McKellar Cabin Trail
in Washington · centroid 92 mi from Seattle
The McKellar Cabin Trail is a relaxing 15-minute interpretive trail on a mostly shaded path. It begins next to the post office at Stehekin Landing. The 0.2 miles (0.3 km) trail is a beautiful stroll in the woods, starting and ending within the landing area at Stehekin.
Along the trail are many interpretive signs about the history, culture, and resources of Stehekin, along with descriptions of native trees and plants. The McKellar cabin was built in the early 1930s by Jack Blankenship, a local craftsman who built many homes and buildings in Stehekin, including the Golden West Lodge (now the Golden West Visitor Center) and the “House that Jack Built.” The McKellar cabin is typical of Stehekin log homes that date back to the late 1800s, using logs cleared from the site of the house. On the trail, visitors can find examples of conservation practices that connect Stehekin’s past Native American plant use and homesteading methods to the present.
Learn about how log cabins were built, how people got their water, and how they disposed of their waste. Visitors will see remains of past utility structures and can read how it compares to Stehekin life and operations today. The trail runs next to buildings that are still being used as private residences.
- States
- Washington
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Seattle, WA · 92 mi · ~2.6 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 48.3107°, -120.6569°
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/mckellar-cabin-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 McKellar Cabin 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
Lakeshore Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Stehekin River Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
10 Mile Creek Trail
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Railroad 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.