Parking
From Newhalem, continue about 0.8 mile east on SR 20 and turn right at the signed Newhalem Creek Campground entrance. The trail is reached within the campground; no separate trailhead lot or parking capacity is documented.
Overview
About To Know a Tree Nature Trail
Why go
- Mostly level riverside path with signs identifying trees and plants.
- A short walk with an interpretive purpose rather than a steep climb.
Heads up
- Campground loops and walk-in sites make it less secluded than a forest trail.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North Cascades map
Full mapElevation480–499 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
7 active North Cascades alerts
- ClosureWildfire closures and Stehekin fire advisoryWildfire-related closures remain in effect; stay out of all closed trails, camps, and areas.Official details
- CautionCampfires banned across the park complexCampfires and other ash-producing fires are banned throughout the North Cascades National Park Service Complex.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North Cascades Tour Guide
Your drive to To Know a Tree Nature Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Newhalem Creek Campground and Rock Shelter0:00 / 0:36
“You're nearing Newhalem Creek Campground, a seasonal riverside base within walking distance of town and the visitor center.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf North Cascades Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Goodell Creek: Camping Beside the Skagit
- North Cascades Visitor Center and Picket Range View
- Historic Newhalem: Fudge, a Steam Engine and Cedars
- Ladder Creek Falls and Gorge Powerhouse
- 83 audio storiesacross North Cascades’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Mountain Goat, Black Bear, Mule Deer, and 10 more
- Works offlinemaps, 88 trails, 76 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking To Know a Tree Nature Trail
An easy riverside tree walkTo Know a Tree Nature Trail is a mostly level, one-mile out-and-back through Newhalem Creek…
To Know a Tree Nature Trail is a mostly level, one-mile out-and-back through Newhalem Creek Campground toward the amphitheater area. The packed-gravel walk follows the river and moves among large evergreen and deciduous trees. Plaques identify common trees and understory plants. Allow about 30 to 45 minutes if you stop to read them; this is a gentle leg-stretcher rather than a backcountry hike.
Stop for the plaquesThe labels make this more than a stroll through the campground.
The labels make this more than a stroll through the campground. Look from the sign to the plant beside it, then notice how the tall trees and lush understory change along the river. Some signs have also been described as explaining how fire helps certain trees reproduce.
Expect a campground settingThe walk skirts campground loops and passes walk-in campsites, so it feels lived-in rather than…
The walk skirts campground loops and passes walk-in campsites, so it feels lived-in rather than secluded. River Loop is a different, longer circuit from the North Cascades Visitor Center; keep it separate when planning this short interpretive walk.
Wildlife
Wildlife in North Cascades
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.
