Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Boulder River
Featured In:
Day Hiking: North Cascades,
by Craig Romano.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. Start in an old cut on a logging railroad grade. Don't despair, though, virgin forest appears soon enough. Crashing Boulder Falls can be heard through the dense forest and becomes fully visible just ahead. At about 1 mile pass the wilderness boundary, and soon afterward encounter a spectacular yet unnamed twin waterfall tumbling down the canyon walls into the river. This is a good turnaround spot for young children and hikers who just want a quick wilderness dose. For those intent on carrying on, the trail continues up the moisture-laden emerald valley. While the river's incessant gurgling and belching is continuously heard along the way, the raucous waterway is often hidden from sight. Farther upstream the trail pulls a little ways from the river, climbing a couple hundred feet above it. At 4 miles the trail heads back down to the wild waterway, terminating at a damp riverside flat (elev. 1450 ft). Grab the granola and let the river serenade you with its timeless ballads.
Driving Directions:
Take exit 208 off of I-5 and drive 4 miles east on State Route 530 to Arlington, and then continue east on SR 530 for 20 more miles. At milepost 41, near a subdivision, turn right onto Forest Road 2010 (French Creek Road) and continue for 3.7 miles to the trailhead (elev. 950 ft). Privy available at the Washington State Department of Natural Resources campground 2.8 miles east. Recent Trip Reports
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Boulder River
— Feb 04, 2012
— schwelo
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Mudholes | Water on trail | Snow on trail
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French Creek Rd was mostly bare and wet, with stretches that still have snow, but clear tracks through. Front wheel...
French Creek Rd was mostly bare and wet, with stretches that still have snow, but clear tracks through. Front wheel drive vehicles should not have a problem.
The trail condition is generally good, but was muddy and snow/compact slush covered in stretches. Lots of spots where melting water runs over the trail, some spots require crossing run-off streams on logs or rocks, and some of the logs still had snow/compact slush on them. That was the trickiest part. Be prepared to duck under or climb over a number of blowdowns, but the smell of split cedar and crushed pine was worth it. I grabbed a walking stick on the way back for balance and that was quite helpful. Allow 4-5 hours depending on how long you want to linger at the end of the trail. I would recommend hiking boots for this trail, especially if you plan on continuing past the waterfalls.
Boulder River
— Feb 03, 2012
— Flatlander
Day hike
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail
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Great hike for a an afternoon trip. Directions provided were right on. There was some snow on the...
Great hike for a an afternoon trip. Directions provided were right on. There was some snow on the trail, that was not a issue at all.
I am from Chicago, and if are you looking for a nice easy way to see an old growth forest in an afternoon, I would higly recommend this trip. I would recommend you give yourself 5+ hours to get in and out. I also want to say thanks WTA for having a easy to use site like this an out towner can use! rob
Boulder River
— Jan 28, 2012
— Evan and Tremaine
Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
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Without 4wd we made it only half a mile in from the Mountain Loop highway. Other vehicles were able to...
Without 4wd we made it only half a mile in from the Mountain Loop highway. Other vehicles were able to make it to the trailhead though. The road was snowy and icy mostly. Whereas Lake Serene where we went yesterday had tons of blowdown there was relatively little at Boulder River. We just hiked the three miles to the trailhead and came back.
Day hike
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail
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The drive out to the trail head was more hair-raising than the icy snowy trail itself. There was one small...
The drive out to the trail head was more hair-raising than the icy snowy trail itself. There was one small tree down on the trail but we had a blast "limbo-ing" beneath it. Otherwise, the trail was great even with the snow. There were a few icy patches but nothing even our 4-year-old niece couldn't handle. Feature Show Falls was gorgeous though with the snow all around, and the icicles along the cliffs above us along the way were just amazing.
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Mudholes | Washouts
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Beautiful river walk! Mossy nurse logs, old growth trees, 3 spectacular waterfalls, and some interesting mushrooms. This is an...
Beautiful river walk! Mossy nurse logs, old growth trees, 3 spectacular waterfalls, and some interesting mushrooms. This is an easy trail with a good access road. The trail is is great shape until after the log and handrail bridge about 3 miles in. After that there are a fair number of blowdowns to climb over and some muddy trail washouts. The average hiker will have no trouble, but young children may have some difficulty crossing the stream washouts. Our novice adult hiker today fell in and got her pants completely soaked! I had her change into rainpants she threw in at the last second. (Gear lesson here). Also remember that it gets dark earlier in a river valley than it will elsewhere, so watch your time. Since the guidebood was writter there has been a privy put in about a mile before the trailhead.
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Boulder River waterfall by Bama Rose.
2011
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