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Learn more about the Institute, our campus and wild classroom in the North Cascades
North Cascades Institute
North Cascades Institute envisions a community that understands the importance of the North Cascades bioregion and works together to protect it for generation after generation. Our mission is to inspire environmental stewardship through transformative learning experiences in the North Cascades bioregion. Since 1986, we have helped connect people, nature and community through the hands-on study of the natural and cultural history of the Pacific Northwest.
North Cascades Environmental Learning Center
The Learning Center is a hub of discovery for all ages in one of the wildest, most biologically diverse landscapes in North America. From our campus on Diablo Lake, you can explore cascading streams, wildflower meadows, old-growth forests and a rich Northwest history.
North Cascades Ecosystem
The North Cascades are rugged mountains, with precipitous crags climbing high above deep dark valleys. Their dominant characteristics are water, ice, jagged peaks, near-vertical cirque headwalls and steep glacial valleys. The North Cascades contain most of the glaciers of the United States outside of Alaska. These are steep mountains — often ascending more than 5,000 feet from valley to summit.