Geological Points of Interest in the Stehekin Valley

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
North Cascades National Park Service Complex

The Stehekin Valley lies at the heart of one of America's greatest geological wonders, the North Cascades. These are mountains of extreme relief, glacially carved valleys, active glaciers, and a collage of disparate geological terranes. The roots of the North Cascades are an ancient island arc, similar to today's Philippines or Japan. Other parts of the range are rocks from the ocean floor or other island arcs, sediments, crystalline rocks cooled from rising magma, and mysterious rocks from deep in the earth's mantle, The processes of plate tectonics, which constantly rearrange the puzzle-like pieces of the earth's surface, brought all of these different rocks together. Since their arrival here, these rocks have been subjected to millions of years of burial, upheaval, metamorphism, faulting, and erosion. More recently repeated advances of glaciers across the landscape have defined the topography of the North Cascades. A journey up the Stehekin Valley from the shore of Lake Chelan to Cascade Pass affords a glimpse of the amazing stories told in the rocks.

As you travel upvalley; refer to the map inside this guide to find where these geological points of interest are located. Each point of interest is numbered along with its corresponding text. Clicking on the italicized words display their definition in the glossary. Bringing along binoculars and a magnifying lens will help you see these features even better.

Geological Points of Interest  1 Jackson Memorial Picnic Area  2 Purple Point Roadcuts  3 Boulder Creek Debris Flow  4 Rainbow Falls  5 Harlequin Bridge Talus Field  6 Lower Field  7 Bullion Loop Trail  8 High Bridge  9 Sculptured Rocks and Slickensides 10 Bridge Creek Trailhead 11 Cascade Pass Trail

STOP #1 >>>

View from Sahale Arm

Written by David Bean Edited by Ana Maria Spagna, Tim Manns and Patricia Bean Layout and Illustrations by Renée Hudak Map by Anne Braaten Published by Northwest Interpretive Association in cooperation with North Cascades National Park Service Complex