Backpack - Chelan Lakeshore Trail

Meet at the Field's Point Landing in Chelan by 8:40 a.m.  The Lady Express Ferry leaves at 9:20 a.m. Parking is $7/day.  Participants will each be responsible for their own ferry and parking fees. Ferry tickets are $43 from Fields Point to Stehekin and either $43 or $25 from Stehekin to Fields Point, depending on which ferry you reserve. Reserve tickets here. Do not reserve tickets until the leader has approved your participation.

It is about 3 hours and 45 minutes to Chelan from Seattle. If you wish to camp the night before, Lake Chelan State Park campground  is a 15-minute drive from the park to Field's Point.  

We’ll hike along the lovely Chelan Lakeshore Trail at a moderate pace (1.5-2 mph), enjoying craggy, snow-capped peaks, a sapphire-blue lake, and abundant wildflowers (and maybe some rattlesnakes to make things fun). You can find an excellent description of this backpack on the Washington Trails Association website. We will take the trip at a pace of 1.5-2.0 (faster going down, slower going up), taking some time to enjoy our surroundings. ("Beauty breaks" are a Conbere trademark.) If you're a fast hiker who doesn't care to stop along the way to enjoy the scenery, this trip is not for you.  

That said, this trip is listed as moderate and participants should be physically prepared for a multi-day trip with considerable mileage and elevation.  When requesting leader permission, please include a list of recent backpacks (including mileage and elevation) and describe your conditioning routine.  Leader will not review permission requests until April 9. 

Day 1: Arrive at the Field's Point Landing Dock by 8:30 a.m. The ferry departs at 9:20. You will need time to pay for parking, board the boat, etc. We will arrive at Prince Creek at 11:00. Hike 6.7 miles from Prince Creek to Meadow Creek Shelter. We may not have easy access to water on this stretch of the hike, so plan to carry at least 2 liters of water. This is the hardest day.

Day 2: Hike 6.5 miles from Meadow Creek to Flint Creek. 

Day 3: Hike 3.6 miles into Stehekin, making an early start so we have time to explore the town, especially the bakery. You have a choice of two ferries. 1) Board the Lady Express at 12:00, departing at 12:30, arriving at Fields Point Landing at 3:00 pm. OR 2) Board the Lady of the Lake, departing at 2:00, arriving at Field's Point around 5:00.

If you wish to stay an extra night,  you may want to reserve a spot at a campground in Stehekin, at the Stehekin Log Cabins, or at the North Cascades Lodge.