Success! Finally our hiking destination coincided with blooming balsamroot -- the best specimens were at the viewpoint overlooking Leavenworth on the Icicle Ridge Trail.

We rose very early Saturday morning and headed for Leavenworth where we spent the day along Icicle Road. First stop was the Icicle Ridge Trail to the saddle (about 2 miles up) and then a short jaunt to the right to the viewpoint overlooking Tumwater Canyon and Leavenworth. Arriving at 8 am, we beat the heat and the crowds. The trail met and surpassed all our criteria for the perfect hike: views, flowers, and wildlife.

Though the flowers were not profuse on the climb, there were enough to make the journey colorful. As for wildlife, we watched a rubber boa slither across the trail (glad we didn't see any rattlers), lizards scurry into the rock, squirrels and chipmunks chatter from logs, and heard from other hikers that a momma & cub black bear were hanging out at the creek (unfortunately, we didn't see them). And birds: lots of bluebirds, some swallows, warblers, towhees, and a friendly nuthatch.

Returning to the trailhead about noon, we continued driving west on Icicle Road till we found a spot along the river to eat lunch. After lunch we continued farther down Icicle Road to Icicle Gorge where we hiked the 4 mile loop.

After climbing up and down to Icicle Ridge, our legs appreciated the level terrain of the Icicle Gorge trail. The raging water psychologically helped keep us cool since by now the clouds had vanished and the temps hovered in the high 80's. We were surprised to find numerous trillium and calypso orchids along this trail. We also spotted various colors of paintbrush from yellow to dark orange. Saw no birds or wildlife on this trail nor expansive views but the winding trail through beautiful trees with bridges over rushing creeks made for a very pleasant afternoon.

We were camping up at Rock Island near the end of the portion of Icicle Creek that can be accessed by road. All the campgrounds up Icicle Creek are now open. Rock Island campground and all of Icicle Gorges 3 trailheads are a few/several miles off the pavement up a rough dirt road but passable to all. The west terminus (and furthest up the road) of the Icicle Gorge Trail crosses the vehicle bridge over Icicle Creek across a large rock that gives the campground its name. The small fall here was simply magnificent and furious with spring runoff. I've been coming up here since I was very young and don't recall ever seeing the creek running this high or fast.

I decided to head down the south side of the trail first going downstream from Rock Island to Chatter Creek. The water ran fast and hard early down this side of trail until the trail pulled away from the creek for awhile and returned to a calmer section of Icicle Creek. I crossed the footbridge at Chatter Creek over a narrow part of the gorge that was running even faster than the fall at Rock Island. The water was simply a torrent of white foam here crashing its way downstream toward the Wenatchee River in Leavenworth! Once over I turned west again going up the north side of the trail to Rock Island. The trail was clear and in great shape the whole way. Saw plenty of people out with kids and dogs but I was alone for long stretches of time, especially early, so go early in the day if you are seeking some solitude. The weather was great, wildflowers were blooming and the bugs while out were far from a bother yet. In fact the most common bug on the day was butterflies and they were a joy to see. Going back upstream the trail offered more of the same but with all the mountain views, white water, flowers and butterflies it was sad to see the hike come to an end. I returned to camp for lunch and a well deserved nap.

If you're looking for a tune-up hike to get your season going this is a great spot. Its also good as something to do while camping in the area. Get up there quick to see the peak of the spring runoff and wildflowers that should be in full swing for the next couple weeks.

Cloudy skies but an enjoyable hike nonetheless. Very easy grade make this hike very do-able for any age or ability. The drive to the trailhead is very nice as well. On a clear day the mountain views would be very nice indeed. Perfect short hike to get in before we headed back to Seattle.

Drove over Stevens Pass in snowing conditions about 9am, but once over the pass the snow stopped, the sun was shining and the trees along the HWY were in full fall color. It was a gorgeous drive all the way to Leavenworth. At the trail head at 10:30am, however, the conditions were a little different. The clouds were low and the snow was falling lightly. We began our hike and walked clockwise along the nicely groomed trailed. Although it was snowing, it was not enough to stick to the trail and it never caused any difficulty. The sun soon came out and the beauty of the area began to shine. With fall colors and fresh snow on the mountains it was a very pleasant hike and well worth the drive over to do. We passed or were passed by a few other groups of hikers, but the trail never seemed crowded and for the most part it was like we had it to ourselves, probably due to the fact that it is a loop and most are going the same way. To some this trail may seem too easy or not spectacular enough but being on the other side of the mountain makes the vegetation and terrain different and it seems like you are in another area completely. If you are new to hiking and just need an easy hike with a change of scenery (and usually drier weather) this is a very enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. Leavenworth, by the way, was extremely busy due to Octoberfest.