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Stetattle Creek Trail is lush, lonesome
By KAREN SYKES ![[Bio]](../image/bio_bttn.gif){kind=small}
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Stetattle Creek is a marvelous destination in the North Cascades when the high country is snowed-in. This will be a good year to explore lower-elevation trails since more snow than usual has fallen in the mountains.
We discovered this trail a few years back. Sourdough Mountain had been our original goal, but it proved too tough a trip due to a low snow level. Both trails begin in the small company town of Diablo. We found the Stetattle Creek trailhead a short distance from the Sourdough Mountain Trail.
In Spanish, diablo means "devil," and it was also a word for evil in Chinook jargon. The Skagits believed the canyon was evil, a place to be avoided. Stetattle Creek was an old tribal boundary between the Skagits and more aggressive tribes to the north.
Before our hike we had not heard of this old trail, which once led deep into the mountains and was a common route for mountaineers on their way into the Picket Range to climb such peaks as McMillan Spires.
Davis Peak (7,051 feet) was also an occasional objective of climbers, and one of the climbing routes took off from Stetattle Creek. Davis was first climbed in 1904 by surveyors for the U.S. Geological Survey, but is not climbed often because of the rugged approach.
Our first challenge on the trail was a series of stream crossings. This trail is generous with crossings of every description. Some of the streams could be bridged on logs, others were mere hops, skips and jumps, and some got our boots wet. We found it a quiet trail except for the ever-present murmur of water.
Beyond the creek the trail wanders through forest consisting of western red cedar, mountain hemlock, red alder and big leaf maple. Club moss also thrives here; the slopes of this remote valley are studded with mossy boulders that loom over the trail.
Reportedly there is even a cave where the Skagits hid from their enemies long ago.
This is not a trail likely to attract crowds since it doesn't leave the forest -- the views are few and far between -- but if you can get to the end of the somewhat-maintained trail, you will be rewarded with views of Davis Peak.
Things have not changed since my first visit years ago. It is still a lonesome place, though the trail is mentioned in hiking guides. Since it is not a high-profile route, according to the North Cascades Visitor Center, neither is it high on the trail-maintenance list this year. The path is in fair condition as far as I went, but expect conditions to vary.
A series of rain squalls accompanied me as I returned to hike the trail a few days ago. It was just as deserted as we found it years ago. There was no snow at the trailhead, and as I hiked along the creek I realized I had forgotten how pretty it is.
On a summer day, there are many ideal picnic spots along Stetattle Creek, especially within the first half-mile. There are all sorts of nooks and crannies and rocks to sit on to view and listen to the gossiping creek.
From the Stetattle, the trail switchbacks up a hillside. I crossed a couple of small creeks without difficulty and encountered snow at about a mile in an open forest of lodgepole pine. I glimpsed Davis Peak through the trees.
Despite patches of snow the trail was relatively easy to follow, so I kept going and crossed another stream, which I believe to be Bucket Creek. I turned a corner and stopped dead in my tracks at the edge of a huge, recent, avalanche -- a tangle of downed trees and snow. A lot of avalanche activity is apparent in the area, though I did see cut logs and the trail on the other side of it. Since I couldn't see what was above me, I worried that more snow and debris might come down. I decided to turn around, especially since I could hear the rumble of avalanches farther up the valley.
You'll meet the slide area about 1 1/2 miles up the trail; it is probably the logical turnaround point for most hikers. Experienced mountaineers with ice axes and the ability to interpret the terrain and travel through snow can venture farther, but it would be wise to get an avalanche forecast before doing so. Avalanche danger will last well into summer this year. Trail detail: The trail begins at 900 feet in the residential area, then follows Stetattle Creek for about a mile. Most of the elevation is gained in switchbacks as the trail climbs above the creek. The elevation gain is not great (500 to 800 feet, depending on how far you go). There are several stream crossings to negotiate. Some are mere rivulets, but this year, with the huge snowpack, some crossings can be hazardous. If intimidated, turn around. At about two miles you'll reach a waterfall at an elevation of approximately 1,400 feet, but when the snowpack begins to melt, several waterfalls are likely to appear. Once avalanche danger is past, you can hike the trail for about 3 1/2 miles. Beyond that the trail becomes more of a challenge as the tread grows faint and the brush and fallen trees grow thicker. If the hike is too short, visit the North Cascades Visitor Center in Newhalem. It is open on weekends. Trail data: Four to seven miles round trip, depending on conditions, elevation gain between 500 and 800 feet. The trail is generally open between April and November but this year expect conditions to vary. For current conditions, call the North Cascades Visitor Center at 206-386-4495 (weekends) or the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount at 360-873-4500. The hike appears in "Hiking the North Cascades" by Erik Molvar (Falcon Press, 388 pages, $15.95)
Getting there: Drive state Route 20 through Marblemount and Newhalem, turn left before the Gorge Lake bridge at milepost 126, drive to Diablo and the trailhead at an elevation of 900 feet just beyond the Stetattle Creek bridge. Park in the obvious parking area across from the trailhead. I made the mistake of parking in front of a house, which displeased the owner.
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