Temporary Closure of North Cascades Visitor Center

Date: January 31, 2008
Contact: Kerry Olson, 360 854-7365
Contact: Joyce Brown, 360 854-7200

North Cascades National Park’s Visitor Center near Newhalem will be closed this coming weekend, February 2-3, due to a failure in the water supply system and hazardous road conditions on North Cascades Highway (State Route 20). A break in the main water line has shut down all water resources to the North Cascades Visitor Center, including restroom facilities and fire protection capabilities. Repairs to the water line have been hampered by treacherous road conditions caused by several feet of snow. The North Cascades Visitor Center will be closed until the water system is restored.

State Route 20 is now temporarily closed east of Newhalem at milepost 121. For public safety, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and North Cascades National Park managers do not recommend recreational travel east of Marblemount until the roads can be cleared of significant amounts of snow and avalanche danger has subsided.

North Cascades Visitor Center is normally open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through the winter months.

For more information on road conditions, please visit the WSDOT website at:  http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades. For additional park information, call the North Cascades National Park headquarters at [phone].