North Cascades Highway has opened for the season—summer is on the horizon! The North Cascades Highway is packed with adventures including lowland fishing, more than 300 glaciers, and the one and only Skagit Tours, featuring the Skagit Hydroelectric Project owned by Seattle City Light. Just a couple hours from Seattle in the North Cascades National Park Complex, you’ll enjoy breathtaking mountains, 400 miles of hiking trails and beautiful emerald waters while learning about the carbon-neutral energy produced there for customers like you.
Need more convincing to plan your trip to this must-see, summer destination? Check out our top five reasons to visit Skagit Tours:
1. Cruise the Emerald Green Diablo Lake
Hop aboard the Alice Ross IV and set out on a tour of Diablo Lake. This tour takes you to hidden viewpoints and explains how this remote location was transformed by early settlers. Between the almost-ethereal emerald waters and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, it will be a trip you will not soon forget.
Cruises are filling up, so register for a lake tour today.
2. Cross Diablo Dam and Hike Around Diablo Lake
The epic views from Diablo Dam are not to be missed on your excursion. Just off Highway 20, Diablo Dam provides a 360° view of mountains and shimmering Diablo Lake. Stick around and take a lake tour or venture out one of the many trails in the area. Afterward, you can see hydroelectric power at work during a Powerhouse Insiders Tour!
3. Climb Around Ladder Creek Falls
The Skagit Project once aspired to be a theme park, and remnants of that vision came to fruition! Ladder Creek Falls comes alive at night with an imaginative display of light. Journey upwards and stand next to the falls as it surges into the colorful array.
4. Take Home a Pound (or Two) of Handmade Fudge
Once a store for local workers and dam builders, Skagit General Store now serves tourists with everything you need for the perfect picnic. After being open in Newhalem for nearly 100 years, they still are best known for their delicious fudge. Grab a pound before hitting the road, or take some hiking up the Trail of the Cedars!
5. Sign Up for a Class at the North Cascades Institute
Get your green on at North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. Seattle is powered with 100% carbon-neutral energy, but there are plenty of other ways to limit your environmental impact at home! Learn about our precious surroundings through geology walks or try watercolor journaling.
These are just a few of our favorite things to explore in the area. Now it’s time for you to make your own must-do Skagit Project list! Learn more about the variety of tours offered through skagittours.com. We’re confident you’ll find a tour that will pique your interest—but book soon! Most tours only run through September and space is limited.