re: We are trying to decide between Yellowstone and North Cascades the 2nd week of July

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easily do North Cascades, Mt Ranier, Mt Baker wilderness and Mt St Helens in a trip.

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Not sure I would call that easy to do in a week with 6 people. You'd need to be constantly moving.

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Most are never really crowded

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Paradise at Rainier will be Disney World type packed. Rainier all depends on the weather, has to be clear to see the mountain. We went first week of July two years ago. We arrived there at 8am and had a little trouble parking. When we left around noon there was about a 3 mile line waiting to enter the park and people circling the lot like vultures.

OP-you'll have a great time doing either trip. Yellowstone gets crowded but it is usually between 10-3 and only the popular spots. Hit those up early or late. Old Faithful at 8 am or 6pm will have about 30 people there, same for Artist Point or Grand Prismatic. Separate the park into quadrants and tackle it that way. Make sure you drive Bear Tooth Pass to Red Lodge one day. With 5/6 days you have plenty of time to see the park and not be in any sort of hurry. From Denver west is a pretty damn awesome part of the world.