Eagle perched along the Skagit River. PHOTO BY ED McKNIGHT

There are several sites in eastern Whatcom and Skagit counties that provide visitors with plenty of views as well as interpretive displays and even speakers. Visit the ranger stations or visitor centers as well along the way on Mount Baker Highway and North Cascades Highway for additional ideas.
Deming Homestead Eagle Park: Located off of Truck Road, on the North Fork of the Nooksack River, the park has some interpretive signs and benches. To get here, travel east on Mt. Baker Highway. After milepost 14, turn right on Truck Road. It’s an easy .3 mile one-way walk in the park.
Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center: Follow the signs in Rockport from Highway 20 and Highway 530 to Alfred Street and you’ll find the center open weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through mid February.
Howard Miller Steelhead Park: Located near the Interpretive Center is the Howard Miller Steelhead Park, near the bridge over the Skagit River. The bridge offers the best view point, but there are hiking trails at the west end of the camping areas that lead to more riverside viewing sites. Also nearby is the Bald Eagle Natural Area, a State Fish and Wildlife viewing site on Martin Road, off SR 530, just south of the Skagit River bridge.
Take a rafting trip: A winter rafting trip provides a beautiful, up close way to view eagles as they  are perched above and soar down into the water to feed on salmon.  Check out the local Wild & Scenic River Tours in Glacier, as well as Skagit RIver Adventures, Ackerlund’s Guide Service on the Skagit River, Alpine Adventures, Blue Sky Outfitters and Pacific NW Float Trips.
Milepost 100 Rest Area: The Skagit River runs directly next to this popular site at Sutter Creek on State Route 20, allowing visitors great views of feeding areas on the gravel bars on the south side of the river. Look to the mountainside—a prime eagle night-roosting site. There are interpretive displays here and parking.
Marblemount Fish Hatchery: At Marblemount, cross the Skagit River bridge and proceed past the entrance to the Marblemount Boat Launch (this is the starting place for bald eagle rafting trips and the location of a very nice bird-watching loop walk that follows the Skagit and Cascade Rivers). Go past the boat launch a half mile, then turn right on the Rockport-Cascade Road, cross the Cascade River Bridge, and take the next right to the Fish Hatchery.
Visitors can view and learn about them from volunteers with the Eagle Watchers Program hosted by the US Forest Service. Three viewing stations with off-highway parking along North Cascades Highway 20 provide spotting scopes and binoculars to help you see the birds up close. Volunteers will staff stations Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. through Jan. 29. Eagle Watcher stations are located at Howard Miller Steelhead Park in Rockport, Sutter Creek Rest area (milepost 100) and the Marblemount Fish Hatchery. View a map showing the viewing sites and learn more about Skagit River wildlife. Call (360) 856-5700 ext. 515 for more information.