Every summer, as the snow melts and makes its way down the Skagit River, high school students make their way upstream on Youth Leadership Adventures trips. They start their journey by boarding a van with the other students that they’ll be spending five or eight days in the wilderness with.
Read More from “YLA 2026: Growing Together in the North Cascades”
There’s a moment every fall in the North Cascades when the mountains seem to light up, not with red or orange leaves, but with gold. And if …
Read More of Why Do Larch Trees Turn Gold? And Why Is That So Weird for a Conifer?
I had long heard of the legendary beauty of Cascade Pass when Marjorie and I finally had the opportunity to hike up to it in September 2022, …
Read More of In the Range of Fire & Ice: Peopling the Passes
Written by Alma Busby-Williams, Welcome & Belonging Advisor And just like that, the third annual Weekend for All has ended! Each year I always have a little …
Read More of Weekend for All: When Access Becomes Belonging
June, July, and August are some of the most delightful months in the North Cascades ecoregion with abundant wildflowers, wildlife, and wild landscapes to explore! From natural …
Read More of Looking Back at the Flowers, Frogs & Frolics of Summer
Summer in Washington is winding down, the days are getting shorter, and you can feel fall starting to creep in. The temperatures cool off, the rain returns, …
Read More of From the Trail: Why Autumn Smells So Good in the North Cascades
North Cascades Institute is excited to be relaunching its Creative Residency program! This fall, a series of three artists and writers will come stay at the Environmental …
Read More of Welcome to our Fall 2026 Creative Residents!
Glaciers have shaped the landscape of the Pacific Northwest and continue to provide critical water resources each summer. They shape our mountains, create lake basins; provide freshwater …
Read More of The North Cascade Glacier Climate Project: Observing Glacier Change with Art and Science Since 1984
If you’ve ever driven through Washington’s North Cascades on a sunny summer day, chances are you’ve had the same thought as just about everyone else: “Is the …
Read More of Why North Cascades Rivers Glow Turquoise Every Summer (And Why Diablo Lake Is So Iconic)
After logging threatened their land, the Tla-o-qui-aht of Vancouver Island protected their forests—and themselves—by creating one of the world’s first indigenous-run parks. MEARES ISLAND, IN THE SOUTHWESTERN …
Read More of Guardians of Life: Vancouver Island Rebuilding Indigenous Sovereignty
