Lodging · North Cascades National Park
A lakeside Stehekin base reached by ferry, boat, or a long hike.
Overview
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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
Stehekin Landing and Golden West“You're approaching Stehekin Landing, the boat gateway at the head of Lake Chelan. Make this a waterfront break, with a short uphill walk to Golden West Visitor Center.”
Plays as you drive up to North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin in the Parkwolf North Cascades Tour Guide.
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“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
North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin sits across from the boat landing at the head of Lake Chelan. It is a place to stay in the isolated Stehekin Valley, where an overnight base lets you slow down and explore beyond the landing. Its regular service mix has included rooms and cabins, a restaurant, and a small general store; confirm what is operating before relying on those services.
The draw is the view over Lake Chelan to the surrounding mountains, with a deck and outdoor seating when the lodge is operating. Visitors value the calm, remote setting; expect simple accommodations rather than resort-style polish. Cell reception is absent in Stehekin, so plan for limited connectivity.
Lake Chelan is the third-deepest lake in the United States, and Stehekin sits where the lake meets its upper valley. The water, steep mountain backdrop and sense of having reached the end of the road all arrive together.
Stehekin has long been a passage between Washington's interior and the North Cascades. The name has two recorded Salish-language meanings: “the way through” or “turning around place” in Lushootseed, and “mountain tops” in nxa'amxcin. That crossing-place history makes the remote landing more than a pretty stop.
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
ChallengingPurple Pass / Boulder Creek Loop22.4 mi · 18 hr · 0.1 mi awayA hard climb to Purple Pass, then a long Boulder Creek descent.
ModerateLakeshore Trail17.2 mi · 9 hr · 0.1 mi awayThe long Lake Chelan traverse ends at Prince Creek.ChallengingPurple Creek Trail16 mi · 12 hr · 0.2 mi awayA punishing climb to a tucked-away larch basin.
ChallengingDevore Creek Trail15 mi · 13 hr · 1.2 mi awayA steep backcountry route from Weaver Point into Ten Mile Basin.
ChallengingBoulder Creek Trail11.2 mi · 10.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayAn 11-mile one-way climb from Stehekin into high country.
ChallengingRainbow Creek Trail9.7 mi · 9 hr · 2.3 mi awayA hard climb into open meadows above Lake Chelan
ModerateRainbow Loop Trail4.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayA 4.4-mile traverse for Lake Chelan and Stehekin Valley views.
EasyBuckner Orchard Walk0.6 mi · 1 hr · 2.9 mi awayA shady ditch-side path opens onto a working historic orchard.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayStehekin LandingThe ferry dock is the doorway to a roadless valley.
Picnic area · 0.1 mi awayLakeview Point and Picnic AreaA picnic-table view into Stehekin’s glacier-carved valley.
Visitor center · 0.1 mi awayGolden West Visitor CenterStehekin's visitor center sits inside a historic lodge.
Campground · 0.2 mi awayLakeview CampgroundA nine-site walk-in camp, five minutes from the landing.
Campground · 0.2 mi awayPurple Point CampgroundSix walk-in tent sites, a short walk from Stehekin Landing.
Campground · 1 mi awayWeaver Point CampgroundA boat-in Lake Chelan camp with a 3.5-mile trail approach.
Store · 1.3 mi awayThe GardenA garden and farm stand for seasonal produce and homemade goat cheese.
Food · 1.6 mi awayStehekin Pastry CompanyA proper pastry break, two miles up the Stehekin valley.Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
