Switzerland costs too much

The author has visited Switzerland several times but finds it one of the world's most expensive countries. High prices for flights, accommodations, meals and entertainment make frequent visits from the US unaffordable.

Ouray feels dry, not Swiss

Ouray, Colorado, in the San Juan Mountains at about seven thousand eight hundred feet elevation, is called the Switzerland of America. Box Canyon Falls Park offers waterfalls and mountain views, but the landscape felt significantly drier than Switzerland's lush greenery.

Telluride has European charm

Telluride, Colorado, located an hour from Ouray, felt more European to the author than Ouray. Victorian-era buildings, stunning wildflowers and a gondola system offering scenic rides reminded her of traveling into the Alps.

Glacier Park's Many Glacier impresses

Montana's Glacier National Park, dubbed the Switzerland of North America, has a Many Glacier portion with a chalet-style Many Glacier Hotel surrounded by Matterhorn-esque mountains. The Grinnell Glacier Trail offered dramatic peaks, glacial landscapes and pristine lakes but was an arduous ten-mile uphill climb.

North Cascades has year-round snow

Located about two hours from Seattle, North Cascades National Park features year-round snowcapped peaks and stunning glacial lakes. Nicknamed the American Alps, it provided the author's best Alpine experience outside Switzerland.

Diablo Lake is surreal turquoise

North Cascades spans more than five hundred thousand acres with more than four hundred miles of hiking trails. Diablo Lake is a surreal shade of turquoise where the author's son skipped stones, surrounded by wildflowers and occasional mountain goats.

“a surreal shade of turquoise”

North Cascades wins on access

North Cascades is one of America's least visited national parks despite its mesmerizing beauty. The author's family stayed in nearby Winthrop, a Western-themed town. The park is easy to visit, offers numerous hotel options and is free to enter.

North Cascades is the best choice

For a getaway with icy mountains and turquoise lakes that does not require a passport or travel hundreds of miles from the nearest airport, the author will choose North Cascades in northern Washington over other American Alpine alternatives.