Stehekin River Trail
in Washington · centroid 90 mi from Seattle
The Stehekin River Trail is an easy hike on a trail that gradually rises and falls as it winds through the forest. Look for views to the east of Rainbow Falls in the first third of the trail. Along the river, watch for beaver ponds and a variety of birds.
In the fall, red salmon can be spotted in the river and side pools. The trail ends at Weaver Point Campground, which has vault toilets and picnic tables and is also accessible by boat on Lake Chelan. There is limited shoreline access to the Stehekin River along the trail.
Trail can be partially flooded during spring runoff, usually in May or June. About a half mile (0.7 km) before reaching Weaver Point, the Stehekin River Trail also connects to the Devore Creek Trail which leads into the Glacier Peak Wilderness of Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Difficulty: Easy to moderate Distance and elevation: It is 3.2 miles (5.2 km) one way from the trailhead to Weaver Point with approximately 200 feet (60 m) of elevation gain.
- States
- Washington
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Seattle, WA · 90 mi · ~2.6 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 48.3458°, -120.7213°
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/stehekin-river-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 Stehekin River 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
McKellar Cabin Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Imus Creek Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Lakeshore Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Howard Lake Trail
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Old Wagon Trail to Bridge Creek
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Agnes Gorge Trail
6 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.