Nestled on the shores of Diablo Lake and surrounded by the pristine wilderness of North Cascades National Park, our unique field campus inspires reflection, understanding and connection to the natural world as well as each other. We offer corporations, nonprofit organizations and other groups:

• Lodging for up to 80 guests
• Catering and meals featuring foods of our region
• Conference rooms, trailside meeting shelters and library
• Hiking trails and outdoor activities

An intimate retreat center within a national park
The Learning Center is the residential field campus for North Cascades Institute, a nonprofit organization established in 1986 to conserve and restore Northwest environments through education. Natural history programs for people of all ages take place at the Learning Center throughout the year including family getaways, volunteer stewardship activities, seminars, summer youth adventures and our award-winning Mountain School program for young people.

The primary use of the Learning Center is to serve as a home for North Cascades Institute educational programs. However, as our educational calendar allows, we meet the needs of groups who want to experience the North Cascades through educational retreats and conferences. Preference for booking is given to organizations whose mission and values are consistent with North Cascades Institute, especially peer conservation organizations and educational groups. Conference fees help subsidize youth education programs and scholarships for low-income participants.

Please call us anytime to learn more about the Learning Center and the opportunities it can offer your organization or company. For a personal tour or more information, please contact Brooke Larrabee, Development Coordinator, at 360-856-5700 or brooke_larrabee@ncascades.org.

Conference Rates

Lodging:
Adult, single occupancy room: $160/person/night
Adult, double occupancy room: $100/person/night
Adult, triple or quadruple occupancy room: $80/person/night
Children 12 or under: $50/child/day while sharing a room with a parent

Meals:
Simple Meal Plan
Breakfast: $5/person
Lunch: $7/person
Dinner: $10/person

Upscale Meal Plan
Breakfast $7/person
Lunch $11/person
Dinner $18/person
Note: Appetizers, coffee and tea service and bar are available for an additional fee.

Activities:
One naturalist led hike is included in the base price of your rental. These informal hikes are led by our staff naturalists on the surrounding Learning Center trails. Additional hikes, big canoe trips, and campfires can be arranged for an added cost. Please contact us for details.

About the architecture
2005 Merit Award -- Northwest Washington Chapter/American Institute of Architects
North Cascades Environmental Learning Center offers outdoor education programs for people of all ages. In addition, the center is a living model of conservation to teach people about earth-friendly building practices while complementing its unique wilderness setting. It was designed to be a simple, long-lasting example of resource stewardship with a high degree of commitment of sustainable materials and systems and has earned a silver LEED rating.

The center was designed by The Henry Klein Partnership, Mount Vernon, Washington. David Hall, partner, served as lead architect. Dawson Construction Company, Bellingham, Washington, served as general contractor.

Conference facilities
Learning Center classrooms, labs and libraries offer spectacular views of the surrounding landscape and provide excellent conference space and meeting accommodations. The spirit of the campus is one of refined, understated natural beauty. Throughout interior and outside spaces, the natural world and striking landscape of the North Cascades are close and accessible. Snow-capped peaks tower overhead. High country ravens circle the Douglas fir and sightings of a variety of plants and wildlife are just outside your door.

Experienced staff naturalists serve as highly qualified teaching guides, providing informal natural history education that adds depth and meaning to the conference experience.

North Cascades Environmental Learning Center is an intimate, comfortable setting that accommodates people with a wide range of interests and physical abilities. Lodges and public conference areas are wheelchair accessible. Trails to the Deer Creek and Lily Shelters are also wheelchair accessible.

Conference facilities include:

• Our main classroom provides flexible meeting space for up to 50 people. It includes tables, chair, whiteboards and internet connection.
• Three outdoor teaching shelters, nestled in wooded settings along accessible trails, provide settings for break out sessions and small group work
• Sleeping accommodations in 23 rooms with single beds configured bunk style (3 or 4 per room)
• Library: This cozy, informal gathering space is perfect for reading and reflection. A dramatic hand-crafted conference table provides seating for 12 people. Note: the library is always open to all groups on campus.
• Salmonberry Dining Hall serves delectable meals featuring regional foods, served buffet style, overlooking Diablo Lake. Seats 70 inside plus an outdoor deck and fireplace.

Outdoor activities

• Just outside your door, a network of hiking trails link to a larger network of adjacent National Park Service trails, perfect for a short walk…or a launching point to a longer expedition. A one-mile hike leads to spectacular views of a mountain waterfall along Sourdough Creek. An afternoon hike will take you along the Diablo Lake Trail to Ross Dam. More ambitious hikers may choose an all-day ascent to the fire lookout on Sourdough Mountain, home of poet Gary Snyder’s tenure as fire lookout in 1953.
• Kayak and canoe access to Diablo Lake
• Nearby Seattle City Light walk-on ferry access to Ross Lake

Lodging and accommodations
Three cozy lodges (Fir, Cedar and Pine) feature serene guest rooms with single beds and shared gender-specific bathrooms with private showers. Rooms are configured with with three or four beds, bunk-style. Bedrooms also include internet ports, one or two writing desks and two built-in wardrobes. Two lodges (Fir and Cedar) have a lounge area with sofas, chairs and a limited kitchenette – perfect for relaxing and late night conversations. Linens (pillow, sheets, blanket and towels) are supplied, though many guests prefer to bring an extra blanket or sleeping bag for added comfort.

Room selection and capacity
The Learning Center comfortably accommodates up to 46 people in double rooms. If all participants require a single room, it will accommodate 23 people. At full capacity, 80 people can be accommodated at the Learning Center if all beds and rooms are used (would require use of upper bunks).

Directions to the Learning Center
North Cascades Environmental Learning Center is located approximately 65 miles east of Burlington, Washington (which is situated at Exit #230 on I-5). Most visitors find that it takes approximately 1-1/2 hour to travel from Seattle to Burlington, and another 1-1/2 hour to travel east along the Skagit River on State Route 20 to the Learning Center. You’ll travel through Sedro-Woolley, Concrete, Marblemount and Newhalem to milepost 127. Turn left onto Diablo Dam Road and proceed over the dam approximately one mile to the Learning Center. You’ll receive complete travel and check in information when you register for your conference.

Mileage to North Cascades Environmental Learning Center

• Winthrop: 60 miles
• Burlington (I-5 Exit #230): 65 miles
• Seattle: 130 miles (approx. 3-hour drive)
• Bellingham: 90 miles (approx. 2-hour drive)
• Vancouver, B.C.: 130 miles

AIRPORTS
Sea-Tac International Airport is south of Seattle and is the closest major airport, though connections can be made through Bellingham International Airport on some airlines.

Meals and food service
Three excellent meals a day, served buffet style in the lakeside Salmonberry Dining Hall, are included in your conference registration fee. Our staff prepare delectable meals which showcase the fresh and flavorful foods of the Skagit River watershed – our “foodshed.” We would be happy to provide recent sample menus. The food is excellent!

What to bring
Complete details, including what to bring, will be provided for your participants before their visit to the Learning Center. Clothing should be suitable for a wide range of conditions including rain, wind, heat and cold. Here’s a basic checklist many visitors have found helpful:

• Casual attire for daily meetings and outdoor activities; slippers/socks for inside the lodge
• Toiletry items such as shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste
• Alarm clock and flashlight (campus outdoor lights turn off at 11 p.m.)
• Padlock for valuable items, keys are not issued to rooms.

Policies
RESERVATIONS, DEPOSIT AND PAYMENT
Please contact the North Cascades Institute Development Coordinator to arrange your stay at the Learning Center: (360) 856-5700. Conferences and retreats are paid by a single organization, not by individual guests. A deposit of 20 percent of total room rates is required per rental contract and the balance paid by check or credit card at the end of your stay. Conference space is not confirmed nor guaranteed until North Cascades Institute has received your signed contract, deposit and billing/payment information.

CANCELLATIONS
In the event the group rental cancels 30 days or more prior to program date, no deposit will be refunded. In the event the group rental cancels less than 30 days prior to program, the total contracted amount is due in full by the scheduled rental date.

BOOKING ROOMS
A complete list of participants and agenda must be provided at least 30 days prior to the start of the program in order to ensure proper accommodations and quick check-in. If rooming lists are not available at the time of deposit, your group will be charged for any rooms being held but not used.

CHECK-IN
Check-in at North Cascades Environmental Learning Center is from 3-4 p.m. Check out time is 8:30 a.m. on the last day of your conference or retreat. Late check out is subject to an additional charge.

Download PDF Brochure

For more information, please contact:

Brooke Larrabee, Development Coordinator
North Cascades Institute
360-856-5700
brooke_larrabee@ncascades.org