A belated Father’s day present from my daughter had us hiking the Chelan lakeshore trail for 2 days. I read reports that said you should not hike the trail in the summer because of the heat and we really appreciated all the negative words…no crowds..actually nobody else at all! The weather was spectacular..about 80 degrees, sunny, blue skies, lake view the entire way, and when we got off the boat at Prince Creek, we were the only ones to get off there for several days according to the boat hands! The first day we hiked 12 miles and stayed at Moore Point overnight and then the final 7 miles the second day. The trail is much harder than I expected. I’m not an up and down hiker and prefer going up the first half of the hike and down the second half. My (old) book said the elevation gain was “perhaps 2000 feet” and MY Garmin said our total gain was 4350 feet…and I would sure vote for the Garmin. The trail crosses sever stream ‘canyons’ where some of the down/ups were steep. We ran into 2 rattlesnakes, one giant snake rattling as it slithered across the trail between my daughter and me and the other a baby, only 2’ long ..ugh. Saw bear scat on the trail but no large animals. The trail has several blowdowns (>10) most you can step over, however, a few are larger and you don’t want to sit on/slide over … they are charred from the forest fires and will leave you with black pants! Several of the burned areas are now covered with ground brush and it covers the trail several places…that’s where we encountered the snakes. I hope you don’t take all this as negative…we had a wonderful time, spectacular views, lots of memories, however, ‘old’ Dad may ask for an easier present next year!

August 2012 hike was buried deep in my subconscious. On this hike I wished for a quick death to put me out of my misery. I would have been fine being ended by fire or becoming bear food. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The corgi in a backpack picture of Gunner (& myself) hails from this adventure on the dream-like bluffs above beautiful Lake Chelan. There are hikes and there are hikes which are requirements. The Chelan Lakeshore Trail is the latter.

Crystal clear gem waters
Icy oasis blue
Omnipresent lake
The taunting Chelan

If there is a Billboard Top 100 for Hikes in the world, the Lakeshore will easily make the Top 10. No one will question the beauty of Lake Chelan. The deep green valley cuts into the Earth yielding the gin-clear glassy waters of the Chelan. Many don't hike the lake. Hordes party in our inland Washington Club Med in the town of Chelan. Thousands take a boat up the 55-mile sliver of a lake yearly. These are all noble and righteous ways to entertain The Lake, but to hike The Lakeshore---that is a memory maker.

Just don't do it in the heat of summer (with short-legged doggies more suited for rainy climes).

The hike. Yes, the hike. This 17.5 mile hike.

The Lakeshore trail requires taking a boat ride. Plop your backpack on the dock, hop on the boat, and enjoy the views. The boat ride in and of itself is stunning. For those backpacking the 17.5, you will get dropped off at Prince Creek. It was eerie to see the boat pull away, and move up-lake like the boat from Apocalypse Now. Foreboding.

It was a sunny (hot) August day, but you are on Lake Chelan, you're at the beginning of a legendary hike. Adventure pumps you. Our feet move us on a happy quickstep.

The trail points skyward away.

Yes for most of the Lakeshore trail, you are not along the shore. With this deep cut gorge, you don't have many flat sandy beaches to walk along. You basically walk along the side of cliff walls and atop bluffs. The lake is close, but painfully and cruelly far away. This made me curse her.

But the hike IS beautiful. Those first few miles had me snapping memories and photos. I didn't want to forget Mother Nature's beauty.

I'd say after 2-3 miles is when Gunner (corgi #1), expressed issues. He'd simply stubbornly stop and lay down on the (burning) trail. This was not good. We had a 12-mile day. For another mile or so, I was able to coax and scream him to continue, but by Mile 4, his Lakeshore hike was done.

What to do. We stopped along the trail under one of the few shady trees. We were all sweating, fatigued, baking. I didn't know what to do. We thought of MacGyver-ing a makeshift gurney, but it woul've only lasted 17 steps. Secretly, I thought of hiking the 4 miles BACK to Prince Creek, setting up tent along the water and waiting for the next boat & calling THAT my Lakeshore hike.

We were dead. We had no options. I had to be "the man". Make a decision, damn it! I did.

I laid down my ~35-lb pack, I pulled out my Thermarest and gave it to my sister. This freed up space in my pack. Space for a corgi. My 35-lb pack became 70lbs. I had a corgi in a backpack. It was amazing to see how my neurotic Gunner simply let me take his overheated body and place it in my pack with absolute zero fuss. We looked funny & happy (look at the picture). We now had a way to continue.

It was funny to have a doggie in my backpack. He'd watch my fellow hikers behind me, and then look over my head forward (dropping slobber on my exposed neck & shoulder). This was fine for 1-2 miles, but then the fatigue began, and my feet began to explode. My joints weren't used to this weight. My feet started blistering.

Water was limited. So, I couldn't stay completely hydrated. I needed more water due to the heat, but even more due to the extra load. This is how we went. I'd hike for a mile with a doggie on my back like Luke Skywalker with Yoda on his back in "The Empire Strikes Back". Then I'd have Gunner struggle to walk for a half mile. We alternated our Hells. All the while, Gomez (corgi #2) my other corgi persevered....well for another 8miles. Then he simply stopped. No screams moved him. I now had two nearly dead corgis, and my wimpy self was wishing for a quick death.

We still had a couple of miles--nothing you'd say. But for us it was etrnity. If it wasn't for my sister & her upbeat-ness, I would not have made it.

Then we smelled campfire smoke. We were approaching the Moore Point campsite! Still had a mile to go, but it was downhill, the end was in sight, & the day was almost over.

When we made it to Moore, we set up camp & jumped into the ICY water. I decided to end our hike (we'd recuperate and catch the boat in the morning). Some angels of the hike (who helped carry a corgi for a mile earlier), gave us a small bottle of Glenlivet.

I'll never forget that evening, that hike, that heat.

And, I'd do it again. No questions.

The Lakeshore trail is fairly dry and absolutely snow free most of the year. Because of the great amounts of snow still in the high country we thought we’d give this one a try this year.

We jumped off the boat at Prince Creek at 11am (Already 96 degrees and heating up for the earliest boat arrival available) and off we went toward Stehekin. The trail is in excellent shape. Water is available every few miles. (Dryer in the south and wetter in the north end of the trail.) It was

This trail has lots of small ups and downs as it is always climbing or descending. Most is a few hundred feet above the lake with constant views of this jewel of the Northwest. I think Lakeshore trail on Lake Chelan should be named Lake View trail.
There are few places to get to the lake during the first 10 miles or so and you have to hike some distance to reach the lake. Recent forest fires have blackened most of the tree bark and killed many of the trees along the way leaving little shade. Lots of wild flowers of every shape and color were showing their stuff.

Our overnight was at Cascade Creek Camp leaving around 12 miles for day two.
Cascade Creek like most the camps we saw on the trail is fantastic. It has a dock, a back-country toilet, and a picnic table. Some camps we saw have shelters. Not our typical northwest experience. The last 6 miles or so are lush and green with shade, lots of water, and lots of access to Lake Chelan.

I do highly recommend this trail for cooler weather. Mid July leaves little competition for campsites but it was too hot to walk and warm enough to sleep outside the bag without a shirt.

The lakeshore trail is currently in excellent shape due to the great work the recent WTA work parties did here recently, with the exception of the major washout of Meadow Creek between Prince Cr. and Moore Pt. The washout is very easily crossed now that water levels are down. Look for a rough trail down towards the lake that has one crossing just below the shelter. Wildflowers are still to be found including pink monkeyflower and tiger lilies at Hunt's creek, along with aging lupine everywhere. No bugs nor rattlesnakes in evidence.