Lakeshore Trail
in Washington · centroid 92 mi from Seattle
This trail follows the scenic northeast shore of Lake Chelan. Conditions are best in spring (April and May) and fall (October and November) as there is little shade on this southwest-facing trail. In summer, consider it for an early morning or evening walk.
The entire trail connects Stehekin with Prince Creek, a distance of 17.2 miles (27.7 km), but shorter sections make for a nice day hike. The trail leaves North Cascades National Park Service Complex and enters Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest just past Flick Creek Camp, around mile 3.5 (5.7 km). Pre-arrange with the ferry companies if you would like to be dropped off or picked up at certain points along the trail.
The trail provides little access to the lake itself and can be hot from late spring to early fall. Vault toilets and picnic tables available at Flick Creek, Moore Point, and Prince Creek. Respect private property along the trail.
- States
- Washington
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Seattle, WA · 92 mi · ~2.6 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 48.3076°, -120.6542°
About North Cascades National Park
This trail is inside North Cascades National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/lakeshore-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Lakeshore Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Imus Creek Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
McKellar Cabin Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Stehekin River Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Railroad Creek Trail
8 miles from this trail's centroid
10 Mile Creek Trail
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Howard Lake Trail
10 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.