Wenatchee River Ranger District, Trails
Wenatchee River RD Conditions Home | Roads | Campgrounds
Trails on the Wenatchee River Ranger District are experiencing the end result of avalanche conditions due to the heavy snow pack we have encountered this past season. Expect downed trees and debris to prevail throughout the forest and plan accordingly when traveling in the backcountry. Our trail crews are working hard to address these issues. Please use common sense when traveling on FS roads, and as always, know before you go.
Mission Creek / Devils Gulch Area | ||
Devils Spur #1203 |
Maintained and clear | 07/13/2023 |
Devils Gulch #1220 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Mission Ridge #1201 |
Conditions unknown | 07/13/2023 |
Sand Creek | 07/13/2023 | |
Red Devil #1221 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Red Hill #1223 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Red Hill Spur #1223.1 |
Conditions unknown |
07/13/2023 |
Highway 97 / Blewett Pass Area | ||
Tronsen Ridge #1204 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Tronsen Meadow #1205 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Ingalls Creek #1215 |
Maintained and clear | 07/13/2023 |
Fourth Creek #1218 |
Maintained and clear | 07/13/2023 |
Lake Wenatchee Area | ||
Dirty Face #1500 |
Maintained but brushy |
07/13/2023 |
Hidden Lake #1510 |
Maintained with several logs on the trail | 07/13/2023 |
Round Mountain #1529 |
Maintained and clear to Nason Ridge |
07/13/2023 |
Nason Ridge #1583 |
Maintained and clear from the trailhead to the Lookout | 07/13/2023 |
Little Wenatchee River Area | ||
Cady Creek #1501 |
Open but inaccessible via the Little Wenatchee River Road. Conditions unknown |
07/13/2023 |
Cady Ridge #1532 |
Open but inaccessible via Little Wenatchee River Road. Conditions unknown |
07/13/2023 |
Top Lake #1506 |
Accessible from Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) of FS 6700. Many logs on the trail but passible on foot. |
07/13/2023 |
Poe Mountain #1520 |
Closed due to Irving Peak and White River fires | 07/13/2023 |
Lake Minotaur #1517 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Little Wenatchee #1525 |
Closed due to Irving Peak and White River fires | 08/30/2022 |
Heather Lake #1526 |
Maintained but brushy with few logs on trail passable on foot |
07/13/2023 |
Little Wenatchee Ridge #1543 |
ALSO: Little Wenatchee Gorge #1540 / Closed due to Irving Peak and White River fires | 08/30/2022 |
Irving Pass #1545 |
Closed due to Irving Peak and White River fires |
08/30/2022 |
White River Area | ||
Indian Creek #1502 |
Not maintained. Difficult to follow and brushy |
07/13/2023 |
Twin Lakes #1503 |
Mostly cleared and a significant wash out | 07/13/2023 |
White River #1507 |
Trail not maintained / impassable beyond Boulder Pass Junction. Access to the Pacific Crest Trail is possible via the Indian Creek Trail #1502. |
07/13/2023 |
Mount David #1521 |
Partially clear | 07/13/2023 |
Boulder Creek / Pass #1562 |
Conditions unknown |
07/13/2023 |
Chiwawa River Area | ||
Carne Mountain #1508 |
Maintained and cleared. | 07/27/2023 |
Rock Creek #1509 |
Clear to Rock Creek Tie; significant washout in 1st mile on steep side of slope Trail not recommened for stock |
07/17/2023 |
Rock Creek Tie #1538 |
Conditions unknown |
07/17/2023 |
#1511 |
Trail maintained and clear to wilderness boundry Stock travel: NO turn around at trailhead If camping please use previously impacted sites and do NOT camp on vegetation in the fragile meadows.
|
07/17/2023 |
Buck Creek #1513 |
MAINTAINED AND CLEAR FROM TRINITY TO BUCK PASS BRIDGE IS STILL OUT. HORSE FORD POOR CONDTION BUT CLEAR. |
07/27/2023 |
Basalt Ridge #1515 |
Conditions unknown |
07/17/2023 |
Little Giant #1518 |
Conditions unknown |
07/17/2023 |
Schaefer Lake #1519 |
Mostly clear but must ford a creek |
07/13/2023 |
Alder Ridge ORV #1523 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Minnow Ridge ORV #1524 |
Maintained and clear | 07/13/2023 |
Estes Butte #1527 |
Conditions unknown |
07/13/2023 |
Basalt Pass #1530 |
Conditions unknown |
07/17/2023 |
Chikamin Creek ORV #1534 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Minnow Creek #1539 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Lower Chiwawa ORV #1548 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Chiwawa River #1550 |
Conditions unknown |
07/13/2023 |
Chikamin Tie ORV #1561 |
Maintained and clear |
07/17/2023 |
Highway 2 / Stevens Pass / Smithbrook Area | ||
Snowy Creek #1531 |
Conditions unknown |
07/14/2023 |
Chiwaukum Creek #1571 |
Mostly clear to North Fork Chiwaukum Junction 2 significant rootwads remain blocking stock travel 20-30 logs on trail between NF Chiwaukum Jct and Brigham/Flora |
07/13/2023 |
Index Creek #1572 |
Conditions unknown | 07/14/2023 |
Painter Creek #1575 |
Has not been maintained in years, almost nonexistent trail. Not recomended for travel. If you are bold enough to try it, map and compass is a must! | 5/5/22 |
Badlands #1576 |
No information at this time | 07/14/2023 |
Hatchery Creek #1577 |
Clear to Wilderness Boundry; 500 logs on trail between Wilderness Boundry and Lake Augusta |
07/13/2023 |
Whitepine Creek #1582 |
Conditions unknown |
07/14/2023 |
Lake Ethel #1585 |
Conditions unknown | 07/14/2023 |
Rock Mountain #1587 |
Maintained | 07/14/2023 |
Merritt Lake #1588 |
Maintained and clear to Merrit Lake Conditions unknown to Lost Lake |
07/14/2023 |
Lanham Lake #1589 |
Conditions unknown |
07/14/2023 |
Smithbrook #1590 |
Maintained and clear | 07/14/2023 |
No. Fork Chiwaukum Cr. #1591 |
Winter conditions | 12/1/22 |
Wildhorse Creek #1592 |
The trail is brusy and has multiple logs which can be crossed by foot. A toilet is available at Lake Margaret |
07/14/2023 |
Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) North from Stevens Pass #2000 |
Maintained and clear | 07/14/2023 |
Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) South from Stevens Pass #2000 |
Maintained and clear |
07/14/2023 |
Icicle Creek / Enchantments Area | ||
Icicle Creek #1551 |
WARNING: The bridge over French Creek 1.5 miles up Icicle Creek Trail #1551 is broken. The creek must be forded to access French Creek Trail #1595. Also, the bridge over Icicle Creek at 5 mile point is broken and not usable and the creek must be forded. It is not known when the bridges will be replaced. See Photos of Bridge |
08/04/2023 |
Eightmile Lake #1552 |
Maintained and clear |
07/14/2023 |
Snow Creek / Snow Lakes #1553 |
Maintained and clear with some significant rockfall on the upper trail which may require some scrambling. 6 toilets available Multiple Bear sightings have been reported in the Nada Lake and Snow Lake areas. If camping in the area, be Bear-Wise and practice proper food storage. |
07/13/2023 |
Eightmile-Trout Creek #1554 |
Maintained and clear
|
07/14/2023 |
Trout Creek #1555 |
Conditions unknown | 07/14/2023 |
Jack Creek #1558 |
Clear to Meadow Creek Junction From the Meadow creek junction to Van Epps there is significant fire damage and patches of lost trail. Beyond Van Epps the conditions improve. Numberous trees are down along the trail |
07/13/23 |
Blackjack Ridge #1565 |
Conditions unknown | 07/14/2023 |
Icicle Ridge #1570 |
Maintained and clear |
07/14/2023 |
Fourth of July Creek #1579 |
Conditions unknown |
07/14/2023 |
Chain Lakes #1569 |
First part of the trail is clear but later becomes difficult to follow with numberous logs and brush on the trail. | 07/14/2023 |
Chatter Creek #1580 |
Obstacles on the trail but easy to follow | 07/14/2023 |
French Creek #1595 |
WARNING: The bridge over French Creek 1.5 miles up Icicle Creek Trail #1551 is broken due to damage from heavy winter snowpack and is unsafe to cross. There is no way to ford the creek due to high water. No access to French Creek Trail #1595 or beyond bridge on Icicle Creek Trail. It is not known when bridge will be replaced. See Photos of Bridge |
5/5/22 |
Icicle Gorge #1596 |
Maintained and clear |
07/13/2023 |
Stuart Lake #1599 |
Maintained and clear Toilets are available. Please use them |
07/14/2023 |
Colchuck Lake #1599A |
Maintained and clear Toilets are available. Please use them. Do not feed the chipmunks |
07/14/2023 |
Aasgard Pass |
Route is hard to follow but has cairnes. Please do not build more cairnes as it leads to confusion and resource damage. Aasgard Pass WARNING! It is recomended to stay climbers left of the tree island to avoid the waterfall area and potentially more rockslides off Dragontail Peak. There are large cairns to guide hikers on Aasgard to avoid the waterfall hole. |
07/14/2023 |
Core Enchantments |
Stay on main trail to prevent damage to fragile plants and soil. Toilets are available. Please use them. Pack out all waste. |
07/17/2023 |
Approximately 50% of the parking spaces are allocated for Overnight Permit holders only. If you DO NOT have the Enchantment Overnight Permit Parking Pass, YOU CANNOT park in these signed spaces. Tickets with fines will be issued for vehicles violating the Overnight Parking area or parking along the road.
These trailheads, which access the Enchantments area of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, routinely experience intense demand through the summer months and early autumn. As visitor use has increased dramatically over the past decade, parking and related safety and resource issues have also been compounded. On several days of the week during this time of the year, especially the weekends, parking can extend on both sides of this one-lane road from Stuart Lake to Eightmile Lake trailhead and beyond. This creates public safety issues and concerns along this one-lane road as it relates to the ingress/egress for emergency vehicles, to user conflicts between motorized vehicles accessing the trailheads and pedestrians walking the road to and from the trailhead. As is, parking for emergency response vehicles and Search and Rescue volunteers is severely affected by the overly congested parking at the trailheads. PARKING IS ALLOWED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD ONLY!
These trailheads and parking areas have been documented to be well beyond their capacity, causing repeated natural resource and sanitation issues as well. This has created a public health concern at the 2 toilet facilities, one at each trailhead. As they are over capacity they are often lacking sanitary supplies, which has resulted in sanitation issues and public health concerns in the forest area adjacent to the trailheads (litter and human waste).
Average Spring trail openings/meltout
Late March to Mid April--- Icicle Ridge, Penstock, Leavenworth town trails (Blackbird Island, Ski Hill loop trails, Fish Hatchery trails, Wenatchee Foothill trails)
Mid April to Mid May -- Snow Creek, Fourth of July, Freund Canyon, Devil's Gulch, Ingalls Creek, Lake Stuart, Icicle Creek, Hatchery Creek, Eightmile Lake, Chatter Creek, Jack Creek. Hidden Lake, Twin Lakes, White Pine, Lower Chiwawa, Nason Ridge, Rock Mtn, Dirty Face.
Mid May or later -- Lake Ethel, Tronsen Ridge, Upper Devil's Gulch, Upper Mission Ridge, Little Wenatchee TH, Minotaur lake, Top Lake, Merritt Lake, Heather Lake, Shaeffer Lake, Rock Creek, White River/Indian Creek, Upper Chiwawa River TH's, Round Mtn, Irving Pass
Current Weather Forecast for Leavenworth
Trail condition reports are gathered from Forest Service trail employees and wilderness rangers, USFS trail contractors, and public reports.
WTA.ORG , NWHIKERS.NET , AllTrails.com and WenatcheeOutdoors.org are also excellent sources for trail conditions and ideas for hikes and backpacking trips.