Trail of the Cedars Nature Walk

Trail of the Cedars Nature Walk is an easy, roughly half-mile loop through old-growth forest beside the Skagit River. Cross the suspension bridge from Newhalem, follow the river-side path to the Newhalem Creek Powerhouse, then return on the inner forest path. Allow about 30 minutes if you stop at the interpretive signs. The park’s trail inventory lists a shorter 0.3-mile loop; this map follows the fuller bridge-to-powerhouse loop described in its family-hike directions.

Take the river-side path first, then turn back toward the bridge on the other side of the loop. The gravel tread is easy walking, with benches and interpretive stops. This is a small nature walk, not a mountain hike; the payoff is the change from riverbank to deep shade and back.

The towering western red cedars are the reason to slow down. The older trees escaped logging before the park was established, and signs point out plants and animals along the route. As the path rounds the loop, the canopy opens among snags left by the 2015 Goodell Creek Fire, a sharp contrast with the shaded grove.

The town-side approach is at the end of Main Street in Newhalem, where you cross the foot suspension bridge to the trail. The park also lists access from the service road east of Loop C in Newhalem Creek Campground. The bridge can bounce; wheelchair users may want assistance crossing even though the loop itself is described as wheelchair-friendly. Pets are not allowed on park trails; service animals are permitted.