Stehekin Valley Backpacking, Washington

The Trip

The Stehekin Valley -– “The Way Through” in the language of the Skagit tribe -– provided the area’s earliest inhabitants with a passage through the North Cascade Mountains.  To reach this remote place, you’ll need to travel along glacier-carved Lake Chelan, a 55-mile-long inland fjord.  Lake Chelan, meaning “Deep Water," is the largest natural lake in Washington State and the second-deepest in the country.  From ridgetop to lake bottom, this is the deepest gorge in the U.S.  The mountainous region surrounding the Stehekin Valley and the north end of Lake Chelan is so outstanding that it merits three wilderness areas, two national recreation areas, and a national park.

The valley is accessible only by foot, boat, or float plane, which keeps it both peaceful and barely developed.  From the small village of Stehekin, at the upper end of Lake Chelan, a partly paved and partly gravel road runs into the heart of the North Cascades, providing access to many hiking trails. The road was built to support limited early mining activity and doesn’t connect to any other road.  As a result, the only vehicles you’ll see here belong to the Park Service and the valley’s few permanent residents.

Sierra Club has been running trips here for 30 years, staying at the Stehekin Valley Ranch and taking the shuttle to hike various trails.  Since the road was washed out part way up the valley, we can no longer reach the trails in the upper valley as day hike destinations, so with this trip we will backpack up the valley, camp, and day hike to such classic and beautiful locations as Cascade Pass and Horseshoe Basin, Walker Park, and Goode Ridge. Our last night we will stay at the Ranch, with cabins, beds, hot showers, and great food (eight kinds of pie for dessert).

All meals, accommodations, and transportation up the lake and within the valley to the start of our hiking are included in the trip price.

Please let the leaders know if you have any medical problems, allergies, or dietary restrictions that should be noted ahead of time. This trip is open to all generations, families with children over age 15, couples, and singles alike.

This will be a combination of backpack, base camp, and lodge trip.

Day 1: We will begin on the morning of Friday, July 15, taking the boat Lady Express at 8:30 a.m. from the town of Chelan, Washington up the lake to Stehekin. Your fare is included in the price of the trip. Arriving at Stehekin, we will take the shuttle bus up the valley, stopping at the famous Stehekin Bakery, to High Bridge. From there, we will backpack up the valley to camp at Bridge Creek for three nights.

Days 2-3: We will day hike from camp to Walker Park and Goode Ridge.

Days 4-6: We will then backpack farther up the valley on the closed road to reach Cottonwood Camp, where we will stay for three nights. We will day hike, climbing to views from Cascade Pass at the head of the valley, and to Horseshoe Basin, with its waterfalls and old mine.

Day 7: We will backpack down the road back to High Bridge, where we will catch the shuttle to return to Stehekin Valley Ranch for our last night (beds, hot showers, great food, eight kinds of pie).

Day 8: On Friday, July 22, we will take the shuttle back down to the lake and return to civilization on the boat, arriving back at our cars about 2:00 p.m.

Getting There

Chelan, Washington is equidistant from Seattle and Spokane, about 3.5 hours by car.  You should plan to stay overnight in the Chelan area the night before the trip.  The trip leader and Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce (800-4-CHELAN) can help with travel and lodging information. In addition, trip leaders will pass on information about other participants who are interested in carpooling from the Seattle area.  Please do not make travel arrangements until the leader has confirmed you as a trip member.

Accommodations and Food

We will be camping the first six nights. You should bring your own tent, sleeping bag, etc. The Club provides food and cooking gear. Trip members will take turns sharing kitchen duties. The last night, we will stay in rustic tent cabins at the Ranch, with beds, showers, flush toilets and great food; meals are cooked and served in the dining hall, with bathrooms and showers in the same building. There will be two or three people sharing each tent cabin.

Trip Difficulty

This will be a moderate backpack trip, with three nights at each camp.  Our longest backpack day will be the last one, about 11 miles.  Day hikes will be in the range of 8 to 10 miles.  You should keep your pack weight, not counting food and water, below 25 pounds; try to get it down to 20 pounds.  Each person will start with 12 to 15 pounds of food and commissary gear, which will get lighter each day.  You should be in good physical condition; the principal criteria for acceptance on this trip are physical and cardiovascular fitness and an open attitude toward moderately challenging group hikes.  A regular fitness program, including hiking with some degree of hill climbing, is beneficial.

Equipment and Clothing

You will need your basic backpacking gear, tent, sleeping bag, etc.  Quality broken-in hiking boots are essential, as are camp shoes for around camp, raingear, and clothing that can be layered to maintain your comfort.  Bring a day pack for the day hikes, or you could empty out your backpack and use that.  The leader will provide an equipment list to registered trip members.

References

Maps:

• Green Trails Maps: McGregor Mountain # 81 and Cascade Pass #80

Books:

• Darvill, Fred T., A Guide to the Enchanted Valley.
• McConnell, Grant, Stehekin: A Valley in Time.
• Spring, Ira and Harvey Manning, 101 Hikes in the North Cascades.

The Green Trails maps and some books are usually available at Stehekin. Additional maps, books, and other materials about the natural history and resources of the area are available at the National Park Service Visitor Center in Stehekin and through the Pacific Northwest National Parks and Forests Association.

Conservation

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and will operate under a permit from North Cascades National Park.