Maxine Hikes Over Cascade Pass To Courtney Ranch in the Stehekin Valley

A few weeks ago Maxine did something I've long wanted to do. Hike Cascade Pass from the west side to meet the Courtney Ranch bus on the east side and stay at the Courtney Ranch in the Stehekin Valley.

That is Maxine crossing Cascade Pass, heading east, in the picture.

I have stayed in Stehekin, at the National Park Lodge, getting there via the Lady of the Lake from Chelan.

I webaged my 4 day Stehekin experience with bears, bikes, bakeries, bus rides to Courtney Ranch for dinner, hikes and more.

Maxine did not hike back over Cascade Pass to head home to the Skagit Valley. She took the Lady of the Lake out of Stehekin.

Below is Maxine's brief account of her Stehekin Adventure....

We had a good trip to Stehekin. It was supposed to rain on Friday (the 1st day of the trip) but we had partial clearing so it was beautiful. Heard the glaciers calving just like the hiking book said.

It poured at night but we were in a tent so it was ok. By then we had crossed any creeks that would have been difficult if they had been higher. We talked to 2 fellows who came over after us who had a hard time crossing Doubtful Creek because it was so swollen.

Because of the road washout we were picked up at Bridge Creek by the Courtney Ranch folks as a courtesy, but this is part of the park service run, too.

Part of our group hiked out the Bridge Creek trail to Rainy Pass, they left at 8 a.m. and reached Rainy Pass about 4 pm. The rest of us took the boat to Chelan, we left Stehekin at 2 pm and arrived in Chelan at 6. It was a 3 ½ ride from there. The boat ride down the lake was beautiful but next year I want to hike out.

I loved Stehekin, fantasized about living there but I’m sure I’d miss amenities. We took a day hike to Agnes Gorge and bicycled down the Harlequin Campground Road to the end and back – had to exercise to eat all that good food at the ranch. I loved talking to the PCT hikers and the other people at the ranch. There was a large Sierra Club group staying as well as some angry lesbians.

Lake Chelan, Stehekin, the Lady of the Lake & Bears

You are looking at an old postcard of Lake Chelan. Lake Chelan is Washington's biggest natural lake.

Lake Chelan is a very narrow, 55 mile long lake. And very deep. Chelan is the Salish Indian word for "deep water."

At a maximum depth of 1,486 feet deep, Lake Chelan is the 3rd deepest lake in America and the 24th deepest in the world.

I remember swimming, or trying to at Lake Chelan State Park, on a HOT August day, with the water of Lake Chelan being very cold. I imagine the cold water, even in summer, has something to do with the lake being so deep.

Another memory of camping as a kid at Lake Chelan State Park was a camper murdering a snake with a shovel. The Park Ranger was not happy about this. The murdering camper thought he was killing a deadly rattlesnake, when what he actually killed was a harmless bull snake.

The town of Chelan is at the south end of the lake. The state park is also at the south end of the lake. The waters of Lake Chelan flow into the Chelan River through the Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Dam.

At the northwest end of Lake Chelan you'll find the town of Stehekin. which is also where the Stehekin River flows into Lake Chelan, with the Stehekin River being the biggest contributor of water to Lake Chelan.

Stehekin is in North Cascades National Park. You'll find a National Park Lodge in town. I had a fine stay in the Stehekin National Park Lodge a few years ago.

There is no road to Stehekin. You can get there either by hiking, float plane or boat. From Chelan you can take the Lady of the Lake or the Lady of the Lake II. Number 2 goes way faster than the original Lady of the Lake. I took the slow boat to Stehekin and loved it. If I remember right it took 4 hours. A very relaxing, very scenic, very fun 4 hours.

In Stehekin you'll find yourself at a gateway to a lot of good stuff. Like one of the best bakeries I've ever been to. Dinner at Courtney Ranch is another very good thing. We went to Courtney Ranch every night of our stay in Stehekin. A bus picks you up to take up up the Stehekin Valley to the ranch. It is a very wild bus ride.

Go to my more detailed description of my visit to Stehekin to hear about the bears, waterfalls, hiking and more...