North Cascades Institute - Connecting people, nature, and community since 1986

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 Learning Center in order to work on creative projects while living in community with the participants and staff. Please join us in welcoming this year’s creative residents: Melinda Hurst Frye, Julie Kim, and Claire Thompson.

Aug 27, 2026Special Guest

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

Aug 19, 2026Marissa Bluestein

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)

Jul 16, 2026Special Guest

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

Jul 10, 2026Special Guest

My new book, The Earth Said Remember Me: How to Revive Our Memories and Restore the Planet, centers on the ways in which ordinary forgetting is an …
Read More of “The Earth Said Remember Me” by Jason Dove Mark

Jul 6, 2026Marissa Bluestein

Summer is one of the busiest times of year in the North Cascades. As snow melts from higher elevations and more trails become accessible, hikers, backpackers, climbers, …
Read More of Leave No Trace in the North Cascades: Protecting a Wild Place During Peak Adventure Season

Jun 24, 2026North Cascades Institute

Before diving into the exciting learning adventures we have planned for this summer, join our Field Programs team Emily Schauble and Shelby Gresch on a photographic review …
Read More of Spring 2026 Field Programs Highlights

Jun 15, 2026North Cascades Institute

This Spring, Mountain School welcomed hundreds of students from across the region into the forests, watersheds, and communities of the North Cascades. Throughout the season, students hiked …
Read More of Spring 2026 Mountain School Highlights

Jun 5, 2026Marissa Bluestein

In Search of Waterfalls, Lush Forests, and Quiet Trails Early spring in the North Cascades is a time of transition. Snow still covers the high peaks, but …
Read More of From the Trail: Spring Hiking in the North Cascades

May 18, 2026North Cascades Institute

For forty years, the North Cascades Institute has believed transformation happens outdoors—in mossy forests, along singing rivers, under open skies. This spring, we’re honoring those roots. This …
Read More of Tom Fleischner with Saul Weisberg 40th anniversary events this week

Welcome to our Fall 2026 Creative Residents!

The North Cascade Glacier Climate Project: Observing Glacier Change with Art and Science Since 1984

Why North Cascades Rivers Glow Turquoise Every Summer (And Why Diablo Lake Is So Iconic)

Guardians of Life: Vancouver Island Rebuilding Indigenous Sovereignty

“The Earth Said Remember Me” by Jason Dove Mark

Leave No Trace in the North Cascades: Protecting a Wild Place During Peak Adventure Season

Spring 2026 Field Programs Highlights

Spring 2026 Mountain School Highlights

From the Trail: Spring Hiking in the North Cascades

Tom Fleischner with Saul Weisberg 40th anniversary events this week

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