north cascades institute skagit tours- day tours

After checking in, we were offered a buffet lunch, a brief talk about the tour, and then off to the boat for a beautiful ride through Diablo Lake in the North Cascades. We had great weather and the views were beautiful. One highlight of the tour was a stop at one of the dams that provide electric power for Seattle. If you're going to be in the area, make sure to get reservations. It's well worth the day.

I worked at Seattle City Light as a contractor 20 years ago and I had been told that I need to do the Skagit tour. I decided that it would be great to try this with my 81 y/o father when he was in town. What a great experience! We got an up close look at the powerhouses that you would not normally get. Eric from the National Park Service and Dylan from the North Cascades Institute - clearly loved their jobs and provided a wealth of information regarding the generation of hydroelectric power, and were well versed in the history and geology of the area. Do not miss this opportunity!

This tour consists of lunch and then a boat cruise on Diablo Lake. The scenery was great - it was a clear day - but the tour took too long. You check in at 10:30am at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. Then you have 45 minutes to wait for lunch. There are some short trails through the woods or you could walk around the campus of the learning center. Most people just sat at the cafeteria and waited. They had coffee and tea available.Lunch at 11:15 was buffet style. They had green salad with local vegetables, potato salad, smoked salmon pasta, soup, rolls, and several dessert selections. It was good, but not outstanding. They schedule an hour for lunch so if you finish early there's really nothing to do but wait around some more.At 12:15 everyone assembled outside for a brief talk on how the National Park Service, Seattle City Light and North Cascades Institue formed an alliance and work together. Then they walked us down to board the boat. There were several stops for additional talks by the guides - including how they built the campus with concern for the environment. It's about a quarter mile walk, but they also had a shuttle service for people who couldn't walk that far.We boarded the boat at 12:45 and cruised slowly around the lake to the top of Diablo Dam and then upriver through a narrow canyon to the base of Ross Dam. The guides talked about the history of the Seattle City Light projects and wildlife in the wilderness areas (although we didn't see any wildlife). It was a hot day and they did have drinking water available. We got off the boat for about 15 minutes at Ross Dam. There were a couple of Porta Potties in case you needed one since there was no toilet on the boat. Then we cruised back down the lake and got back to the dock at 2:30.Diablo Lake is quite scenic and you get to see sections that you can't see from the highway. I would have given the tour a higher rating if it was better organized. There was about 90 minutes of sitting or standing around with nothing to do.

Hubby and I have tried to book the Skagit Powerhouse Bus Tour for several years and it's always been sold out. We FINALLY were able to get a spot and did this bus tour on Sunday, July 6th. It was fabulous! Not only did we get a behind the scenes tour of the Gorge and Diablo powerhouses, but also participated in a short hike, saw lots of beautiful waterfalls, and had a yummy lunch provided for us during the tour. Our guides - Eric from the National Park Service and Dylan from the North Cascades Institute - clearly loved their jobs and provided a wealth of information regarding the generation of hydroelectric power, and were well versed in the history and geology of the area. Do not miss this opportunity, especially if you live in the area.

Our family made the most of a short Summer vacation by staying local and making reservations at the North Cascades Institute for one night at BASE Camp, provided our dinner, then we woke up to breakfast as well. Following breakfast we caught the Skagit Tour on Lake Diablo. No hassels or worries, we just walked to the dock from NCI. Highly recommend you make ADVANCE reservations, as both venues fill up quickly.