Buckner Orchard Walk

Buckner Orchard Walk is an easy 0.6-mile out-and-back from Stehekin Valley Road to a historic working orchard. The footpath is about 0.3 mile each way with minimal climb. Allow around an hour if you use the self-guided booklet and explore among the buildings; walking the path alone is much quicker. This is a good stop while you are already traveling through Stehekin, not a big day hike. The mileage varies once you leave the path and wander the orchard grounds.

Buckner Lane follows a hand-dug, gravity-fed irrigation ditch that carries water from Rainbow Creek to the orchard. The channel still waters the apple trees, and the cedar shade makes this strip noticeably greener than the dry ponderosa-pine forest around it. The walk opens into orchard rows with McGregor Mountain rising beyond them.

The Buckner family ran the orchard commercially from the 1920s until selling it to the park in 1970. The grounds still hold historic buildings and farm equipment. Self-guided booklets at two points explain the homestead and the family who built it. The Buckner Cabin dates to 1889 and is part of a district of 15 historic buildings. If the apples are ripe in fall, visitors may pick some to eat.

From Stehekin Landing, the access is 3.5 miles up-valley by foot, bicycle or shuttle. The footpath starts from Stehekin Valley Road just past the Old Stehekin School; a gravel-lane approach on the south side of the road is also described nearby. No dedicated parking area is identified in the directions. Pets are not allowed on park trails; service animals are permitted.