Boulder River
Jan 02, 2010
by
Jenarator
—
last modified
Jan 02, 2010 07:45 PM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Boulder River
- Region: North Cascades -- West Slope
- Agency: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Darrington Ranger District
- Trails: Boulder River (#734)
- Avg Rating: 3.76
- Be Aware Of
- Blowdowns
- Clogged drainage
- Mudholes
- Water on trail
I've read descriptions of this hike that call it an easy walk with little elevation gain. I feared it might be a snoozer, but I was wrong. It's a gorgeous hike and today had plenty of challenge.
We encountered five blowdowns that required some scrambling, but by far what most added to the challenge was all the water on the trail. There was a lot of runoff coming from the mountains so the waterfalls were spectacular.
It also meant that there was a lot of water on the trail, particularly in the second half. The trail was intersected by streams no less than 39 times (yes--we decided to count on the return trip). This is not counting standing water in the trail. About a dozen of these stream crossing were what I would classify as "tricky" meaning getting across required some combination of determination, agility, balance and/or courage. We made it across all of them without any mishaps, but I wouldn't have wanted to make this trek with kids or with my small dog.
The trail is rough in spots but well worth the effort. The scenery along the river is beautiful with several waterfalls--one in particular drops about 100 feet and is breathtaking. The trees are massive and the sound of the river is always present.
We completed the round trip in about 5.5 hours including a quick stop for lunch at the end of the trail as well as some time spent searching for a geocache at the end of the trail (which we found!). This is slower than our typical pace due to the extra time and care we had to take with the blowdowns and the "tricky" stream crossings. On a drier day, I'm sure some of these streams are non-existent and most of them much easier to cross.
During the winter, I wouldn't do this hike without waterproof boots--I gave mine a refresher coat of waterproofing this morning before I headed out and I was so glad. If the temps are at or below freezing, I'd skip it. The saving grace on these stream crossings was that nothing was slippery.
It's also worth noting that while the total elevation gain is minimal, the trail undulates so there's quite a bit of up & down so it's not exactly an easy walk in the woods. If you're looking for an easy walk, you could turn around at the 3rd waterfall.
We encountered five blowdowns that required some scrambling, but by far what most added to the challenge was all the water on the trail. There was a lot of runoff coming from the mountains so the waterfalls were spectacular.
It also meant that there was a lot of water on the trail, particularly in the second half. The trail was intersected by streams no less than 39 times (yes--we decided to count on the return trip). This is not counting standing water in the trail. About a dozen of these stream crossing were what I would classify as "tricky" meaning getting across required some combination of determination, agility, balance and/or courage. We made it across all of them without any mishaps, but I wouldn't have wanted to make this trek with kids or with my small dog.
The trail is rough in spots but well worth the effort. The scenery along the river is beautiful with several waterfalls--one in particular drops about 100 feet and is breathtaking. The trees are massive and the sound of the river is always present.
We completed the round trip in about 5.5 hours including a quick stop for lunch at the end of the trail as well as some time spent searching for a geocache at the end of the trail (which we found!). This is slower than our typical pace due to the extra time and care we had to take with the blowdowns and the "tricky" stream crossings. On a drier day, I'm sure some of these streams are non-existent and most of them much easier to cross.
During the winter, I wouldn't do this hike without waterproof boots--I gave mine a refresher coat of waterproofing this morning before I headed out and I was so glad. If the temps are at or below freezing, I'd skip it. The saving grace on these stream crossings was that nothing was slippery.
It's also worth noting that while the total elevation gain is minimal, the trail undulates so there's quite a bit of up & down so it's not exactly an easy walk in the woods. If you're looking for an easy walk, you could turn around at the 3rd waterfall.
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