Trip Date: September 14-17, 2013

Rainbow Ridge Loop:  Rainbow Lake to McAlester Park

Lake Chelan / Stehekin Landing
Rainbow Bluff
Rainbow Meadows
Rainbow Lake
Bowan Pass
Bowan Mountain (7895 ft)
Lake 6495 aka Bowan Lake
Rainbow Ridge
Lake 6111
McAlester Park

Trip Report Summary

Region: North-Central Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: North Stehekin Mountains

Area: Lake Chelan National Recreation Area

Starting & Ending Point: Stehekin Bakery on Stehekin Valley Road (Elev. 1150 feet)

Way Points: South Rainbow Loop Trailhead (road walk);  Rainbow Bluff & Rainbow Bridge Camp & Lower Rainbow Creek & Rainbow Creek Trail junction & Bench Creek Camp & Rainbow Lake Trail junction & Rainbow Meadows & Rainbow Lake & Bowan Pass & Bowan Lake & Rainbow Ridge & Rainbow Tarns & Lake 6111 & Upper Rainbow Creek & Rainbow Lake Trail junction & Stehekin River Road (trail hike & off-trail hike & rock scramble);  Stehekin Bakery (road walk)

Campsites: Rainbow Meadows Camp & Bowan Lake & Rainbow Bridge Camp

Summit: Bowan Mountain (rock scramble via East Ridge)

Approximate Stats (excluding summit sidetrip): 24 miles traveled; 8400 feet gained & lost.

Approximate Stats (including summit sidetrip): 25 miles traveled; 9000 feet gained & lost.

Related Posts

>>> McAlester–Rainbow Loop via McAlester Pass—Rainbow Pass—Bridge Creek + McAlester Mtn – October 2026

>>> Bowan Mtn via Rainbow Lake—East Ridge + McGregor Mtn Attempt via Sandalee Glacier – August 2016

Full Trip Report

Last week, Eileen and I joined Kevin K and Maria on a trip up Lake Chelan with Kevin’s sister and brother-in-law, Kelli and Eric, who were visiting from Denver. Our trip involved a loop over Rainbow Ridge, with a combination of on-trail and off-trail travel.

Day 1: Fields Point to Stehekin to Rainbow Meadows

We rode the Lady Express from Fields Point to Stehekin on Saturday morning, then had brunch at the Stehekin Bakery.   Following brunch, we walked 1/2 mile up the Stehekin River Road to the Rainbow Loop Trailhead, then headed up the trail to Rainbow Creek. The weather forecast called for unseasonably high temps this day, and that was no joke; we toiled up the trail in temperatures nudging 90 degrees. Our two crossings of Rainbow Creek—first on a nifty little roll-away suspension bridge and later on a sturdy log—provided a much-needed respite from the heat. We oozed into camp at Rainbow Meadows just before nightfall (6.5 hours from TH).

Day 2: Rainbow Meadows to Bowan Lake

We continued hiking up through Rainbow Meadows to Rainbow Lake, which sits in a granite bowl rimmed with inviting slabs and scattered trees. The morning was cooler than yesterday, but I still couldn’t resist taking a dip in the lake.

At a trail clearing closely south of Rainbow Lake, we headed directly uphill on heathery slopes. The hillslope was fairly steep and slightly cliffy but otherwise pretty easy. Soon, we were looking down at all three Rainbow Lakes and over at the marvelous massif of McGregor Mountain.

Upon reaching Bowan Pass, a 7300-foot saddle south of Bowan Mountain, we all dropped backpacks for a welcome break. Kevin and Eileen and I changed into summit packs and headed up the rocky ridge toward Bowan Mountain but quickly got stymied by a deep notch. Kevin wisely decided to rejoin the group back down at the pass in order to get everyone headed down to Bowan Lake before dark. Meanwhile, Eileen and I traversed over to the mountain’s east ridge and teased out a Class 2-3 route up to the blocky little summit.

The summit register had been placed by Fay Pullen in Autumn 2011. She was quickly followed by Dave Creeden (solo) and Beth Blattenberger’s large party that same season. Nobody had signed in during 2012 or 2013.

The atmosphere was somewhat hazy, no doubt due to the recent forest fires, but we enjoyed nice views to the northeast and southeast. After a short stay, we retraced our up-route to the saddle, then descended to Bowan Lake (10.0 hours from Camp 1) in time to join the others for dinner.

The entire day had been warm and pleasant, but conditions took a drastic change just as we were retiring for the night. The sky came alive with lightning and thunder, and our tents were buffeted by strong wind gusts. The electrical storm pounded us with rain and hail for two hours, while we scrambled to keep our tents anchored. Then, around midnight, it was all over as quickly as it had begun.

Day 3: Bowan Lake to Rainbow Bridge Camp

We awoke to a sensation that summer had turned into autumn overnight. Cool, damp air flowed over Rainbow Ridge, and rain fell intermittently.

Our traverse route contoured eastward along the southern side of Rainbow Peak (Point 7237) and Rainbow Ridge. We wandered through heather meadows decorated with white boulders and green larches. This area would certainly be gorgeous in October, when the larches turn gold.

Farther along the ridge, we descended a steep bouldery draw to reach Lake 6111. A well-defined hiker’s path then led us out of the lake basin and down a grassy ramp to intersect the Rainbow Creek Trail closely below McAlester Pass.

The trail down Rainbow Creek had been recently maintained, but it was now littered with blowdown trees as a result of the previous night’s windstorm. Nonetheless, we made good time heading down to Rainbow Bridge Camp. The highlight of our descent was, without question, the sudden view of Lake Chelan from a rocky bluff high above the camp. Swirling winds created a surrealistic image of giant brush strokes across the water surface.

Day 4: Rainbow Bridge Camp to Stehekin to Fields Point

Our final day involved a 2-mile trail hike down to the Stehekin River Road and a ½-mile road march to the Stehekin Bakery for brunch. Being mid-September, there was a steady stream of Pacific Crest Trail hikers passing through Stehekin, nearing the end of their many-month journey from Mexico to Canada. It was entertaining to see them come into the bakery with gaunt bodies and hungry eyes: “I’ll take one of those, and one of those, and one of these, and one of those, and….”

Route Maps & Profile

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Photo Gallery

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