© NPSThe U.S. House of Representative has passed legislation that may force the National Park Service to rebuild the Upper Stehekin Road in North Cascades National Park.
H.R. 2806 amends the Washington Park Wilderness Act of 1988 and authorizes the Interior secretary to "adjust the boundaries of the North Cascades National Park and the Stephen Mather Wilderness in Washington state in order to provide a 100-foot wide corridor along which the Stehekin Valley Road may be rebuilt: outside the floodplain between mileposts 12.9 and 22.8; within the boundaries of the Park; and outside of the boundaries of the Wilderness."
According to the National Park Conservation Association, the Park Service conducted an environmental review in 2006 and concluded the road should be retired. Although the road has been closed since 2003 due to flood damage, last year proved the highest backcountry visitation in eight years.
"Utilized by roughly 1,400 recreationists per year, rebuilding and maintaining the Upper Stehekin Road along unstable mountain slopes should not be a priority, especially when the National Park Service is already struggling to keep more popular park roads open from storm damage," stated Sean Smith, Northwest Policy Director for the NPCA.