Trail Conditions

Early Spring Conditions

Last updated May 10, 2013

While the last 2 years saw a heavy snowpack and late-season snow accumulation, this year has proved more temperate, with an average snowpack and relatively mild spring. Bouts of sunny weather have mixed with snow and rain, and low elevation trails are continuing to melt out (below 2500 feet). Higher elevation trails remain snowy, with new snow still falling. As temperatures rise, creeks run high with snowmelt--small creeks can become fords, and larger creeks may become impassable. Warming temperatures can also increase the avalanche hazard in some areas. Rain and snow are still common. Trail crews are just beginning to clear trails, but most trails have not received any maintenance yet this year, so be prepared for downed trees or other winter damage.

Backcountry travelers should be well prepared, and leave a detailed trip plan with someone at home. Always check the latest weather forecast, including predicted snow levels, before heading out. Whenever and wherever you travel in the wilderness, please be safe and touch the wilderness gently. Know and practice Leave No Trace camping and hiking.

 

Closures and Notices

Stock Closure: Thunder Creek Trail 3 miles south of Colonial Creek Campground due to bridge replacement. Replacement is expected to be completed by June 20. The bridge will be passable for foot travel during construction.

Stock closure: Thunder Creek Trail at Skagit Queen (around 14 miles from the trailhead). The bridge has collapsed and fording is not possible. There is a temporary footlog for hikers.

East end of Diablo Lake Trail CLOSED at the suspension bridge. A massive rockslide that came down in early 2010 still blocks any hiker passage from the Diablo Lake Trail to the haul road, ferry boat, or Ross Lake from this trail. Work on the slide will be ongoing in 2011 and may include blasting. The remainder of the trail is unaffected. See map of closure area.

 

Trail Name	Elevation & Trail Type	Reported Conditions	Date
Agnes Gorge (Stehekin)	Trailhead at 1700', trail's end 2000' Hiker only	Some trees down across trail, especially in first mile. Many wildflowers! Trail is brushy in places.	5/15
Baker River	Trailhead at 800', trail's end at 900' Hiker only	Snowfree with three down trees that are easily passable. A footlog at about 1.5 miles has been swept away, and the stream is narrow but can be swift and difficult to cross if the water is high. Can be very muddy in early season. Expect wet and muddy feet!	5/11
Big Beaver	Ross Dam trailhead at 2100'. Big Beaver 1600'. Beaver Pass 3654' Hiker, Stock	Clear of trees and snow from Ross Dam trailhead to Big Beaver Camp. Big Beaver Camp is snowfree. No further report. Expect snow above 39 Mile Camp.	5/7
Boulder Creek (Stehekin)	Trailhead 1200', Purple Pass 6800' Hiker, Stock	Trail brushed and cleared in 2012. Lower sections burned in 2010 fire. Downed trees are common. Expect snow at higher elevations.	5/9
Brush Creek to Whatcom Pass	Whatcom Pass: 5055' Hiker, Stock	Snow covered. Short sections of this trail burned in 2009. Use caution as snags and trees can fall. Cleared in 2012 but brushy north of Graybeal Camp. Food storage canisters strongly recommended at Whatcom Camp due to limited tree limbs and high bear activity. No hunting, no pets. Snow.	5/9
Bullion Loop (Stehekin)	Hiker, Stock	Clear of down trees but brushy. Primarily used by stock.	5/15
Cascade Pass / Sahale Arm/ Horseshoe Basin	Trailhead 3660', Cascade Pass 5400', Sahale Glacier camp 7600' Hiker only	The Basin Creek footlog has been removed for the season. Creek can run high, do not cross if unsafe. Cascade Pass: Snow. Sahale Arm: Snow. Horseshoe Basin: Snow. This trail becomes a creek during snowmelt--wear good waterproof boots in spring and early summer. Many bear sightings in these areas. Use animal resistant food storage canister to secure your food. NO HUNTING; NO PETS	5/9
Company Creek (Stehekin)	Trailhead 1200', leaves park at 2500' Hiker, stock	Cleared of down trees in first mile (to National Recreation Area boundary). Trail not passable to stock since 2010. Expect snow above 4000'.	5/15
Copper Ridge	Copper Lookout: 6260' Hiker only	Composting toilets closed for the season. Snow. No dogs or hunting allowed.	5/9
Dagger Lake / Twisp Pass	Fireweed 3900', Dagger Lake 5508', Twisp Pass 6100' Hiker, stock	Trail cleared in 2012. Snow covered.	5/9
Desolation Peak	Trailhead 1605', Lookout 6108' Hiker only	A few downed trees on the lower sections of the trail. Animal resistant food storage canisters required at the camp. This trail has no water along the trail or at the camp by mid to late summer. Snow at higher elevations.	5/9
Devore Creek (Stehekin)	NPS boundary at 2000' Hiker only	Clear of down trees in first mile (to National Recreation Area boundary). Expect snow above 4000'. Brushed in 2012 from Weaver Point to West Fork of Devore Creek. Washout at 4 miles not passable to stock. Trail is obscure approaching Ten Mile and Hilgard passes. Route finding skills needed.	5/15
Diablo Lake	Trailhead 1200' - max. 2000' Hiker only	Suspension bridge is CLOSED at east end, cannot access Ross Haul Road or points east due to a 2010 rock slide that closed the haul road. Snowfree but not cleared of any possible down trees.	5/9
East Bank / Hozomeen Lake	Trailhead 1800', Hozomeen Lake (highest pt.) ~2900' Hiker, stock	Cleared of down trees from East Bank trailhead to Hidden Hand Camp. Expect patchy snow at Hidden Hand Pass, and at Hozomeen Lake and north end. Middle section between Lightning Creek and May Creek is snowfree. Hozomeen Lake is closed to entry and to camping until May 31 to protect nesting loons.	5/10
Easy Pass / Fisher Creek	Trailhead 3700', pass 6400' Hiker only	No report from Easy Pass, expect deep snow. Fisher Creek trail snow-free for first 2 miles (up to ~3500') east of junction with Thunder Creek Trail. Fisher Creek Trail cleared in 2012 but not brushed. Logan Creek and another creek close by do not have bridges. Creeks often run too high and fast to ford. Log crossings are possible, but can be challenging. Use caution and always assess current conditions. Do not cross if you do not feel it is safe.	5/4
Flat Creek (Stehekin)	1700' - 2000' Hiker, stock	Expect snow. Cleared and brushed in 2012. West Fork Flat Creek is not bridged, but can be crossed on down log at mile 3. No recent report.	5/9
Fourth of July Pass	Thunder Creek 1200', 4th of July Pass 3500' Hiker only	Several small trees down across trail. Snow-free until just before Fourth of July Camp. Some tent pads melted out at the camp but most of camp still under snow, including the toilet. Crossing Fourth of July pass requires routefinding across snow. Trail crews rebuilt portions of trail in 2011 and 2012. No fires at Fourth of July Camp.	5/4
Goode Ridge (Stehekin)	Trailhead 2200', ridge 6600' Hiker, stock	No water after 1.5 miles. Expect snow above 3500'.	5/9
Hannegan Pass / Chilliwack River	Trailhead 3000', Hannegan Pass 5060', Canadian border 2000' Hiker, stock	Snow covered. The Chilliwack Trail cleared 2012. Bear Creek Camp is over-grown but useable. Cable car and horse ford at the southern crossing of the Chilliwack. Use caution during high water events. Trail not maintained north of Bear Creek Camp. Access via Canada very difficult (consider it a cross country route) due to trail washouts and downed trees.	5/9
Happy Panther	1700 - 2000' Hiker, stock	Cleared of down trees from East Bank trailhead to Lucky Jim Creek. Some creek crossings are impassable during early season snow melt. At least one crossing is currently impassable due to high water flow. Several of the creek crossings are washed out, but are usually passable with care. Expect patchy snow but melting quickly.	5/9
Hidden Lake	Trailhead 3700', Hidden Lake: 5700' Hiker only	Snow covered. Reaching the lake requires descending a steep boulder field--no trail to lake shore. Dogs and hunting are not allowed beyond the ridge or down to the lake. Bring a food canister, as there are very few trees for food storage.	5/9
Jack Mountain Trail	East Bank Trail (2000') to NPS boundary (5900'). Little Jack summit at 6750'. Hiker	No recent report. Trail is not maintained on a regular basis, some sections are be overgrown, eroded and rough in many places. Expect snow above 3000'.	5/9
Lakeshore Trail (Stehekin)	Elevation 1200' Hiker, stock	Recently cleared of down fall, but blowdowns are common on this trail due to past forest fires. Early spring wildflowers are fading , but late spring wildflowers are blooming. Ticks are common. Two stream crossings require a wet ford. 4 Mile bridge is installed. Passable to hikers from Stehekin to Prince Creek. Not passable to stock below Moore Pt. Meadow Creek crossing is not repaired from 2011 blowout.	5/15
Little Beaver to Whatcom Pass	Ross Lake 1600', Stillwell ~ 2500', Whatcom Pass 5200' Hiker only from Little Beaver to Stillwell.	Cleared of downed trees in 2012. Food canister is strongly recommended for Whatcom Camp, as there are very few trees from which to hang food. Expect snow above 2500'.	5/9
McAlester Lake / South Pass	Fireweed 3900', McAlester Pass 6000', South Pass 6300' Hiker, stock	Cleared in 2012. Snow covered.	5/9
McGregor Mountain (Stehekin)	Trailhead 1700', Heaton Camp 7000' Hiker, stock	Cleared of downed trees and brushed in 2012. Reaching the summit requires steep rocky scrambling and is difficult in any season. Expect snow above 4000'.	5/9
Monogram Lake / Lookout Mountain	Trailhead 1300', Monogram Lake 4872' Hiker only	Expect snow above 3000'. Monogram Lake camp rebuilt fall of 2012. Bear cans necessary at this camp--very limited trees and very high bear activity. No dogs and no hunting allowed in National Park	5/9
Newhalem Creek	Trailhead 1000', trail's end 1800' Hiker	Unmaintained trail with downed trees and brushy, eroded conditions. Camp not maintained. Not passable for stock.	5/9
North Fork Bridge Creek	2800' to 4200' Hiker, stock	Snow covered. Brushed in 2012!! Must ford Grizzly Creek --use caution or turn back if water too high. Grizzly Camp rebuilt 2012, do not need to ford creek to reach camp now. Walker Park Stock Camp also rebuilt. Due to repeated water damage from its proximity to Grizzly Creek, Grizzly Creek Stock Camp has been permanently closed--stock use Walker Park instead.	5/9
Pacific Crest Trail North (Bridge Creek Trail)	Bridge Creek Trailhead: 4640' Hiker, stock	Snow covered. Just 1 mile south of SR 20, bridge is out, but a foot bridge and stock ford have been installed, so it is passable once snow melts. Stock must ford Bridge Creek twice to access Fireweed Stock Camp. Maple Creek footbridge has been removed for the season. Not passable at high water.	5/9
Pacific Crest Trail South (Old Wagon Trail and Agnes Creek Trail)	1700' - 2300' Hiker	Clear of down trees from High Bridge to Coon Lake. Old Wagon Trail between High Bridge and Bridge Creek cleared and brushed in 2012. Expect some wet feet at creek crossings.	5/15
Panther Creek	Trailhead 1800', Panther Camp ~2000', Fourth of July Pass 3500' Hiker only	Multiple areas of snow and 2 large slide areas. Snow-covered at Fourth of July Pass--reaching Fourth of July Pass requires route-finding over snow. Several down trees, easily passable on foot. Footlog over Panther Creek. New bridge under construction in 2012. In 2011, trail crews rebuilt much trail tread, so expect better conditions and less brush than past years.	5/4
Park Creek Pass	Trailhead (Stehekin)2300', Pass 6100' Hiker, stock	Expect snow above 3000'. Cleared and mostly brushed in 2012. Creek crossing of Park Creek at Two Mile Camp is not bridged--fording not possible at high water levels. Trail is not recommended for stock. Note: Buckner Camp, as seen on some old maps, no longer exists due to flood damage.	5/9
Purple Creek / War Creek	Trailhead 1200' Hiker, stock	Clear of down trees in first 3.5 miles (to ~3500'). Expect snow above 4500'. Brushed and cleared in 2012. Campfires are not allowed at Juanita Lake Camp. Use stoves for cooking. War Creek Trail: In 2011, War Creek trailhead on east side inaccessible by car due to washout of the road ~3/4 mile from trailhead. Stock parties should carry saw and wedges for down trees.	5/15
Pyramid Lake	Trailhead 1100', Lake 2600' Hiker only	Snow-covered before reaching Pyramid Lake. Several trees down across trail, most are easily passable on foot. Please help protect the Research Natural Area: camping and fires are not allowed at Pyramid Lake or along Pyramid Creek.	5/3
Rainbow Creek (Stehekin)	McAlester Pass 6000' Hiker, stock	Clear of down trees from Stehekin Valley to Rainbow Ford. Expect snow above 4000'. Black bear obtained human food at Rainbow Ford Camp early in 2012. Please store your food carefully. Hiker bridge at Rainbow Ford removed for season--do not ford at high water levels. Lower sections burned in 2010 Rainbow Creek Fire--watch for falling snags in burn areas.	5/15
Rainbow Lake	Rainbow Lake 5630', Bowan Pass 6200' Hiker, stock	Expect mostly snow covered. Route-finding skills required. Trail is brushy in several places. Not passable to stock north of Bowan Pass. Access from north: Bridge Creek at South Fork Camp is not bridged, not fordable at high water levels. Some thirty trees down between South Fork and Bowan Pass in 2012.	5/9
Rainbow Loop (Stehekin)	Elevation 1200' to 2200' Hiker, stock	Cleared of down trees. Black-backed woodpeckers are common in the Rainbow Bridge Fire burn area. Use caution as blow-downs are common due to 2010 wild fire. No recent report.	5/8
Sourdough / Pierce Mountain	Trailhead at 900', Sourdough Camp at 5055'. Lookout is at 5968' Hiker only	Expect snow above 3500'. No dogs or hunting in the National Park. Pierce MtnTrail: Expect snow above 3500' Trail is difficult to follow from the lookout to Pierce Mountain Camp, especially when snowy. Trail below camp is very brushy and there were many downed trees in 2012. Several small ponds near Pierce Mtn Camp are the only water sources on east side of Sourdough ridge.	5/9
Stetattle Creek	Trailhead at 900' Hiker only	This trail receives light to no maintenance, and thus can be brushy or have downed trees. There are several challenging sections: a section in the first 1/4 mile where the creek has taken out the trail (some scrambling and hand holds). There are also several stream crossings along the route that may be challenging or wet foot crossings. Not recommended for beginners or families with small children.	5/9
Stiletto Spur / Stiletto Peak	4000' to ~6100' Hiker, stock	Snow covered. Stiletto Spur: The foot log crossing State Creek (near the junction with Bridge Creek Trail/PCT) is not recommended for use. Creek is fordable, but could be challenging after rain. Spur trail paralleling Bridge Creek has numerous downed trees and is brushy in places. Easy to follow for hikers, but not passable to stock. Stiletto Peak Trail has many downed trees passable to hikers. Stiletto Peak Trail fades out in meadows at 6100'.	5/9
Stehekin River (Stehekin)	1200' Hiker only	First log bridge, 3/4 mile from northern end is unusable. Nearby blowdown can be used to cross stream wait h care. Great wildflowers!! Brushy in places. Trail access is from south end of Stehekin airstrip. Trail often floods in the spring with high water events.	5/15
Summit Trail (Stehekin)	Juanita Lake 6800', high point 7440' Hiker, stock	Snow covered.	5/9
Thornton Lake	Trailhead 3000', ridge above lake is 5000', Thornton Lake 4500' Hiker only	Expect mostly snow covered. Three washed out areas one mile from trailhead. Trail crew has placed some new footlogs in 2012, but installation is not complete, do not attempt to use them. Creeks are difficult or impassable at high water levels. From the ridge, the trail to lake is steeper than most trails and can be very slippery when wet or icy. Just before crossing the outlet, the trail drops through a small boulder field, and there is one section that can require some rock-climbing moves to navigate. Drop your pack down first, and use caution. Crossing the lake outlet requires crossing a logjam. Use caution. Animal resistant food storage canisters strongly recommended at the camp. No fires, no pets, no hunting.	5/9
Thunder Creek	Trailhead 1200', Junction camp 3100', Park Creek Pass 6100' Hiker, stock	CLOSED TO STOCK 3 miles south of Thunder Creek Trailhead during bridge replacement; expected to re-open by June 18. Bridge is passable for foot-travelers during replacement. Snowfree with many downed trees until the Skagit Queen Camp area, where trail becomes snow-covered. In 2012, trail was cleared of downed trees as far as Thunder Basin Stock Camp (trail very brushy with about 8 downed trees beyond). Bridge over Thunder Creek at Skagit Queen Camp is a hiker-only footlog. Closed to stock at this point--there is no safe ford. The upper crossing of Thunder Creek (just before Thunder Basin Stock Camp) requires a ford--do not cross at high or unsafe water levels.	5/5
Thunder Knob	1200' to 1875' Hiker only	Snowfree and cleared of down trees. The creek has changed course and one footlog is unusable--easy to pass, but water may run down the trail with high snowmelt. Use caution if crossing fast flowing water.	5/9
Upper Stehekin Valley Trail (old road from Bridge Creek Camp to Cottonwood Camp)	Bridge Creek Camp (2200') to Cottonwood Camp(2800') Hiker, Stock	Cleared of downed trees in 2012, but brushy. Expect snow above Flat Creek.	5/9