Staircase Rapids — Sunday, Jul. 7, 2024

We arrived around 11am on a Sunday and still managed to find parking in the lot! Yhe National Park road was great, but the drive in around Lake Cushman had some small potholes, nothing the Toyota Siena had trouble with.

There were 2 well maintained toilets at the entrance to the trail.

The trail was beautiful and well maintained. We hiked mostly in the shade, which was pleasant on one of the heat advisory days.

There were plenty of huckleberries and salmonberries on the trail which my 3yo appreciated. If you wanted to take a dip in the middle of the trail there is a nice spot pretty early on in the hike. The water is VERY cold, so be safe!

We loved the hike, definitely a kid/senior friendly hike. You get gorgeous river views, bridges, enormous old growth, huge boulders, and a river to take a dip in at the end. Beautiful views the whole way around and hardly any elevation.

Be careful on your way out, the Lake Cushman crowds parking on either side of the road were UNREAL! I had maybe 3 inches of clearance on either side driving out.