Searching for the perfect base camp for backcountry adventures in Washington's North Cascades (aka American Alps aka most heavily glaciated area in the lower 48)? I had the chance to visit North Cascades Institute's Environmental Learning Center located on the shores of Diablo Lake this summer - their college campus like setting comes complete with lodging, meals, library, store and learning programs. the nicest place you'll find in the area west of Mazama, WA. The campus which opened in 2005 features 16 NW styled buildings (think REI, contemporary NW ski lodges) above the north shore of Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park. Facilities include overnight lodging for up to 92 participants plus housing for graduate students and staff, a lakeside dining hall (serving up 3 hearty buffet style meals made daily from locally farmed ingredients), multimedia classrooms, a research library and aquatic and terrestrial labs, an amphitheater, outdoor learning shelters and trails leading into the surrounding wildlands and a dock on Diablo Lake for paddling adventures. Guest rooms are located in three lodges, each with shared gender-specific bathrooms with showers. Guest rooms contain four twin beds in a double bunkbed configuration, desk, cabinets, locker (bring your own lock or purchase one at the store). Guests can bring their own bedding and towels or rent them for $10 extra. Walls are thin so they provide ear plugs. During our stay, noise wasn't a problem but those ear plugs might come in handy during a "Family Getaway" program when there are babies or toddlers. Overnight accommodations are for paid registrants only- no pets or unregistered guests. The room and board pricing includes a learning program and varies according to the program and sleeping arrangements - but pricing begins at $95 for a single shared room or double, $160; triple, $195; quad $230 - i.e. $58 per person per night for lodging, meals and program if sharing 4 to a room. A private single room is $125. There're no additional taxes or fees (nice surprise). The library and dining hall are open 24/7 and the dining hall offers tea, coffee, fruit all day. The campus street lights go out at 11pm so bring a light to get around. I signed up with my family (3 generations) for the "Base Camp" program about Mountain Ecosystems. Since we attended during the week, there were only 3 other registered groups there who opted to do their own thing rather than participate in the program so we had the programs to ourselves. The programs are led by Western Washington U's graduate students in Environmental Studies or the like. Each day, there was a morning, afternoon and evening program. The shuttle bus took us to trailheads where we hiked, learned about forestry, fauna, etc. and to tour local sites like the dam, powerhouse, waterfalls, etc. The field guides always had reference materials and were eager to teach, answer questions. On our last day, we signed up for the Skagit boat tour of Diablo Lake guided by a National Park Ranger - the tour fee includes lunch at the Center ($30.00 adults $15.00 youth 12 & under $27.00 seniors 62 & older).
Pictures and more info here: http://thesnowtroopers.com/2012/north-cascades-institute-wa-best-base-camp/ read more