Rainbow Loop Trail

Rainbow Loop Trail is a 4.4-mile point-to-point hike between the lower and upper trailheads on Stehekin Valley Road. Each end climbs roughly 1,000 feet to a rocky bench above the valley, then the route drops to the other end. It is a moderate hike with sustained climbing and switchbacks; allow about three to four hours for the trail, plus whatever time your ride or road return takes. The trail itself does not close into a loop.

The lower, southern trailhead is 2.6 road miles from Stehekin Landing; the upper, northern end is 5 miles up-valley. A summer shuttle can serve either end, so arrange your drop-off or pickup before committing to the traverse. Bicycles can be used on the valley road but are not allowed on the trail. Walking the road back to the lower start makes a 6.8-mile outing by the posted route plan; do not count that distance as part of the 4.4-mile trail.

About 1.6 miles from the lower trailhead, the Boulder Creek Trail branches away. Shortly afterward, a large outcrop opens a broad view over Lake Chelan, the Stehekin River and Buckner Orchard. The view is the trail's best reason to take your time. For a photo, keep some of the valley wall and foreground trees in frame so the lake has scale. May and early June bring wildflowers across the grassy slopes and dry outcrops.

The trail climbs remnants of an old sediment fan built by Rainbow Creek after glaciers retreated about 10,000 years ago. Smaller glaciers carved Rainbow Creek's valley less deeply than the main glacier carved the Stehekin Valley, leaving a hanging valley above the river corridor. Near the lower end, look for tiny pits in the sandy tread: ant-lion larvae wait at the bottom to catch ants. Sections of the southern trail pass through the 2010 Rainbow Bridge Fire zone, so the amount of shade changes along the walk.