Newhalem Creek Powerhouse

Newhalem Creek Powerhouse is a historic hydroelectric station in the company town of Newhalem. Pair it with the easy Trail of the Cedars loop if you want a gentle walk and a closer look at how the Skagit hydroelectric project took shape. The powerhouse is a modest stop on its own; the town-and-river walk gives it more context.

From Newhalem, cross the suspension bridge at the end of Main Street and follow the Trail of the Cedars; that walk is about a mile round trip and roughly 40 minutes with stops. The easy 0.3-mile gravel loop also starts at the powerhouse, at the end of the service road beyond Loop C in Newhalem Creek Campground.

The loop follows the Skagit River beneath large western red cedars and Douglas firs. Another stretch passes through the area burned in the 2015 Goodell Creek Fire, where young forest growth is visible alongside the older trees.

Seattle built the powerhouse in 1921 as the first hydroelectric facility in the Skagit River area. Its electricity helped build Gorge Dam and the adjacent company town of Newhalem. The project’s dam sits on Newhalem Creek about a mile above its mouth at the Skagit and just above a 100-foot waterfall. The station has not operated consistently since 2010, so think of it as a historic power site rather than a working demonstration. The powerhouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 as part of a district.