Trails of the wilderness

Crater Lake (3500 ft)

The diverse mixture of dense forest, lush meadows, alpine slopes, geology and high country motivates visitors to climb from lowland trailheads through the forest. It draws backpackers, horse packers, fisherman, and hunters. Trails tend to be steady climbs into high basins and glacial cirques with lakes. The south facing portion of the range has more open, rolling high country that falls off very steeply into the Lake Chelan valley. There are over 63 high alpine lakes within the wilderness, many too small to even be named.

This wilderness is a great alternative for easy hiking and scrambling when the weather on the west side is rainy and cold. Trailheads in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, unless accessed by the Lake, are often over 3,000ft.  All trailheads on the south side of the wilderness are right off of Lake Chelan. Access to these trails is limited to a ferry or personal boat rides across the length of the lake up to Stehekin, a small no road town.

The Stehekin Valley is the gateway to the North Cascades National Park and offers world class scenery, hiking, horseback riding, river rafting, biking, kayaking, boating, bakery, restaurants, shuttle bus to High Bridge. Visit the historic Buckner Orchard, the one room school, and Rainbow Falls (318ft).

Stehekin Landing and Village

Stehiekins Amazing Bakery

Access to North and East trails of the wilderness go through miles of national forest land before entering the actual wilderness. The good thing about trails on the Twisp River side is that they don’t get the numbers of people traffic as of places with the easier access. Trails entering from the west side of the wilderness first crosses North Cascades National Park or Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. The drawback to the trail heads not beginning in the Wilderness itself is they are often used often by motorized vehicles, creating drenched and dustier trails. However, once you reach the actual wilderness motorized vehicles are prohibited.

Hike the east side of the Cascade Range, and you’ll discover jagged skyline views that equal those on the more crowded west side—and that aren’t obscured by a near-daily dose of cold, pounding rain. This four-day, 32-mile traverse from the tiny village of Stehekin to Prince Creek Campground (both on Lake Chelan) begins with a relentless, 5,700-foot climb on the Purple Creek Trail to Purple Pass. Camp at Lake Juanita after 7.3 hard-earned miles. For the next two days, follow the Chelan Summit Trail below the craggy Sawtooth Range; you’ll likely see more black bears than people (our Northwest Editor notched daily bruin sightings). The rugged trail pays off with views of Glacier Peak and the North Cascades across 50-mile-long and two-mile-wide Lake Chelan, which sits at the bottom of a trench 2,000 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon. Bridges— including a critical one across Prince Creek, which cannot be forded—receive infrequent maintenance; call the Chelan Ranger District before heading out. Local knowledge Best campsite: the stream-cut wildflower meadows of Horseshoe Basin at mile 16.5

http://www.backpacker.com/march-2011-best-kept-secrets-lake-chelan-sawtooth-wilderness/destinations/15261  



Horse Shoe Basin from Oval Pass