You'll need an Enchantments permit to camp along this route, which runs 9 mile round-trip, from mid-June until mid-October, and a Northwest Forest Pass for trailhead parking. Camp nearby at Lone Fir, where you'll also find ADA accessible pit toilets, tent and RV sites and even more natural beauty.Ĭolchuck Lake: This is one of the most iconic trails in Wenatchee National Forest, close to both the charmingly faux-Bavarian town of Leavenworth and in the heart of the area Albert Sylvester found so enchanting. If you want to lengthen or increase the difficulty of your hike, branch off to the Lake Ann and Maple Pass trails that connect to this trail part way to Rainy Lake.
You'll have a chance to wind through old growth forest carpeted with wildflowers and approach the titular Rainy Lake, a deep blue basin carved by glaciers long ago. Rainy Lake: A two-mile paved trail that's accessible for hikers and campers with disabilities, but doesn't skimp on stellar views, Rainy Lake is a sweet spot in the Chelan Ranger District. Camping close by is easy, too, at the Foggy Dew campground that shares a name with this trail (and waterway). Deep in the Sawtooth Mountains, though, there's plenty of room for everyone in these classic stands of pines. It's 14 miles of North Cascades goodness in the Methow Valley Ranger District, as popular with equestrians, mountain bikers and motorcyclists as it is with hikers. Even better, Silver Falls Campground is right nearby, making this one of the easiest wonders of Wenatchee National Forest to access, even with kids in tow.įoggy Dew Creek: If you like wide-ranging mountain views, waterfalls and wildflowers, you'll love the Foggy Dew Creek hiking trail. Silver Falls: Tucked away in the Entiat Valley is Silver Falls, a 140-foot bridal veil easily reached via a mile-and-a-half-long trail.
If you've got the time and technical skills for a backpacking trip, it's hard to beat Section K. One of the prettiest (and more strenuous) pieces of the PCT you can tackle is the almost 120-mile stretch between Stevens Pass and Rainy Pass. The Pacific Crest Trail: The famed PCT forms the western-most boundary of Wenatchee National Forest, and specifically the Cle Elum Ranger District. They have digital guidebooks for participants in a slew of outdoor sports, from hiking and mountain biking to climbing, rafting, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing and more. Here are a few favorites in each area of the forest, but for more information, consult the passionate local experts at Wenatchee Outdoors. There are more excellent trails in Wenatchee National Forest than we have room in this article. Popular Trails in Wenatchee National Forest That's why we've rounded up what you need to know about hiking, biking, climbing, rafting, camping and otherwise exploring one of Central Washington's best-kept secrets. And as of 2000, when Wenatchee National Forest was officially combined with Okanogan National Forest, it includes the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, too. It's also home to some or all of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the Middle Fork Snoqualmie and Pratt rivers, Glacier Peaks Wilderness, Goat Rocks Wilderness, the Henry M. But Wenatchee National Forest is far more than its most famous pocket of backcountry splendor. In fact, 33,400 acres of Wenatchee National Forest are entirely uninterrupted by roads, containing part of the largest roadless area in Washington State.Įven the Enchantments continue to surprise as the Snow Creek Glacier melts away, revealing more of the Upper Basin. Waptus Lake, for example, is a two-mile long alpine beauty that cannot be accessed by road, only by trail.
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Running for 137 miles on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains, Wenatchee National Forest is full of unexpected surprises. There's more to Wenatchee National Forest than the sometimes whimsical impressions of a 19th- century surveyor, though. The basins, lakes and peaks of this corner of the Stuart Range were so enchanting to Sylvester he named them, well, you know. Or consider the Enchantments region, so popular with backpackers now that a competitive lottery takes place for permits every summer. Geological Survey, Sylvester had a chance to name as many as 3,000 features and places in and around what is now Wenatchee National Forest.Ĭlimb Overcoat Peak, for example, and you'll be walking into an amusing anecdote from 1897, when Sylvester left his coat at the top after his first summit.
That's because, during his 30 years exploring every inch of the Cascades with the U.S.
Walk through any of the 2,711 square miles of Wenatchee National Forest or even glance at a map of central Washington, and you'll inadvertently find yourself strolling through the travel journal of a man named Albert H.
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