stehekin pass? WA

[n16ht5]

I have heard that stehekin used to be accessable from the west side by 4x4... can anyone chime in?

[Jerry]

I can't say for sure whether a road ever connected Stehekin with the outside world or not. I have heard not. The pass west of Stehekin is named Cascade Pass. A road running west from Stehekin once ran 20 or 25 miles to Cottonwood Campground, also the trailhead for the Cascade Pass Hiking Trail. Unfortunately a bridge washed out a few years ago and the FS has no plans of rebuilding it thus leaving the road about 10 miles shy of Cottonwood Camp.

On the west side of the Cascades the Cascade River Road runs from Marblemount (Hwy 20) to the Cascade Pass trail head. The hiking trail over Cascade Pass is too steep for a road without a huge amount of construction. By the way, years ago Cascade Pass was considered as one of several potential routes for the North Cascades Highway, SR20, but Washington and Rainy Passes won out.

I highly recommend driving the Cascade River Road to its end at the Cascade Pass Trail head. It's really a nice drive and the mountain view at the trail head is one those extra special places in the Pacific Northwest; exceptional. Go in early summer to assure plenty of snow on the mountains.

A few years ago I heard an unsubstantiated rumor that an "emergency" road had been punched all the way into Stehekin, but not for public use. I doubt it and certainly wouldn't bet on it, but who knows? IF there were a Stehekin road my guess is that it would approach from the northeast.

If you are like me and don't relish hiking 15 miles up the Stehekin Road, there is a bus/van/shuttle from Stehekin to the end of the road. Someday I would like to ride that shuttle.

Another shuttle I would like to ride is the one from Lucern to Holden Village, about half way up the west side of Lake Chelan.
Jerry

[n16ht5]

wow hmm..

HMMMM...


thanks for the info.. im going to do some research


are there any roads that go over the mountains as a pass that were once drivable?

[Jerry]

Anywhere, or only to Stehekin?

[n16ht5]

Anywhere?

Anywhere, or only to Stehekin?

[Jerry]

The following are some lesser known passes I have traveled: (1) Harts Pass with a FS road reaching the top, but not continuing to the opposite side, (2) Yakima Pass, same thing, a FS road to the top, but continuing south down the ridge rather than going down the other side, (3) Meadow Pass connected by the FS road from Yakima Pass, but the Meadow Pass road goes over the top and down the other side, (4) Stampede Pass, FS road up and over, (5) Tacoma Pass, FS road up and over, (5) Green Pass, FS and private road up and over, (6) Windy Gap, FS road up and over, (7) Pyramid Peak Road, private road up and over, (8) Naches Pass, designated 4x4 trail up and over, (9) Potato Hill, FS and Yakima Indian Reservation road up and over (road closed to non tribal members on east side), (10) and a bunch more passes, some named and some not, most within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington's southern Cascades.
Jerry

[Jerry]

To specifically answer your question about Cascade Mountain passes that were once, but are no longer served by a through road, two come to mind.

Harts Pass might fit that category. In the 1800's the main route to the mines near Barron and Slate Peak (Harts Pass area) were accessible from the west. Miners followed Slate Creek, Canyon Creek and Ruby Creek, and I assume followed the Skagit River to the lowlands, then into Bellingham. It was a long trek, but they couldn't carry their ore down the eastern slopes to present day Mazama and Winthrop because it was too steep. I suspect they carried ore on horses or pack mules, but there may have been some sort of wagon road. I don't know. Sometime in the late 1800's they blasted a road out of the mountainside to the east, just wide enough for wagons and that was the beginning of the Harts Pass Road and the end of the western route. Since then the Harts Pass Road has been improved and is the only access to the old mining area. Slate Creek Road, FR700, still runs from the top of Harts Pass, passing the mining community of Barron (private property) and ends where Slate Creek joins Canyon Creek. From that point it is only 8 miles by walking path (the old western route) to Highway 20 at Ruby Creek. Unfortunately the Slate Creek Road washed out a couple of years ago and local miners tell me it is now impassable.

The other route that comes to mind is Yakima Pass. Yakima Pass and Snoqualmie Pass were used interchangeably by the Indians, depending on snowfall. Yakima Pass usually had less accumulated snow than Snoqualmie, but Snoqualmie was a shorter route to the lowlands of Puget Sound. Early settlers mistook Yakima Pass for Snoqualmie Pass until they got things figured out. Anyway, Yakima Pass is located six miles south of Snoqualmie Pass and is accessible via an unimproved FS road from the east side of the mountains. The road no longer descends the west side, but a road from the top of Yakima Pass leads south and joins other FS roads that cross the crest at various points.
Jerry

[n16ht5]

wow. you have been around. I would love to go and try to drive any of those... thanks for the info, that would make a great adventure to go to one that you can still get to