Washington Cascades - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 327

Such purposeful inaccessibility has worked wonders for the settlement's special
beauty. Largely untouched by the foibles of 21st-century culture, Stehekin is within the
boundaries of the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (part of the North Cascades Na-
tional Park). It has become a byword for solitude, and a magnificent obsession for back-
country adventure enthusiasts keen to break away from the pleasure cruisers and water-
skiers who ply Lake Chelan further south.
Though Stehekin does have one road and a handful of cars (all of which have been fer-
ried here from Chelan or elsewhere), its isolation is both unusual and refreshing. The vast
majority of visitors arrive in the settlement as part of a 90-minute stopover on a day trip
from Chelan on one of two passenger boats. Stick around after they've gone home and
you'll feel more like Robinson Crusoe.
THE WAY THROUGH
To Native Americans, Stehekin at the head of Lake Chelan was 'the way through,' a
vital trade route that linked the rainy coast with the dry interior. For adventurous
modern hikers nothing much has changed. Eschewing the motor car and most oth-
er 21st-century comforts, Stehekin is reachable only by boat or on foot. For hikers,
there are three main entry points - all from the north.
The quickest and most popular is via spectacular 5392ft Cascade Pass ,
reached via a steep 3.7-mile path that starts at the parking lot at the end of the
Cascade River Rd, 23 miles southeast of Marblemount. After ascending to the
pass, the trail continues down the other side into the Stehekin River Valley, where it
joins briefly with the Pacific Crest Trail before homing in on High Bridge. From here
it's 11 miles along the Stehekin Rd to the ferry landing, or you can opt to catch the
four-times-daily Stehekin shuttle (summer only). The total hiking distance is 32
miles (or 21 miles if you catch the bus).
Route two starts at Colonial Creek campground at mile 130 on Hwy 20. Follow
the wondrous Thunder Creek Trail through old-growth forest and past vertiginous
glaciers up to Park Creek Pass (6059ft) before descending on the Park Creek
Trail , 8 miles to the junction with Stehekin Rd. From here follow the Stehekin River
down to High Bridge where, once again, you can either walk or catch the shuttle to
Stehekin (45 miles in total, or 34 miles if you use the bus).
The easiest route starts at Rainy Pass at mile 157 on Hwy 20 and follows the well-
marked and flattish Pacific Crest Trail (PCT; www.pcta.org ) along Bridge Creek into the
Stehekin River Valley. The trail, once more, comes out at High Bridge: total dis-
tance 19 miles to High Bridge, or 30 miles to Stehekin.
All of the above trips are multiday hikes that take between two and four days de-
pending on your speed. Numerous backcountry campsites are available en route.