River Loop Trail
in Washington · centroid 88 mi from Seattle
This short trail is tucked just behind the North Cascades Visitor Center in Newhalem. The 1.8 mile (2.9 km) loop begins from the northeast corner of the Visitor Center, leading through a variety of forest growth to a peaceful gravel bar with sweeping river views. This trail gives access to loops A & B in Newhalem Creek Campground and the amphitheater.
Difficulty: Easy. Distance and elevation: River 1.8 miles (2.9 km) roundtrip with 118 feet elevation gain. Access: Start at the northeast corner of the North Cascades Visitor Center. The trail can also be accessed from Loops A and B in the Newhalem Creek Campground.
Leashed dogs allowed. Detailed trail description.
- States
- Washington
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Seattle, WA · 88 mi · ~2.5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 48.6665°, -121.2663°
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/river-loop-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 River Loop 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
Thornton Lake Trail
3 miles from this trail's centroid
Diablo Lake Trail
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Fourth of July Pass Trail
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Happy Panther Trail
13 miles from this trail's centroid
The Great North Cascades Traverse
14 miles from this trail's centroid
Fisher-Thunder-Park-Cascade Cross-Park Trek
15 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.