Campground · North Cascades National Park
An overnight camp on Rainbow Loop, in the area burned in 2010.
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 area
Rainbow Falls: Two Views of the Drop“Rainbow Falls is coming up, with a three-hundred-and-twelve-foot drop just a short walk from the road. Give it about twenty minutes and see both viewpoints if you can.”
Plays on the road 0.5 mi from Rainbow Bridge Camp 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
Rainbow Bridge Camp is a backcountry overnight stop along the Rainbow Loop in Stehekin Valley. It suits backpackers traveling the trail; there is no road access to the campsite itself.
The Rainbow Bridge Fire burned several miles of the loop in 2010, including the camp and the bridge over Rainbow Creek. Burned sections nearby can have snags and falling trees, so check current trail conditions before heading in.
Rainbow Creek’s smaller alpine glacier carved a hanging valley above the deeper Stehekin Valley. When the ice retreated about 10,000 years ago, the creek spread ground rock and sediment into an alluvial fan that the Rainbow Loop climbs on its way toward the valley bench.
One 2022 backpacking report described little usable tent space and water a short walk away. That is a single, older account, not a current facilities report. The available listing shows a toilet, but its type and condition are not confirmed, and no source establishes a potable water tap. Plan for a simple backcountry camp and verify current conditions before you go.
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
EasyRainbow Mist Trail0.3 mi · 20 min · 0.4 mi awayTwo viewpoints bring you close to a 312-foot waterfall.
EasyBuckner Orchard Walk0.6 mi · 1 hr · 0.5 mi awayA shady ditch-side path opens onto a working historic orchard.
ModerateRainbow Loop Trail4.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 1 mi awayA 4.4-mile traverse for Lake Chelan and Stehekin Valley views.
ChallengingBoulder Creek Trail11.2 mi · 10.5 hr · 1 mi awayAn 11-mile one-way climb from Stehekin into high country.
ChallengingRainbow Creek Trail9.7 mi · 9 hr · 1 mi awayA hard climb into open meadows above Lake Chelan
EasyStehekin River Trail6.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayA gentle forest walk to Weaver Point, with river and falls views
ChallengingHilgard Pass / Ten Mile Pass Loop28 mi · 20 hr · 1.6 mi awayA demanding loop from Stehekin to two high mountain passes.ChallengingCompany Creek Trail11 mi · 10 hr · 1.7 mi awayA demanding 5,400-foot climb from Stehekin to Hilgard Pass.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayRainbow FallsA short walk reaches a 312-foot waterfall in a glacial valley.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayStehekin Old SchoolA one-room schoolhouse shows how an isolated valley educated its kids.Sight · 0.8 mi awayBuckner OrchardWalk the orchard's old irrigation ditch among heirloom apple trees.
Campground · 0.9 mi awayHarlequin CampgroundA walk-in camp along the Stehekin River.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayHarlequin BridgeA short valley stop with a surprisingly unusual bridge story.
Food · 1.7 mi awayStehekin Pastry CompanyA proper pastry break, two miles up the Stehekin valley.
Store · 1.8 mi awayThe GardenA garden and farm stand for seasonal produce and homemade goat cheese.
Campground · 2.3 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.
