Sight · North Cascades National Park
A short valley stop with a surprisingly unusual bridge story.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North Cascades Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for North Cascades National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the North Cascades audio tourRecorded for this place
Harlequin Bridge and the River Walk“You're coming up on Harlequin Bridge over the Stehekin River. It's worth a brief pause for the river view and the story of the crossing.”
Plays as you drive up to Harlequin Bridge in the Parkwolf North Cascades Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Harlequin Bridge is a road bridge over the Stehekin River where Stehekin Valley Road meets Company Creek Road. It is one of only three road bridges across the river. If you're already traveling up the valley, this is a quick pause for the river view and the bridge's history; it isn't a reason to plan a visit by itself. The site has interpretive information and a scenic view.
The current bridge is the fifth built here. In 1948, the U.S. Forest Service built the fourth as a timber Baltimore Truss for vehicle traffic. That was an unusual use of the design, which was usually made of steel for railroad bridges. When the older bridge was replaced in 2000, the new design was made to honor it.
The rust-colored cross-bracing gives the bridge its character. In a photo, include both the timber deck and the truss so the structure reads clearly as a bridge, rather than another forest or river view.
Wildlife
101 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
70 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
20 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
77 sightingsSooty GrouseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
23 sightingsWhite-tailed PtarmiganMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
75 sightingsWestern ToadMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across North Cascades. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyStehekin River Trail6.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA gentle forest walk to Weaver Point, with river and falls views
ChallengingHilgard Pass / Ten Mile Pass Loop28 mi · 20 hr · 0.7 mi awayA demanding loop from Stehekin to two high mountain passes.ChallengingCompany Creek Trail11 mi · 10 hr · 0.7 mi awayA demanding 5,400-foot climb from Stehekin to Hilgard Pass.
EasyRainbow Mist Trail0.3 mi · 20 min · 0.8 mi awayTwo viewpoints bring you close to a 312-foot waterfall.
EasyBuckner Orchard Walk0.6 mi · 1 hr · 0.9 mi awayA shady ditch-side path opens onto a working historic orchard.
ModerateRainbow Loop Trail4.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA 4.4-mile traverse for Lake Chelan and Stehekin Valley views.
ChallengingBoulder Creek Trail11.2 mi · 10.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayAn 11-mile one-way climb from Stehekin into high country.
ChallengingRainbow Creek Trail9.7 mi · 9 hr · 1.5 mi awayA hard climb into open meadows above Lake Chelan
Campground · 0.1 mi awayHarlequin CampgroundA walk-in camp along the Stehekin River.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayRainbow FallsA short walk reaches a 312-foot waterfall in a glacial valley.
Campground · 0.9 mi awayRainbow Bridge CampAn overnight camp on Rainbow Loop, in the area burned in 2010.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayStehekin Old SchoolA one-room schoolhouse shows how an isolated valley educated its kids.Sight · 1.1 mi awayBuckner OrchardWalk the orchard's old irrigation ditch among heirloom apple trees.
Food · 2.2 mi awayStehekin Pastry CompanyA proper pastry break, two miles up the Stehekin valley.
Store · 2.5 mi awayThe GardenA garden and farm stand for seasonal produce and homemade goat cheese.
Campground · 2.9 mi awayWeaver Point CampgroundA boat-in Lake Chelan camp with a 3.5-mile trail approach.Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
