Campground · North Cascades National Park
A backcountry night along Stehekin’s upper valley routes.
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
The Prospector Behind Howard Lake“Howard Lake, reached by trail from High Bridge, is named for Wilson Howard, a Black prospector. In eighteen ninety-two, he made two mining claims at the lake.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from Tumwater 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
Tumwater is a designated backcountry camp in the upper Stehekin Valley, one of the popular wilderness stops in the North Cascades park complex. It suits a planned overnight on a remote trip, not a drive-up campground. Backcountry camping requires a permit year-round; during peak season, arrange it before arriving in Stehekin. Check the park’s current permit pickup instructions for your season before you travel.
There is no road into Stehekin. Visitors arrive by foot, boat, or plane, and camps require walking from trails, the ferry dock, or the airstrip. The upper-valley route follows a washed-out former road and is now foot-only. Treat this as a hike-in camp and check current trail and camp conditions before setting out.
The old Stehekin Valley road once continued more than ten miles farther to Cottonwood Camp. River activity repeatedly washed it out, with the final washout in 2003. That history explains why Tumwater belongs to a backcountry route rather than a modern road-access campground.
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
EasyAgnes Gorge Trail5 mi · 3 hr · 0.7 mi awayAn easy forest walk to a narrow gorge and waterfall.
EasyOld Wagon Trail to Bridge Creek Camp5.3 mi · 3 hr · 0.7 mi awayA gentle one-way walk through cedar groves to Bridge Creek Camp.
ChallengingMcGregor Mountain Trail15 mi · 12 hr · 0.7 mi awayA punishing climb to Heaton Camp and far-reaching Stehekin views.
ModerateHoward Lake Trail2.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayClimb to water lilies, dragonflies and a beaver lodge.
ChallengingAgnes Creek Trail10.3 mi · 8 hr · 0.7 mi awayA long walk through cedar forest to two creek cascades.
ModerateUpper Stehekin Valley Trail7 mi · 4 hr · 3 mi awayA remote old road connects two backcountry camps in Stehekin Valley.
ChallengingGoode Ridge Trail10 mi · 9 hr · 3.3 mi awaySteep ridge climb to an old lookout with wide Cascade views.
ChallengingPark Creek Trail to Park Creek Pass8 mi · 7 hr · 4.2 mi awayA remote 8-mile climb to a pass between Logan and Buckner
Campground · 0.7 mi awayHigh Bridge CampgroundBackcountry camp two miles beyond High Bridge.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayHigh BridgeA remote Stehekin River gorge view at a historic ranger station.
Lodging · 2.8 mi awayStehekin Valley RanchA remote stay nine miles up-valley with meals and transport included.
Campground · 3 mi awayBridge Creek CampA river confluence camp for the trails beyond Stehekin.Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
