BOULDER RIVER TRAIL (#734) LOCATION: North Cascades Mountain…read moreLoop Highway DAY HIKE: 8.6 miles (roundtrip) ELEVATION GAIN: 700 feet HIGHEST POINT: 1,550 feet A little effort to locate is an understatement but once you arrive it is breathtaking. I enjoyed the well maintained trail and the tiny sightings of wild life (bird, squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits lots of little rabbits) a peaceful adventure. This is a great trail alone or with a partner but definitely a trail that should be on your bucket list.

Hiked this trail 7-26-2014 with a group of friends. We started out at 9:00am and came across very…read morefew people on our way up. On our way down we encountered families with small children and their dogs and a couple elderly groups. Love that. Data per our Fit Bit: 9+ miles, 23K+ steps and 2400+ calories burned. Every terrain was encountered on this hike: dry wide/narrow paths, mud, river rock, and bridges. Giant moss-covered trees make great shade from the sun or rains. Twin waterfalls near the beginning of the hike will impress you. The gurgling river sounds will keep you company while pressing on. Trailhead: From I-5take exit 208/Silvana/Arlington and drive east on Hwy 530 for about 19.5 miles. Turn right on French Creek Road (FS 2010) ***gravel road that can easily be missed*** Drive 3.8 miles to the end of the road and the trailhead parking lot. Lot is small and was packed when we were leaving. No passes were required at this time but be sure to do your due diligence and check before hiking to avoid any tickets.

It was a quiet and gorgeous campground, we only stayed one night but wish we had more nights! The…read moreriver is beautiful, we recommend the sites next to it!

You will need mettle if you pedal to Bedal for the road is not gentle…read more No, wait. It is pronounced buh-DAHL - as in the nepal baseball cabal has gone awol for eightball y'all! This is a pretty remote car camping or RVing spot where I took my dog and two kids for a soggy Memorial Day trip in 2016. There are a few vault toilets and each site has a picnic table, tent base, and a firepit. There is no potable water. Our site #10 was okay - better than the ones between us and the highway but worse than the riverside ones. I'd say the best were 15, 16, 8, or 9 but I could be wrong. The river is pretty and my kids had fun tossing rocks and I let them roam unsupervised the whole time we were there. There are trails and sights such as waterfalls nearby. There is a boat launch in the campground and a neighbor camper told me you can find gold flecks if you bring a pan. The ranger guy comes twice per day and sells bundles of firewood for $6 each, cash only. We reserved our spot for $14/nt on recreation.gov but you can also go the first come first served route if you are a gambler. As compared with other campsites with dozens or hundreds of sites, we preferred the relative peace of Bedal.

Very clean and nice campground. They have bathrooms with showers. Volunteer hosts. Covered area…read morewith picnic tables and a fireplace. They also have stalls for horses. I recommend and will be back.

We recently had a 1-night stay at this newly-reopened campground and we'll definitely be back in…read morethe future to stay longer! First, the setting is gorgeous. Basically the campground sits in the shadows of Darrington's famed Whitehorse Mountain, and is surrounded by other noteworthy North Cascades peaks. And the fact this place has FULL RV HOOKUPS (!) was a nice surprise, as this is extremely rare with any public campground. We especially enjoyed this because we were there on a hot day, and were able to run the a/c in our travel trailer. Since we were there on a Sunday night, the campground was very quiet. There wasn't a single tent in the tent loop, or in the horse camp loop, and only a few RVs scattered around the RV loop. I imagine it would get busier on weekends, but there's a camp host nearby to help keep things calm just in case. Speaking of camp hosts, the hosts here were some of the friendliest I've met! They run this campground and the one at nearby Squire Creek Park, so they're very busy, but helpful and keep a smile on their face. We even got a handwritten note welcoming us to the park! The on-site restrooms were brand new, clean, and with coded doors so they felt safe. Each restroom had its own, free shower too. Definite bonus! My only (minor) beef with this place is that the whole campground is created from rocky, deep gravel, with the exception of the tent pads which are softer/finer gravel. Still, this is NOT a place where kids could really ride bikes (or, if they did, I'd imagine a lot of skinned up knees). It also seems like the rough surface would be tough on dogs' feet too. Still, this was not a deal breaker, especially in the RV area where you aren't necessarily "living" outside like you would with a tent. Something to keep in mind, though, especially if you have littles or pets. By the way, this is less than a mile from Darrington - so shopping is close by, as is the River Time Brewery which was so good we went there twice!

The road up to the trail is in much better shape than I was expecting and when I arrived at 8:30 am…read moreon a sunny Friday, there were plenty of parking spaces left. The trail is very well signaled and maintained. Absolutely GORGEOUS views, challenging enough but not one of those hikes you never want to do again. And the payoff is worth it 100 times.

This hike is not for the faint of heart. I almost turned back 3 times and the first was just…read moredriving up there! This hike however will reward you with beautiful views and a workout and if you make it to the top you will feel beyond proud of yourself. A quick climb up the ladder to the fire lookout will take you back into history with old letters and photos of what this land once was! It was too hot to read through everything when I came up so I will have to make more trips. The road going up is filled with holes, large holes that your whole car will dip into. I took it slow at first until another car passed me and I found the right technique for my subi. Yea a subi can definitely make the trek but just be gentle on your cars and enjoy the journey! The hike up is all stairclimbers. It's definitely not a walking trail for a casual stroll; it's strenuous but very fun. I felt I was in great cardio shape while hiking but my hips and knees definitely made it harder. Stairs made of stones, stairs made of wood, and the last bit leading to the lookout is all hopping over rocks and even pulling yourself up. Bring your hiking poles and it'll definitely help! $5 for parking without a Discovery pass.

Had a Nice Hike! The hike was really enjoyable, mostly…read moreshaded which was a plus. I went in mid-June and found quite a bit of snow at the top. I'd recommend aiming for late summer to avoid the snowy patches and make the most of the trail.

Amazing, beautiful, hard, but worth it hike. We started a little late into the day, which caused us…read moreto rush at the top to get back down, I would suggest leaving early in the morning. It's a leg burner, prep accordingly with hiking boots and lots of water. We took a lunch as well, that was nice to enjoy at the top. The views are spectacular, take your time hiking up and down, really enjoy it.

This was a fun evening, clean, camp spot, easy access, beautiful mornings…read more. what else can I say Colorado has beautiful mountains I'm lucky to call at home

Visited: 6/29/17- 7/2/17…read more My husband and I stayed here with our daughter and three dogs. We stayed in site #8, which had all the expected amenities including firewood ($4 a bundle), campfire rings, standing grill, tent pad, and picnic table. This campground has a camp host, trash dumpsters, and clean vault toilets. This campground does NOT have water, so plan accordingly. Some of the sites have great views of the Sauk River, and all sites have access to it. Sites #10, #12, and #13 have the most awesome and scenic views of the Sauk River. This campground is nestled among snow capped mountains. Our site had a shaded tent pad and the picnic area was shaded most of the time, except for an hour or so in the early afternoon. This site is a very short walk from the vault toilets, but not near enough to be able to smell anything unpleasant. Most, if not all sites at Clear Creek have so many fir trees that they are very private. To get to the river from #8, one must navigate the eight to ten foot drop to the mostly dry creek bed, then up another embankment. We could hear the mighty Sauk roaring from our tent at all hours. We saw bear cub not far from here! This was a very quiet and clean campground. If you are in search of more adventure simply drive up the Mountain Loop Highway to enjoy views of the river rapids and mountains. Within 10 miles one can access a gas, general store, restaurant, saloon, ranger station, fishing, hiking, rafting, biking, an swimming. This campground welcomes dogs and other domestic pets, provided they are quiet and you pick up after them. So please, be respectful of the campground and other campers!! (Don't ruin it for everyone else, in other words.)

Difficulty: Easy Time: 15 minutes…read more Gear: Nike free runs, North face backpack Group: 3 People Temp: 85F (+/-) Bear lake (summer): So obviously a car full of grown men got lost and stumbled up on this trailhead instead of Pilchuck. The road to this trailhead gets very rocky with a lot of pot holes so please be careful. I don't advise bringing a nice car - use a car that's meant for these dirt, rough terrain roads. The drive there is deep as you ascend up the mountain by car and park on the side of the road. Immediately you'll see a large sign to help guide you. The hike is very fun with mild elevation gain and a lot of flat ground and natural terrain. You can tell not many people come here. its a very quick 15 minute hike till you get to this beautiful open source lake. Its absolutely gorgeous. There's a spot for a campfire as well. I highly recommend coming here. The trail also splits into a fork; one going to bear lake and the other pinnacle lake. Pinnacle lake is just roughly an hour to an hour thirty minute hike. Do not attempt when it just rained because the trail is muddy and all dirt. Both places are beautiful and a must for anyone that loves hiking There are ALOT of mosquitoes at this time so wear repellant. I would also reccomend some real hiking shoes if you're attempting pinnacle. Its an ankle breaker at some points

Completed this hike on a sunny Saturday in June. Arrived at the trailhead at 8:30am and the tiny…read morelot was already full but there was still plenty of parking on the street. I took the lower Elliot loop to the Lake and the upper loop back to the parking lot. Definitely recommend doing it this way because the lower loop has a steady incline and many viewpoints & streams on the way up. The upper loop had more forest & foliage.

Came here on a Sunday morning, arriving to the parking lot around 8:30AM, parking lot was pretty…read morefull but there was plenty of parking space on the road. There's a bathroom at the trailhead. We took upper and came back down on lower, and the trail wasn't too steep either way. The path is pretty much fully under the shade from trees, and there are some views of the mountains here and there. The lake is beautiful with lots of spots to sit, and there were a lot of people camping there. Passed a lot of backpackers with big packs on the way up, saw some hikers as well. Stayed at the lake for a bit of time, and weather was beautiful. Not many bugs around which was good, water wasn't too cold either. Highly recommend, this is one of my favorite lakes in WA so far!