Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Natural History Seminars
Want to track radio-collared mountain caribou? Learn about Lummi
Indian basketry? Delve into the mysteries of mycology? You can do any of
these things if you sign up for the right class through the
North Cascades
Institute.
Offering more than 80 natural history field seminars each year,
the North Cascades Institute, 810 State Rte. 20, Sedro-Woolley, WA
98284-1239 (
&
360/856-5700,
ext. 209; www.ncascades.org), is a non-
profit educational organization that offers a wide range of courses each
year. While these seminars—many of which involve camping out—focus
on the North Cascades region, there are programs throughout the state.
Between Concrete and Marblemount, the highway parallels the Skagit River,
and from December to February each year, hundreds of bald eagles descend on
this stretch of the river to feed on dying salmon. Highway turnouts at the prime
eagle-watching sites along this stretch of road provide opportunities to observe
the eagles. To learn more about the eagles, stop by Rockport's
Eagle Interpre-
tive Center,
Alfred Street (
&
360/853-7283;
www.skagiteagle.org), which is
located 1 block south of Wash. 20 in the Rockport Fire Hall. The center is
staffed Friday through Monday during eagle-watching season. This center can
also provide information on the annual Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival, which
takes place each year in late January or early February. The best way to do your
eagle-watching is from a raft floating slowly down the river (no white water
here). Companies offering
eagle-watching float trips
include
Chinook Expe-
ditions
(
&
800/241-3451;
www.chinookexpeditions.com) and
Alpine Adven-
tures
(
&
800/723-8386
or 206/323-1220; www.alpineadventures.com). An
all-day trip costs about $75.
Right in the middle of the eagle-viewing area, you'll come to the town of
Rockport. On its west side is
Rockport State Park,
where you can take a hike
through a stand of old-growth Douglas firs, some of which are more than
300 years old. Three miles east of Rockport, keep an eye out for
Cascadian
Farm Home Farm Roadside Stand,
55749 Hwy. 20 (
&
360/853-8173;
www.cfarm.com), which is open May through October and sells fresh organic
berries during the summer months.
Hikers in search of mountain vistas and wildflower-filled meadows should
hold out for
Rainy Pass
(and hope that the pass is not living up to its
name). Here you'll find an easy paved trail to
Rainy Lake,
which can be com-
bined with the strenuous, but astoundingly soul-satisfying,
Maple Pass Loop.
The view from Maple Pass is one of the finest in the Northwest. The Pacific
Crest Trail also crosses the highway at Rainy Pass. If you head north along the
Pacific Crest Trail, you will climb to Cutthroat Pass, with more superb views. A
few miles farther east, you'll find the trail head for the short, but steep, hike to
picturesque
Blue Lake.
Roughly 20 miles before reaching the Wild West town of Winthrop, you
come to the most breathtaking stretch of the North Cascades Scenic Highway.
Here, at
Washington Pass
(5,447 ft. in elevation), the granite peak of
Liberty Bell Mountain rises 2,200 feet above. Across the valley are the jagged
Early Winter Spires, a full 200 feet taller than Liberty Bell Mountain. Below
the pass the road has been blasted out of a steep cliff face in one huge switch-
back. The Washington Pass Overlook, with its short walking trail, provides an
