There has been a lot of talk lately about the nation’s crumbling manmade infrastructure, such as failing bridges, aging highways and faltering transmission lines.

If you’re ever in Seattle, the spectacular Alpine Lakes Wilderness is an absolute must-see getaway for jaw-dropping scenery. The area, accessible with just 45 minute drive from the city, is one of the country’s most visited wilderness areas, providing incredible wild mountain vistas, impossibly craggy peaks and lush old-growth forests – not to mention over 700 mountain lakes and tarns, living up to its namesake.

Wilderness supporters celebrated Thursday as the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and the Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act (H.R. 1769 / S. 721) got one step closer to reality after House passage of the bill. The measure would protect an additional 22,000 acres of wilderness adjoining Washington state’s existing Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area and would add 10 miles of the Pratt River and nearly 30 miles of the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River to the National Wild and Scenic River System.