2 Best Restaurants in North Cascades National Park, Washington

Hearty meals in the rustic log ranch house, served at polished wood tables, include buffet dinners of steak, ribs, hamburgers, fish, salad, beans, and dessert. Note that breakfast is served 7 to 8:30, lunch is noon to 1, and dinner is 5:30 to 6:30; show up later than that, and you'll find the kitchen is closed. If you want to enjoy a drink with your meal, bring your own alcohol—it's not otherwise served. For guests not staying at the ranch, dinner reservations are required, and transportation from the Stehekin Landing costs $10 each way.

As you enter this lawn-framed timber chalet, you're immersed in the tantalizing aromas of a European bakery. Glassed-in display cases are filled with trays of homemade baked goods, and the pungent espresso is eye-opening. Sit down at a window-side table and dig into an overfilled sandwich or rich bowl of soup—and don't forget dessert: the pie is sublime, made with fruit fresh-picked from local orchards. Two miles north of the boat landing, the shop is conveniently en route to Rainbow Falls.