Miles: 11.75 miles total
Elevation Gain/Highest 2600ft/3800ft
Map: Green Trails Stehekin No82
Favorite Eats After Hike: Stehekin Pastry Company and Pack A Backpack.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
My hike:
6/2-3/2018
This was the second day of our backpacking trip having hiked into Stehekin on the Lakeshore Trail 7 miles this morning and hoping to extend our outdoor fun. There are multiple trail options in and out of this idyllic spot and after talking with the NPS staff, we settled on the Rainbow Loop Trail because it offered options for a day hike extension and proximity to town for exploring.
There are two options to get out the to loop from town: take a shuttle (we had just missed the 9am) or walk the road. It is 2.5 miles to the lower trailhead and 5 to the upper. Since we planned to visit the Stehekin Pastry Company on the way, we opted to start walking for the lower trailhead. We lucked out on this trip, there was construction in progress resurfacing the road to the Stehekin Ranch (due to complete 7/4/2018) and although initially told we would have to wait awhile to pass through, a friendly crew person came to us on a ATV and drove us through about a mile leaving us just over .75 miles to walk. We even stopped by the organic garden for fresh dill goat cheese I savored with the proscuitto I carried in my pack.
After enjoying a famous cinnamon roll (my hubby) and a wheat free chocolate cookie (me), we were on the road about 11am and in less than .75 miles we were arrived the lower trailhead. We decided to start our loop here because this end has a steeper gain, meaning it would preferable on the knees to go up now rather than down tomorrow. Plus, it meant walking the 3 miles of road to complete the loop tomorrow when we were more fresh (already being about 9 miles into our day).
The trail starts off wide and forested with little underbrush as it gradually brought us along Boulder Creek and then turned north and up on switchbacks to overlook the Stehekin Valley and down Lake Chelan. We had fun wondering where the warbling Mountain Grouse were nestled and how the forest fire blackened trees still managed to stand several years later.
Looking down into the valley at a turn in the trail up 1.5 miles from the road, we could see the winding Stehekin River and Buckner Orchard down below. Having visited multiple times to the area, it was enjoyable to see the view from a different perspective. Western Tiger Swallowtail flitted about the wildflowers at our feet as we continued on from here .6 more miles to Rainbow Bridge Camp. The trail came around a knoll and dropped down to Rainbow Creek.
We weren’t sure what to expect because when we mentioned to our construction crew escort that we were camping here she gave us a perplexed look and questioned that there was a camp there at all. I was somewhat confident there was since we had a permit with the name of the camp on it but standing now at the junction and no apparent camp in site but a faint boot path leading down into the narrow shoal next to the creek, I wasn’t so sure anymore. Maybe it had been washed away?
We headed down with faith and in about 340 ft we came upon a few campsites and a grated fire pit a little before 1pm in the small stretch of terrain between the creek and the slope we had just come down. The larger campsite included the bear hang with a smaller tent site up the trail 50 ft. We opted to take the roomier one, counting on not having company we would have to share the camp with. Of course, we realized after setting up our tent and using the facilities that the privy is visible not only from camp but the trail we had come down. Good thing we were in it, I suppose.
One of the first thing I did was go in search of water. There was a break in the rock on the other side of the fire ring, so I took off through it hoping it was a path to the creek. Nope, or at least not anymore. The trail ran out about 10 feet later and appeared to be buried under high water debris brought down over winter. I could see the creek out in front of me but I had to crawl up and over logs and through tangled brush to get there. I eventually made it to the water, refilled all the bottles I had and rinsed my feet but getting back was a bear with my hands full. Needless to say, that was a trip we only took once during our stay.
After setting up camp, eating snacks and plotting our afternoon, we hiked back up out of camp and continued on the loop over Rainbow Creek and towards the junction with the Rainbow Creek Trail around 2:30pm. Our goal was to see how far up we could get, enjoy dinner, and then head back down for the night. We passed the only two people we would see while up here, out enjoying the Loop Trail itself.
It was .3 miles and we were soon turning east and heading up on the Rainbow Creek Trail on a set of switchbacks rising 600ft up with the creek to our right raging below in a deepening canyon. The outslope edge of the trail here was pocked with burrows, some with resident lizards poking their heads out to gather the warmth of the sun. A mile in we came to the viewpoint shown on the map and could see back down to Stehekin and the lake. The surrounding hillscape was scarred with wildfire and a few resilient evergreens were left to color the terrain.
We continued on as the trail follows the contour of the slope, becoming more gradual and bringing us closer to a crossing at 2.5 miles. We passed a rest stop at 1.5 miles first, a wooden bench placed to take advantage of a view back at the mountains with just a few snags blocking a clear view. The next mile to the cable bridge was brushy and overgrown but not so much we had to step off the trail which was good because the trail sits on a steep slope most of the way with a drop off into the creek raging below. I would not have wanted to have a misstep here.
The Rainbow Ford crossing had a cable bridge, horse ford, and pit toilet when we arrived at 4pm and 3120ft. The creek was overflowing, bringing water onto the trail and making the horse ford appear impassable. The single campsite next to the trail was dry but sleeping would most likely require earplugs! My husband and I agreed with a little less water, it would make for more enjoyable stay than the one we were at below but we were both glad we hadn’t had to make the climb with full packs today.
It was fun crossing the wobbly plank bridge, so much so we were there for about 50 minutes “playing”, gawking at the force of the water flowing just inches below our feet. You bet I was gripping the cable as I made my way across each time. This break, also, involved me trying to work on a blister I had incurred today under my right big toe that was giving me grief. I didn’t have much luck and pain was just going to have to slow me down for the rest of the trip.
Deciding it was still a bit early for dinner and the map telling us we only .6 miles to the junction with the Rainbow Lake Trail and Bench Creek (and another campsite), we continued up through bright orange paintbrush and admired the snowbridges over Rainbow Creek, thankful we didn’t have to navigate them.
The map was a bit of a liar and it was .9 miles to the junction making a total of 3.3 from the Loop Trail. It was 5:30pm, making it almost 12 hours since we had gotten on trail this morning at Moore Point on the Lakeshore Trail. We sat at Bench Creek camp which actually turned out to be surprisingly large as it rose up on the slope. We found 4-5 campsites and 3 fire pits with a pit toilet tucked further up. Water was down a walk to Bench Creek and the bugs were annoying. We stayed long enough to heat water for dinner and made our way back to our camp about 7:45pm and 17+ miles under our belt for the day (8.75 on the Rainbow Loop/Creek). Not bad.
We did have a little last minute drama as my husband discovered he had a few ticks on him, one of them embedded in his torso. After dealing with that (that made a total of four ticks for him and zero for me), we were so ready to get into our tent and finish the day.
The next morning our goal was to hike out and get to the bakery in time to eat and catch the shuttle coming from High Bridge into town. So, we shuffled up to complete the loop which was an easy grade down to the road through ponderosa pine and limited views after watering up at the bridge over Rainbow Creek next to the junction with camp. Much easier than the supposed spot in camp.
We hit the road at 3 miles after dropping down on a few switchbacks at 8am and turned south. I am not a fan of road walking but from past experience I know it is an interesting trek. Harlequin Bridge and campground are a little more than half mile beyond and I’ll admit I have a thing for those old rusted iron bridges contrasted against the ice blue water so common up here. The Stehekin River rolled below and MacGregor sat regally upstream.
Passing Rainbow Falls, Old Stehekin Schoolhouse and Buckner Orchard, all the places we visited last year, we opted to leave for another trip with the kids. My husband even found a new best friend, Maggie, who came out from a local resident’s home to see what we were up to. After 3 miles on the road, we were once again at the Stehekin Pastry Company and waiting for the shuttle. I opted to try their wheat free Morning Glory muffin and my hubby had some veggie quiche. And he may have, also, picked up a few pieces of pizza for the boat (theoretically). The bus picked us up and we were on our way back into town to catch the ferry at 9:49am with plenty of time to relax on the landing. Perfect!
Directions: The trail is accessible via the Lady of The Lake boat service. You can board the boat in Chelan or further uplake at Field’s Point. For more information, visit the Lady of The Lake or Washington State Parks websites for the most up-to-date information. One of your other options is to hike in, say on the Pacific Crest Trail from either Rainy Pass (SR 20) or Stevens Pass (SR 2). Backcountry permit required at Rainbow Bridge Camp.
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