks, rarely meeting another person.
The famed Pacific Crest Trail crosses the western side of the wilderness, following the crest of the Cascades Range through to its northern terminus in Manning Provincial Park, in British Columbia.
Here are just a few of the magnificent views you’ll find when you come for a visit!
Pasayten Wilderness Panorama
Wildflowers along the Pacific Crest Trail
Pasayten Crest Trail at Rock Pass
Louden Lake, Pasayten Wilderness
Pasayten wildflowers at Sunset
Hoseshow Basin, Trail Junction
Evening at Jim Pass
Cathedral Peak from Upper Cathedral Lake
Amphitheater Mountain, Pasayten Wilderness
Cathedral Peak reflected in melted snow pond
Andy Porter began his love of the outdoors when, at the age of 16, he completed a month-long Outward Program in the Sawtooth Wilderness of Idaho. Since then he has hitchhiked many miles, criss-crossing the US; trekked in the Andes; lived in the steppes of Siberia and now makes his home in the northwestern corner of Washington state, where he feels completely at home. As a photographer and writer Andy tries to capture some small part of the beauty and wonder he sees. You can see more of Andy’s images here, and on his blog page, which includes many of his stories of travel and adventure.
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