By Kacee Saturay, Donor Stewardship and Social Media Manager, and Alex Day, Marketing & Communications Director

North Cascades National Park, famous for its rugged mountains and over 300 glaciers, is as breathtaking as it is unpredictable. Rushing rivers, snowmelt, and swift currents create both stunning beauty and serious risks for those who venture into the park’s backcountry.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, gifts enabled park rangers to receive advanced swiftwater rescue training — a critical step towards ensuring visitor safety in one of the wildest and most challenging terrains in the national park system.

Trained & Ready

Held in the summer of 2024, nine National Park Service responders gathered for two days of intensive, hands-on training on the Skagit and Sauk Rivers after completing online coursework. With increasing park visitation and fewer nearby skilled rescue teams, this training was crucial.

Washington’s National Park Fund donations covered the cost of certified swiftwater rescue instructors, ensuring rangers received professional instruction to prepare for emergencies. This training lays the foundation for a swiftwater patrol and response plan, enhancing safety for both visitors and staff.

This investment in preparedness will have a lasting impact, ensuring that trained responders are ready when needed.

Park visitors can expect professional and safe assistance from trained responders. An increase in visitation and a decrease in nearby skilled rescue teams highlighted the need for this training, which will have a positive impact on the park and surrounding communities.

This investment in preparedness will have a lasting impact, ensuring that trained responders are ready when needed.

More Stories About Search & Rescue in the Parks

Explore these stories about Search and Rescue (SAR) and how the parks and communities are coming together to ensure that the public remains safe in their park visits.

• Read about the technical training that Olympic National Park rangers received, made possible by WNPF donors.
• Hear from a panel of park staff in this virtual field trip highlighting SAR operations in all three of Washington’s national parks.
• Learn about Mount Rainier’s Roadside Assistance Volunteer Network, a group of volunteers that help out with vehicle or travel-related issues, including search and rescue support.
• Get to know Ian Cox and how his story inspired Dick’s-a-Thon, a community event that raises thousands of dollars for search and rescue operations in our state.

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Washington’s National Park Fund is the official philanthropic partner to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. We’re especially grateful to the Skagit Community Foundation for their generous support of this priority project.

With the help of foundations, individuals, and corporations, Washington’s National Park Fund raises private support to preserve and protect Washington’s national parks, funding scientific research, youth and family experiences, and projects that will keep these parks strong and vital now and forever, for everyone.

Cover photo of a kayaker preparing for a trip in the North Cascades by Julia Bellia.