This is a bit of a long hike due to the monotonous terrain, but it's an excellent workout with good views at the top. I found myself wishing that the scenery would change just a little bit as we worked our way up the mountain through burned out forest and knee-high undergrowth. The views of the lake aren't bad as you pick your way up, but the summit is the real reason to go here. We went from Purple Pass up to Boulder Butte to get the 360 views and it was well worth it. Keep going past the pass for about .2 miles and you'll see a junction to go to the peak. Very much worth doing if you made it to the pass. There is a trail all the way up, no scrambling needed. The trail is overgrown in sections and very dusty (late summer). I was completely covered in dust when I got down so a swim in the lake was pretty much mandatory. There are also a few trees down across the trail but nothing bad to navigate other than one section that requires you to go off-trail and around (it looked like a rock slide maybe). It was really hot on the way down so we decided to run a good portion of the descent. All the dust and brush, coupled with my really porous trail running shoes made for extremely insane dirt tan lines and really dusty feet (see photo). I would have loved a pair of mini gaiters for this. Long hot hike but worth the views from the butte. Great way to spend a day in Stehekin.

Six of us ventured up the steep, snowy switchbacks on this trail heading out of the Stehekin landing, but eight of us plus a dog returned, since we met up with a couple of friends at our lunch spot. It was a lovely day, and the trail, while covered by about 5 to 6 inches of snow (and up to a foot at the lunch spot) was easy enough to follow. We all wore just hiking boots and gaiters (no fancy gear necessary), though there were a couple of icy patches towards the bottom. Trekking poles definitely helped. Lake Chelan is absolutely beautiful in the winter, with the normally deep blue water showing the brown of the tideflats at the head of the lake from the lower water levels. It was a lovely site to take in while munching sandwiches and sipping hot chocolate at lunch, and with sunset so early, we even got to enjoy the golden hour during our hike down. No photos because my camera was safely left on the kitchen table, rather than tucked in my pack.

WOW! What a beautiful hike. It's a lot of UP, but the intensity of all that UP is mitigated early on with gorgeous views of Chelan below. The trail was dry - a bit dusty at times - but in good shape. Only a few very small patches of snow. We attempted the spur to Boulder Butte, but that's still pretty snow-covered. Encountered quite the gauntlet of wildlife, including numerous chipmunks, marmots, grouse, and quite possibly the largest rattlesnake I've ever seen. Yikes. Also startled a mama bear with two very young cubs. Wildflowers are starting to bloom -- paintbrush and lupine and columbine. Berries will be most bountiful in a few weeks I think. Bring plenty of water if hiking in summer - the trail is exposed and gets HOT. All in all, a very rewarding hike. Enjoy!

We spent the weekend of the 4th of July hiking around Stehekin. It's a very special place and I would encourage everyone to visit. We left on Wednesday afternoon and camped at Daroga State Park near Chelan. Thursday saw us on the Lady Express. We disembarked at Stehekin Landing, made a dash to the Golden West Visitor Center to get camping permits, and hopped on the 11:00 shuttle bus to High Bridge, our base for the next two nights. Bill the hilariously cantankerous driver took us to High Bridge with a stop at the legendary bakery to pick up lunch to go. The hike to Agnes Gorge is nice but not astounding. There's a scary section if you're afraid of heights where the narrow path hugs a sheer cliff overlooking a bend in the gorge. Occasionally the forest opened up to give us a look at Agnes Peak, which we would see in all glory the next day. Friday we got up to hike McGregor Mountain. The trail information indicated that there was little to no water on the trail, and we spent a lot of time attempting to refill a bottle using a filter on the scummy Coon/Howard Lake. This was a waste of time as there are several creeks near the trail. There is a dry stretch of 2-3 miles after Coon Lake, but we found regular water sources further up the trail. This hike is great because you get out of the trees and into the wide-open views early. We encountered steep snow at around 6400' and turned back shortly after that because we did not have the gear for steep snow travel. The views up to that point over the North Cascades were phenomenal and we did not meet a single other hiker on the trail. Despite the elevation gain, the trail didn't feel too grueling due to the numerous switchbacks. The next day we took the shuttle back into Stehekin, with another bakery stop, and hiked Purple Pass. This was the only 'meh' day for me. Because of the shuttle schedule, we didn't get on the trail until 11:00, and the sun was already fierce. Treeline is high on this trail, switchbacks are relentless, and views over Lake Chelan are tantalizing but always partially blocked by dry trees. The brush is out of control; I was wearing shorts and got scratched pretty badly while whacking through the knee-deep growth. We met a couple of NPS trail maintenance workers low on the trail who had cleared the brush and blowdowns up to that point. They said they were the only workers in the district this year due to the sequestration We got to about 6500' before reaching our turnaround time. I'd recommend this hike only if you can start early enough to reach Boulder Butte, which previous trip reports recommend. On Sunday we made a last visit to the bakery and the Garden, a small farm and creamery. The farmer sells goat milk lassis with banana and carob. This might sound scary but they are delicious. Beautiful weather all weekend with the exception of a brief thunderstorm and downpour late on Saturday night. Photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurajacobsen/sets/72157634583998419/

Not so busy weekend. We were very suprised to see less then a dozen people on this 4 day trip Started at Prince crk after being dropped of by "the lady of the Lake" (FYI 40.00 per person and they only take cash or check to park at fields pt.) We worked our way up to the cabin at the 9.5 mile mark. Stayed in the cabin first night, was realy amazed at the work someone put into this place. Ty whoever you are :) Couple crk crossings but easy to cross without getting in the water on the way up Prince crk trail. Very dry for the first couple miles but as you gain elevation it keeps getting greener till you find yourself in spring flowers back around Star lake and cont. until Lk Juanita. Weather held firm at 50's during the day and light frost in morning. Lots of long views and lots of up and down hiking. Plenty of realy nice camp areas with sitting arangements and water sources close by all along the trail. We stayed at Horsehead basin and Lk Juanita besides the cabin and then came down purple pass to Stehekin. Be prepared for 58 switchbacks going down purple pass and more then a few blowdowns but nothing that realy slows you down. Notice that there is no official sign saying "this way to Purple Pass or Stehekin" at lk Juanita, however someone has carved an arrow and the word Stehekin into the lake's sign that shows you have to cross the camping area and head out on the other side. Be sure to take 7.50 for a awsome burger and 2.50 for some wonderful fries when you get to Stehekin. Tons of blue berries between star lake and lk Juanita and lots of bear scat everywere.