Family Friendly Hikes

Many of the hiking trails within North Cascades National Park Service Complex are great for families with children. Use the guides below to have your own adventure in the North Cascades!

 

Designed and painted by Kathleen Durkin

State Route 20 Trails

River Loop trail / 1.8 miles (2.9 km) roundtrip

This short trail is tucked just behind the North Cascades Visitor Center in Newhalem. With 118 feet of elevation gain, this trail is ideal for people who want to take a nice stroll and experience some of the wonders of the North Cascades ecosystem without the vertical gain common in the park.

The beginning of the River Loop Trail is clearly marked with a sign, and the route begins with a short decent to a forested lowland. Keep your ears open for the sounds of woodpeckers as they excavate, pry, and drill holes in trees in search of food. As you continue on the main path you will come to a junction: choose your own adventure and continue straight or turn left, for this is where the loop actually begins. The loop will take you through the scorched remnants of the 2015 Goodell Creek fire, which came precariously close to the Visitor Center and burned over 7000 acres. You will also walk along the banks of the Skagit River. During salmon runs you can see salmon spawning in the shallow pools of the Skagit. Salmon make the long journey from the ocean back to where they were born to lay their eggs and then die.

As the loop makes its way back to the junction, you have now walked through two life cycles. Fire burned debris and dead trees have given way to fireweed flowers springing up, new tree growth emerging, and the continuing life cycle of the salmon as they fight to the end to get back to where they were born, thus keeping their species going. What evidence can you find along the trail of both life and death?

 

Designed and painted by Kathleen Durkin

Sterling Munro Boardwalk / 330 ft (100 m) one way

This accessible 330 foot boardwalk starts outside the northwest corner of the North Cascades Visitor Center in Newhalem, where parking is also available. It is named after Washington state politician Sterling Munro, who played an instrumental role in creating North Cascades National Park and was extensively involved in the passage of natural resources legislation like the National Environmental Protection Act.

As you wind your way down the Douglas fir and Western hemlock shaded boardwalk, consider: what do you think is worth protecting? At the end of the boardwalk, you will be rewarded with a view of the Picket Range, one of the most rugged and remote areas of the park, and the Terror Glacier. Enjoy a snack on the benches and enjoy the view!

Rock Shelter trail / 0.3 miles (.5 km) roundtrip

The Rock Shelter Trail is accessible from all Newhalem campgrounds by travelling east 0.3 miles along the service road running past Loop C. There is limited parking on the shoulder of the service road. The path is wheelchair accessible and is 1000 feet long with gradual grades.

At the end of the trail, you will arrive at the Rock Shelter, a 1,400 year old hunting camp sheltered by a large boulder alongside Newhalem Creek. Notice the remnants of smoke on the boulder. The ancestors of the Upper Skagit, Sauk-Suiattle and Nlaka’pamux have called the North Cascades home for over ten thousand years. The Rock Shelter and other cultural sites in this area remind us of this connection to the past and continue to shape this landscape and our understanding today. How does your past influence your present? What do you hope for the future?

 

Designed and painted by Kathleen Durkin

Trail of the Cedars / 0.5 miles (.8 km) roundtrip

Trail of the Cedars is a short loop starting at the suspension bridge in the company town of Newhalem, where parking is available. The trail is also accessible from the service road east of Loop C in Newhalem Campground.

Start counterclockwise and you’ll meander next to the banks of Skagit River through stands of old growth forest. Check out the giant Western red cedar trees, which escaped the chainsaws of loggers before the park was established. As you round the corner and head back toward the suspension bridge, notice the change in landscape from a shaded old growth forest to charred snags and an open canopy, remnants of the 2015 Goodell Creek fire. What do you think this trail will look like in 50 years?

Ladder Creek Falls / 0.4 miles (.6 km) roundtrip

Located behind the Gorge Powerhouse at the eastern end of the town of Newhalem, Ladder Creek Falls offers a half mile journey through manicured gardens, refreshing woodlands, and close up views of a fantastic waterfall. Park across from the Gorge Powerhouse, cross the river on the suspension bridge, and follow the signs to the falls.

Climb 100 steps to get to the top and take in the view of Ladder Creek Falls. Enjoy the mist of the falls on a hot summer day or wait until nightfall when the falls are illuminated by changing colored lights. When the hydroelectric project near Ross Lake was under construction during the 1930s and '40s, owner and developer J.D. Ross illuminated the falls and played music through the speakers perched in the trees every Friday night for visitors who came from Seattle.

On your way back down from the falls, stop inside the Gorge Powerhouse and read the story of the how the hydroelectric project came to be and marvel at the power of electricity. Can you imagine what your life would be like if you didn’t have access to electricity?

Happy Creek Forest Walk / 0.3 miles (.5 km) roundtrip

Surrounded in beautiful temperate rainforest, listen to the soothing sounds of Happy Creek flowing along this 0.3 mile boardwalk. Trailhead parking is on the right between milepost 134 and 135. Parking has four spaces plus two ADA parking spots.

Care to hike a bit further? Consider taking the waterfall extension trail located off the back of the boardwalk for an additional 2 miles roundtrip. As you walk along the flowing water, does it make you happy like the name suggests?

 

Designed and painted by Kathleen Durkin

Stehekin Trails

Agnes Gorge / 5 miles (8 km) roundtrip

This day hike with excellent views of Agnes Mountain ends with the reward of the deep Agnes Gorge and a spring-time waterfall. Notice the many different plant communities along the way. The trailhead is just a few minutes up the road from the shuttle stop at High Bridge.

Imus Creek Loop / 0.8 miles (1.3 km) one way

Walk this short self-guided hike in either direction through a ponderosa pine forest. The trail climbs slightly, crosses two seasonal creeks on wooden bridges, and overlooks Lake Chelan. To make a full loop, walk 0.4 miles back along the road between Purple Point Campground and the Golden West Visitor Center.

Lakeshore / Variable length, up to 17.2 miles (27.7 km) one way

This relatively flat trail starts just south of Lakeview Campground and follows the shoreline of Lake Chelan. While the trail ends over 17 miles downlake, the first portion can be done as an easy day hike and includes excellent views of McGregor Mountain, Castle Rock, and other surrounding hills. This trail can be hot in the summer, especially in the afternoons, and has little to no access to the lake itself.

Buckner Orchard / Variable length

Take a short forest walk (0.3 mile) on “Buckner Lane,” which follows the century-old irrigation ditch that is still essential to the life of the orchard, before exploring the orchard and historic homestead. To learn the story of the Buckner family, borrow a self-guided tour booklet found at two locations in the orchard. Apples can be picked by the public in September and October. From the Stehekin Valley Road, the Buckner Lane trail starts immediately on the left after crossing Rainbow Creek.