If You Go: Tips On Visiting Stehekin

Stehekin is a long way from anywhere and can't be reached by road, so plan ahead. Here are some tips aimed at summer/fall travelers (services are sharply reduced during Stehekin's long, snowy winters).

GENERAL INFORMATION

Late May to October is the prime time to visit Stehekin - and the place can get chaotic when the boats disgorge several hundred visitors. However, most are on day-trips so it calms down when the boats leave in the afternoon.

The Chelan Ranger Station is probably the easiest, and quickest, place to get comprehensive information about visiting Stehekin. Contact: Chelan Ranger Station, P.O. Box 549, Chelan, WA 98816, phone 1-509-682-2549. The North Cascades National Park headquarters in Sedro Woolley can also provide information; phone 1-206-856-5700. The ranger station in Stehekin provides information in person or by mail only - write North Cascades National Park, P.O. Box 7, Stehekin, WA 98852.

For information about Chelan, call the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-4CHELAN.

GETTING THERE

The Lake Chelan Boat Company offers daily passenger service in summer between Chelan and Stehekin on two boats.

The 350-passenger Lady of the Lake II takes four hours each way; the 150-passenger Lady Express, 2 1/4 hours each way. Reservations are advised for the Lady Express. Both depart Chelan at 8.30 a.m.

A round-trip fare on the Lady of the Lake II is $21; $38 on the Lady Express (reduced rates for children). The boat also picks up passengers at Field's Point, a dock and parking area about 18 miles up the south shore from Chelan.

Day-trippers can take the Lady Express to Stehekin and the Lady of the Lake II back; that gives a longer, 3 1/4-hour stay in Stehekin. (The Lady of the Lake II stays just 1 1/2 hours in Stehekin). Day parking is free at the Lake Chelan Boat Company lot; overnight parking is $4.50. (Parking is $2 for the day at Field's Point; $3 for overnight.)

For more information, phone the Lake Chelan Boat Company, 1-509-682-2224 for recorded information; 1-509-682-4584 for the business office.

Chelan Airways offers daily float-plane service between Chelan and Stehekin. A round trip costs $80 (the flight takes 30 minutes each way). Phone 1-509-682-5555.

WHAT TO SEE

Stehekin Landing, where the boats and float-planes dock, is the community's "downtown" - a couple of buildings and the dock. The North Cascades Lodge is directly across from the dock and has accommodations, a small store and restaurant.

The landing also offers picnic areas, the post office, ranger station and the park service's Golden West Visitor Center, a two-story wood building on a bluff, 100 yards from the dock. It's open daily in summer from 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and has displays and a slide show on Stehekin.

If you're in Stehekin on a day-trip, wander around the landing and take the lodge's bus tour to Rainbow Falls. The old school buses meet the boat and for $3.50 a person take visitors to the 312-foot falls which thunder out of a narrow cleft in a cliff (the falls are about 3 miles from the dock).

Day or overnight visitors can rent bikes and explore on their own. Head out two miles on a flat, paved road to the Stehekin Pastry Company (open daily in summer) for coffee and cinnamon rolls, fresh-baked bread and more. Such culinary treats have a long history in Stehekin: the Honey Bear Bakery started out in Stehekin before its owners moved the bakery to Seattle.

About a mile beyond the bakery is the Stehekin School (just before Rainbow Falls). The one-room log school, built in 1921, was replaced a few years ago by a larger one, a quarter-mile away. The old school is now an informal local-history museum, with photos of schoolchildren and community events. It's self-guided - and free.

The North Cascades Park rangers offer guided walks and evening talks; inquire at the Golden West Visitor Center.

PARK SHUTTLE VAN

The National Park Service shuttle van carries hikers and sightseers along the 23-mile Stehekin Valley Road. In summer it makes a round trip several times daily. A round trip takes about three hours, and offers views of glacier-laden mountains, thick forests, and the tumbling waters of the Stehekin River.

The van costs $3 each way; advance reservations are required and may be made in writing up to 30 days in advance (write Shuttle Bus Reservations, National Park Service, P.O. Box 7, Stehekin, WA 98852). Reservations can be made in person at the Stehekin ranger station, but in summer the vans fill quickly.

Even if you're not a hiker, consider taking a round trip on the van just for sightseeing.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

The North Cascades Lodge offers the most accommodations in Stehekin: 25 units in a simple two-story wood building or in a few cabins (some with kitchenettes). Prices range from $46 for a double room to $82 and up for a larger housekeeping unit. There's no TV nor phones in the rooms (although there is emergency radio-phone service).

The lodge is far from luxurious: our unit had a comfortable old sofa and battered table - summer cabin-type furnishings - plus a dripping, somewhat moldy shower. Still, the view of lake and mountains is lovely, and the lodge is right by the dock and services such as the shuttle van. Contact North Cascades Lodge, P.O. Box 1779, Chelan, WA 98816. Phone: 1-509-682-4711.

The Silver Bay Inn is about two miles down the road from Stehekin Landing. It's a blissful, lakefront place with two very comfortable cabins that sleep 4 to 6 people and have fully equipped kitchens.

Summer cabin prices are $120 a night for two people ($15 for each additional person); two bedrooms in the owners' large house are $75 and $110 per night for two people, breakfast included. Prices drop after Labor Day. Contact Silver Bay Inn, P.O. Box 43, Stehekin, WA 98852. Phone 1-509-682-2212. (It's almost fully booked for the summer.)

Courtney's Stehekin Valley Ranch is about 9 miles up the road from Stehekin Landing. It's a rustic resort, run by a long-time Stehekin family, with an emphasis on outdoors fun (hiking, horse riding, river-rafting, fishing, bicycling) and big home-cooked meals.

The ranch accommodates about 30 people in its tent-cabins (wood frame and canvas). Rates of $55 a night per person include meals (reduced rates for children). Packages include an overnight "adventure vacation" and fall colors trip. Contact Stehekin Valley Ranch, Box 36, Stehekin, WA 98852. Phone 1-509-682-4677.

In Stehekin, visitors can get information about the ranch and other Courtney family businesses at the Courtney Log Office, a five-minute walk from the boat dock.

Cascade Corrals: Run by a branch of the Courtney family, it offers overnight pack-horse trips into the mountains and "hike-and-like-it trips" - horses carry the overnight gear so hikers stroll unencumbered. Phone 1-509-682-4677 for a brochure. Reservations are by mail: Cascade Corrals, P.O. Box 67, Stehekin, WA 98852.

-- Housekeeping cabins vary greatly in amenities and views so ask plenty of questions. Most include transport to and from the dock. Rates run from $45 to $90 or more per night.

- Stehekin Log Cabin (right behind the Stehekin Pastry Company); phone 1-509-682-4677 or write Box 67, Stehekin, WA 98852.

- Rustic Retreat Cabin, is within walking distance of the bakery. P.O. Box 84, Stehekin, WA 98852. Phone 1-509-682-4958.

- Flick Creek House is 2 1/2 miles down the lake from Stehekin. (The owners will take guests by boat from Stehekin to the lakefront cabin or guests can hike to it). Write Flick Creek House, Box 25, Stehekin, WA 98852; phone 1-509-884-1730

- Stehekin Mountain Cabin: write P.O. Box 272, Stehekin, WA 98852 (no phone).

FOOD

If you're camping or staying in a housekeeping cabin, bring most of your own food. The store at North Cascades Lodge has only a small selection of food, mostly packaged goods and soft drinks.

The restaurant at North Cascades Lodge offers everything from hamburgers to steaks and pasta; it can get jammed at lunch when the boats come in. Meals were much tastier and not as expensive as I expected, given the remoteness and lack of competition; a pasta dinner (including salad bar) cost about $11.

Other options: Stehekin Pastry Company is open daily for coffee and snacks. Courtney's Stehekin Valley Ranch is open to the public and its hearty dinners are popular with locals; for reservations call 1-509-682-4677. Or inquire at the Courtney Log Office in Stehekin.

CAMPING

There are a half-dozen park-service campgrounds along the Stehekin Valley road. Some sites can be reserved. Permits are required for back-country camping along trails. They can be obtained in person at the Stehekin ranger station or contact North Cascades National Park, Wilderness Office, Marblemount, WA 98225. Phone 1-206-873-4590

HIKING

From Stehekin you could backpack for days or take half-hour strolls.

Ask the rangers' advice on day hikes; nice trails include Agnes Gorge Trail and the Rainbow Loop Trail. The Lakeshore Trail starts at the Golden West Visitor Center - you could tromp the full 17 miles along the lakeor take a half-mile stroll to a beach.

Hikers can walk to Stehekin via Cascade Pass to the west (a nine-mile day hike) or south from the North Cascades Highway via the Pacific Crest Trail (13 miles; a tough day hike or overnight trip). The trails end on the Stehekin Valley road where hikers connect with the park's shuttle van.

Contact the North Cascades National Park office in Marblemount for more details on trails, 1-206-873-4590.

BIKE RENTALS

Bikes can be rented through North Cascades Lodge or the Courtney Log Office, 200 yards down the road from the Stehekin dock. Rates are around $10 a day; hourly rates also are available.

PUBLICATIONS ON STEHEKIN

Northwest guidebooks generally have only a page or so on Stehekin. A good overview of life there is "Stehekin Remembered" by Gay Robertson ($3.50, Pacific Northwest National Parks and Forests Association). It's available in Stehekin at the Golden West Visitors Center.

"Stehekin, A Valley in Time" (Grant McConnell, Mountaineers, $14.95) is a memoir of life in the valley, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s.

Brochures and publications on the area are available at the Chelan and Stehekin ranger stations, including "The Stehekin Guidebook 1992" which is produced by residents.

IF I WENT BACK . . .

If I went back to Stehekin, I'd stay longer - four or five days so I could explore more trails, go river-rafting and just do nothing. For pure comfort and peacefulness, I'd stay at one of the cabins at Silver Bay Inn. If I was in a more outdoorsy mood, I'd stay at the Stehekin Valley Ranch.

I'd also avoid holiday weekends, and try to go after Labor Day when the weather is still good but the stream of tourists slows.