Parking
There is no drive-up trailhead at Bridge Creek Camp. Reach it on foot from High Bridge via the Old Wagon Trail, about 5.3 miles one way; check current shuttle and road access and plan your exit.
Overview
About Upper Stehekin Valley Trail
The Upper Stehekin Valley Trail follows the former valley road between Bridge Creek Camp and Cottonwood Camp in North Cascades' remote Stehekin valley.
Why go
- A quiet historic valley route between two backcountry camps
- Connections toward Goode Ridge and Park Creek Pass
Heads up
- Rough, uneven old roadbed
- Remote point-to-point logistics and a long foot approach from High Bridge
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North Cascades map
Full mapElevation2,139–2,792 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active North Cascades alerts
- ClosureStehekin Valley Road closed after landslidesMentions this trailStehekin Valley Road is closed because landslides damaged it; additional precipitation and flood-related hazards persist.Official details
- ClosureWildfire closures and Stehekin fire advisoryWildfire-related closures remain in effect; stay out of all closed trails, camps, and areas.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North Cascades Tour Guide
Your drive to Upper Stehekin Valley 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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- The Prospector Behind Howard Lake
- High Bridge: River Gorge and Ranger Station
- A Pine's Thick Skin
- Stehekin Valley Ranch and the Cookhouse
- 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 Upper Stehekin Valley Trail
RouteThis entry covers the Bridge Creek Camp–Cottonwood Camp section, about 7.0 miles one way.
This entry covers the Bridge Creek Camp–Cottonwood Camp section, about 7.0 miles one way. A short Pacific Crest Trail connector leaves the Bridge Creek Camp area and joins the old roadbed, which rolls gradually through forest with occasional openings toward the river valley. Expect rough, uneven tread. Connections lead toward Goode Ridge and Park Creek Pass, with Flat Creek Camp along the corridor.
Reaching the startBridge Creek Camp is not road-accessible.
Bridge Creek Camp is not road-accessible. Reach it on foot from High Bridge via the Old Wagon Trail, about 5.3 miles one way. This is a point-to-point walk; plan your return or onward exit before starting, and check current shuttle and road access to High Bridge. The longer High Bridge approach is separate from the segment described here.
Permits and petsOvernight trips in the park backcountry require a permit year-round.
Overnight trips in the park backcountry require a permit year-round. Pets are not allowed on this old-road trail segment; leashed pets are allowed only on Pacific Crest Trail portions of the route.
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.
