USFS · Wilderness area · Washington

Glacier Peak Wilderness

Glacier Peak Wilderness, which shares its northern border with North Cascades National Park, has few equals in terms of sheer ruggedness. Glacier Peak, the highest summit in the area at 10,541 feet, is...

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.

Wilderness566,161 acresUSFSWADesignated 196432 campgrounds within 10 mi1 Forest Service site
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Glacier Peak Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
4fires
active
Miners · 2 mi from the center · 144 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateWashington
Size566,161 acres (Wilderness Connect)
Designated1964, by Congress
Center point48.2013, -121.0198
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 9)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary and 31 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Stevens Pass Mountain Resort Rv Lot
Reservable60 sites
FS · 0 mi
Alpine Meadows Campground
Reservable4 sites
FS · 0 mi
Nineteen Mile Campground
Reservable4 sites
FS · 0.1 mi
Buck Creek Campground
Reservable29 sites
FS · 0.1 mi
Domke Falls Campground
First-comeWA
FS · 0.2 mi
Holden Ballpark Campground
First-comeWA
FS · 0.2 mi
Sulphur Creek Campground
Reservable22 sites
FS · 0.5 mi
Mineral Park Campground
Reservable22 sites
Show 4 more

20 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 1

The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site inside this wilderness, among them 1 trailhead. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Wildfire
    Miners

    2 mi from the center point · 144 acres · 0% contained

  • Wildfire
    Gamma Creek

    2 mi from the center point · 29 acres

  • Wildfire
    Sisi

    13 mi from the center point · 3,676 acres · 5% contained

  • Wildfire
    Little Giant

    15 mi from the center point · 172,705 acres · 81% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 17 mi
North Cascades National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 27 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Glacier Peak Wilderness?

566,161 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Glacier Peak Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Glacier Peak Wilderness in?

Washington.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Glacier Peak Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1964.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Glacier Peak Wilderness?

1 federal campground sits inside the boundary, including Stevens Pass Mountain Resort Rv Lot. 32 in all are within ten miles. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Glacier Peak Wilderness?

The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site here, including 1 trailhead. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Glacier Peak Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 48.201, -121.020. North Cascades National Park is 17 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Is there a fire near Glacier Peak Wilderness right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Miners at 2 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Glacier Peak Wilderness?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 9 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Glacier Peak Wilderness?

North Cascades National Park (17 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.