Pacific Northwest Trail, Kettle Crest Trail, Thirteenmile, Clackamas Mountain, Bonaparte Trail & Whistler Canyon Trail — Friday, Jul. 17, 2020

I hiked the 160–170 mile section of the Pacific Northwest Trail from the Kettle River to Oroville (parts of PNT Sections 4 and 5 as described on the pnt.org site).

Some notes from the hike:

• The ancient “road” on the western side of Marble Mountain is more of a road ghost: a road-width grade cut into the mountainside, covered with trees, bushes, and blowdowns.
• The mile or so of valley between Marble Mountain and Dry Mountain (some 2–3 miles north of Boulder Creek Road) is perhaps the worst section of trail I’ve ever hiked. Although the region is generally dry, there’s water in the valley that frequently runs along the trail, turning into a marshy bog. There are not only countless blowdowns, but many still retain brushy branches, making it extremely challenging to find a way past them. I had to remove my pack at one point to squeeze through branches.
• The National Forest Deer Creek Summit Campground appears to be open. It seems to have been posted as closed in previous years, but I could find no “Closed” signage anywhere, and privies on either side of the road are open. Two other groups were camping there the night I was there.
• The Kettle Crest Trail is in great shape: easy to follow tread, very few blowdowns.
• On Edds Mountain, I took the furthest/westernmost bushwhack option. This wasn’t terrible, but not particularly fun. While bushwhacking may be part of the PNT’s current allure, I’m one hiker who would much prefer the choice of a maintained trail corridor for the complete length.
• The first half of the Thirteenmile Trail was okay, not great. I found it boring: mostly waterless, with little variety, and with hardly a view or pleasant spot where one could camp. I felt like I was walking past the same 3 trees for hours.
• The second half of the Thirteenmile Trail — after it comes out onto high meadows and heads down toward the canyon — are glorious.
• I found the Thirteenmile Trailhead described in at least one place online as a campground, but it’s little more than a gravel parking area and a privy. It was nice to rinse off in freezing Thirteenmile Creek.
• The 3 miles of early morning road walk along the Sanpoil River canyon were some of the nicest of the trip. You can still enjoy nature even when your feet are on pavement.
• The Swan Lake Campground is beautiful. I’m so glad I spent a relaxing afternoon there before spending all of the following day walking north on endless forest service roads.
• I camped at the Sweat Creek “Day Use Picnic Area”. Rather than camp near the privy, I found a more secluded spot by the creek. There’s a big boulder next to the privy: take the trail to its left. The trail bends left and goes through a wooden gate to reach the creek. There are campable spots there. That’s also where the PNT begins its ascent of Clackamas Mountain.
• On the north side of Clackamas Mountain, the old road briefly leaves the Okanogan National Forest to cross private land before reentering public lands. The PNT recommends following “flagging” to avoid that private property. I found no flagging near the road, so I ended up bushwhacking roughly along the line of barbed wire fence. I eventually did pass a couple of bits of weathered vinyl flagging tape, but this was not a well-marked detour. It was also a little challenging to cross Cougar Creek and get back on the public road.
• On Mount Bonaparte, I highly recommend taking the PNT alternate and making the short trip from the alternate to the fire lookout at the summit. There are great views in all directions.
• I’d looked forward to staying at the nice church in Havillah that hosts PNT hikers, but they’ve posted online that they’re not hosting hikers due to the pandemic. Instead, I camped at the very edge of Okanogan National Forest. A faint Road 3230 leads east from the PNT back into the forest, where it’s possible to find flattish spots for camping. Mill Creek offers water as well.
• This Whistler Canyon Trail down the west side of Mount Hull near Oroville is a hidden gem. My campsite on the bluffs overlooking the Okanogan River had a magical view, especially at night when the lights scattered across the farms below mirrored the lights of the stars above.
• With the exception of 20 minutes of rain on the first day, I had clear weather the entire time.
• I encountered very few bugs. There were some at the summit of Copper Butte, and again on the Whistler Canyon Trail, but nothing terrible.
• I heard from some hikers that the snow melted out along the Kettle Crest only in early July. That late melt may account for the spectacular wildflowers I saw all along the hike.
• I saw a fair amount of wildlife on this hike: countless deer, bighorn sheep, an elk, a fox, and a bobcat. And cows! So many cows. (To the cows in the stampede which my appearance in Okanogan National Forest triggered: my sincerest apologies.) In the evenings, I heard coyotes near Snow Peak, and loons at Swan Lake and Bonaparte Lake.