Summer Brings Recreation Opportunities In North Cascades

NEWHALEM — With summer underway, visitors are trickling in to the North Cascades to camp, hike and take in the scenery. North Cascades National Park, accessible from Highway 20 in eastern Skagit County, is a hidden gem with a wealth of beauty. Each year, the National Park Service, North Cascades Institute and Seattle City Light partner to share the North Cascades and the upper Skagit River with visitors through Skagit Tours, which begin Thursday. According to the National Park Foundation, the North Cascades is one of the least-visited national parks. About 980,000 visitors came to the park in 2016, according to a park report.