Work to make substantial repairs to the Cascades River Road will shut off access to the Boston Basin and Cascade Pass areas of North Cascades National Park in Washington state this fall.
Park officials say the last three miles of Cascades River Road will be closed to both vehicle and foot traffic of any kind from September 8 until late October. The closure will allow crews to make extensive repairs to the road, and will affect hikers approaching the area from either the east or westside.
The road closure will begin at El Dorado parking area near mile post 20 and will be in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days per week to allow heavy equipment and the many large dump trucks needed to use the road safely. Preliminary surveys and erosion control work will begin in late August; however those activities will not significantly affect visitors. Access to the Eldorado Climbing Area will not be affected.
The National Park Service will be working with the Federal Highway Administration to make these road repairs. The repair will consist of installing a 60-foot long concrete “box culvert” with a debris rack to prevent culvert plugging at Boston Creek crossing where many washouts have occurred in the past, including most recently last October that left over 70 visitors stranded.
For alternative fall hikes, climbs or access to Stehekin via another route, please contact the Wilderness Information Center at 360-854-7245, the Golden West Visitor Center at 509-699-2080, ext 14 or any park ranger station.
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