Bridge Creek - McAlester Pass to Stehekin — Friday, Jul. 24, 2020

Based on the amount of conversations I had with inquisitive hikers on my way out of the Stehekin Valley, it is apparent there is a real hunger for up-to-date information about hiking conditions in the North Cascades. Coupled with the pandemic, there is general confusion about the status of operations within Stehekin as well. At the risk of turning one trip report into two, I’ll try to address as much as I can with what I’ve learned. If you are reading this post-pandemic you can skip ahead to the trail conditions. 

Stehekin 2020: 

• No Red Bus. However, the Stehekin Valley Ranch is running their bus up and down the valley. You can find it’s schedule here: http://stehekinvalleyranch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020-Final-SVR-bus-REVISED-half-page-single.pdf
• Permitting for campsites in Stehekin is NOT required as the Golden West Visitor Center is closed. Campsites are first come, first served. 
• Marblemount is the only place to pick up a NC backcountry permit in-person unless you can secure a remote permit ahead of time.
• The bakery is currently open seven days a week 7:30am-5pm. 
• The general store at the Stehekin landing is open but only from 10am-4pm. Internet can be purchased there for $5 per 24hr access. 
• The restaurant at the landing is open for takeout only. Hours are breakfast: 8am to 10am; lunch: 11pm to 1pm; dinner: 5pm to 7pm (orders taken until 6:45pm)
• Bring some cash for the shuttle, renting bikes or buying fruit at the organic farm.
• The perfect bakery meal is probably the quiche paired with the wild rice salad followed by a piece of pie. (But you are welcome to debate me.)

Trip Report/Trail Conditions: 

My friend and I arrived at the Marblemount ranger station late Thursday night with the intention of car camping at the parking lot. We weren’t sure if this was acceptable but it was immediately apparent this is common place. In fact, you can even pull tabs (numbers) for the next day’s line. We made the mistake of going to sleep before grabbing a number the night before only to watch several vehicles arrive at 6am and secure a spot in line ahead of us. Marblemount gets absolutely packed so I highly recommend getting there before it opens at 7am; if you arrive past 7am you will likely wait up to a couple hours to secure a permit. 

After renting a bear can and securing a backcountry permit we headed off to the Bridge Creek TH. From here we followed the PCT to the McAlester Creek trail, and onward up to McAlester Pass. There are lovely wildflowers in the meadows of McAlester but the mosquitos are hellish. I do not recommend camping near the meadows or McAlester Lake if you value your precious bodily fluids. 

It was sometime after making it up to the pass that we decided to push all the way to Stehekin in a day, forgoing our permitted backcountry campsite of Rainbow Creek Bridge. Because campsites in Stehekin are first come, first serve (during COVID), it means the 90 minutes we spent at the ranger station that morning were for naught and that I was now lugging a bear can for kicks. 

From the top of McAlester pass to Stehekin road is 10 miles of steady - at times, aggressive - elevation loss with almost no gain. The most challenging section is probably 6 miles past the pass as you enter a burned zone with little to no canopy. There is water in this section but I would suggest loading up when you have the chance - it was 105 degrees Fahrenheit the day we passed through. 

Upon reaching the Stehekin Valley road, you are greeted by a sign informing you the bakery is .5 miles away; Stehekin proper is another 1.5 miles past the bakery. This put our total mileage for the day between 21-22 miles. Surprisingly, we even made it to the restaurant at the landing just in time for a hot meal and cold beer. (Last call is 6:45pm.)

We stayed at the Lakeview campground and spent the next two days hiking/biking the valley. It should also be noted we effectively packed in almost no food, knowing that upon arrival we could eat at the bakery three meals a day. In just over 48 hours I managed to wrack up a tab (yes, you can open a tab) of nearly $100. Dante’s Third Circle was put to shame. 

Our last day we broke camp, wandered up to the bakery for an early breakfast, and purchased a sandwich and cinnamon roll to go. On a previous trip to Stehekin I hiked out of the valley in a day - east to west over Cascade pass. I’ve gotta say, up and over McAlester in a day was tougher. The route over Cascade is very nicely graded for all but the absolute pass; McAlester is 10 miles of relentless gain, pass included. Plus you have to gain back to the TH on SR 20 after connecting back into the PCT. 

One final item of note: there are the number of blowdowns throughout the trail but nothing crazy.