Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [296]
Thunder Creek Trail
Distance and difficulty vary. Access: Trailhead south of Diablo Lake, at Colonial Creek Campground parking lot.
There are plenty of options if you decide to take the Thunder Creek Trail. You can amble past the Thunder Creek Arm of Diablo Lake to the intersection with the Fourth of July Pass Trail (also called the Panther Creek Trail), then head to the left and make a loop around the hub of ever-looming (and, it goes without saying, snowcapped and gorgeous) Ruby Peak. Or you can make an overnight trek through the rugged wilderness that lines the trail north to south on its way to its terminus in the Park Creek Area along the Stehekin River. Along the way, you can intersect with the Fisher Creek Trail, sloping left along the creek toward an intersection with a possible terminus over Easy Pass at Wash. State Route 20.
From Diablo Lake, the trail is a broad and easy path for the first couple of miles. It then begins to slope upward for the next several miles, through the Panther Creek junction on the way to McAlester Creek Camp. This is the 6-mile mark, and a lot of day-hikers head back the way they came at this point. Otherwise, it's off for several days in some of the most gorgeous country in the continental United States, through the rugged and lush valleys in the southern part of the park.
LAKE CHELAN NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Agnes Gorge Trail
5 miles RT. Easy. Access: High Bridge (accessible by shuttle bus).
This is an easy hike along the west-side cliffs of Agnes Gorge, with beautiful views of looming Agnes Mountain above you. This is a good walk for a day visitor to the Stehekin area.
Coon Lake Trail
2.5 miles RT. Moderate. Access: High Bridge (accessible by shuttle bus).
This hike, the beginning of the McGregor Mountain Trail, leads to a pretty little lake created by beavers. Wildlife, especially waterfowl, is plentiful on and around the 15-acre lake. On the far side is a waterfall on Coon Creek. Though forests surround the lake, there are views to the southwest toward Agnes Mountain.
Rainbow Falls
7 miles RT. Easy. Access: Stehekin Landing.
At 312 feet high, Rainbow Falls is among the most impressive falls in Washington and a popular destination for day-trippers who visit Stehekin by boat (see "Getting Around Inside the Park," earlier in this chapter). The falls were created when a glacier scraped out the walls of the Stehekin Valley, leaving Rainbow Creek hanging high above the valley floor. The falls are 3.5 miles from Stehekin Landing by road and make a good day-hike destination if you are staying at the North Cascades Stehekin Lodge; you get there by walking along the road. The lodge also offers a bus tour of the falls (it's open to anyone and timed for the convenience of the day-tripper). Alternatively, if the shuttle bus is running, you can take it to and from the falls or just one-way.
Rainbow Loop Trail
9.2 miles RT. Moderate. Access: Rainbow Creek Upper trailhead, 5 miles from Stehekin.
Trails in the Stehekin area tend to be flat valley-bottom hikes or grueling climbs straight up steep walls. This hike makes a good in-between choice. Views of the Stehekin Valley and Lake Chelan are the payoff. Start the hike from the Rainbow Creek trailhead, which is accessible from the shuttle bus. From here, climb 1,000 feet in 2.5 miles— along the way passing a bluff with a view of the valley—to a bridge over Rainbow Creek. Just before the creek is a trail junction. If you turn left here and hike up this trail .5 mile, you'll have views even more stunning than the ones along the main trail. The creek marks the midpoint of the trail. The lower trailhead is 2.5 miles down a steep trail with more great views.
NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK—SOUTHERN UNIT
The interior of the southern unit of the North Cascades National Park is remote. Most of the trails concentrate on the northern or southern