Three Moms, Five Kids, And Four Days On The Trail

I am so blessed to be friends with some pretty badass women who encourage me to think and go bigger than I would on my own.

Each year we try to get our kids out on a nature adventure and this year my youngest was finally old enough for the real deal.  Three moms, five kids and four days on the Chelan Lakeshore Trail.  

None of us had done this particular hike before, and seeing that our youngest hiker is only three years old, we decided to do the short version from Moore Point to Stehekin, which is about 7.5 miles. This is a fairly easy trail, with only moderate ups and downs.  You start and finish at lake level, so the only real elevation gains are for getting up and around rock faces and such.  No big deal.  Looking back I would absolutely do it again, and hope to eventually get the girls out for the entire length of the trail.  

Day One:

Since there are no roads to the the trail head (either Prince Creek or Moore Point) our trip started with a fun ride up lake on the Lady of the Lake passenger ferry.

We were dropped off at Moore Point, a popular boat or hike-in campground and access point for the Chelan Lakeshore Trail.

For a remote campground it was pretty deluxe, boasting a shelter, picnic tables, fire pits, bear proof vault, and one of the nicer outhouses I’ve seen.  I wouldn’t swear by it, but those beautiful privies may be the difference between Forest Service and National Parks campgrounds.

There seemed to be a family reunion or something of the sort going on there and we tucked it into our memory banks for a possible future multi-family campout.  The campers were super friendly and probably would have welcomed us to join them, but we only stopped for a quick snack and potty break before starting up the half-mile path leading to the Lakeshore Trail.

We had 3.5 miles to go from the boat landing to our first destination, Flick Creek Campground.

Now the average human can walk a mile in about 20 minutes, so figure an hour and ten minutes for 3.5 miles.  But that is for level ground, so I generously doubled it.  And we were carrying packs, so add another hour.  And we were traveling with kids, so I figured on yet another hour.  I imagined it would take us about four hours.  Ample time to get there before dark.  We took our first break before we even got to the Lakeshore Trail, and after that we literally stopped probably every 15 or 20 minutes.  But we still made it to camp in just about three hours.

Quick tip:  Allow at least double the time you think you need when hiking with little kids and don’t sweat the ten-million breaks.  When you let them set the pace they are more apt to enjoy the hike.  Bonus: When you hike at a three year-old’s pace you can carry a lot more weight, you don’t get winded, and you’re not sore the third day.  

Like Moore  Point, Flick Creek is well appointed for a backcountry campground.  It has a log shelter (really handy as a wind-break), picnic table, bear vault, and another of those super-nice outhouses which was even fully stocked on TP and hand sanitizer.  If you’ve done much camping you know that TP isn’t a guarantee even in nice campgrounds. There is also a dock, for those who want to avoid the hike and bring a personal boat in instead.  I don’t believe the Lady stops here, even by request.

It’s really only big enough for one party, although we were able to find three passable tent spots outside the shelter when we arrived and there were already a couple of guys set up in the shelter the first night.  Ordinarily I wouldn’t want to crowd in on an established party, but with four miles to the next camp and five kids in tow, we really had no choice but to set up camp and try not to be too obnoxious.

Day Two:

The other guys headed out early next morning, so we moved our three tents into the shelter to stay another night, and spent the day taking in the views, handing out snacks, and letting the kids go Lord of the Flies.  

Day Three:

We woke up Saturday morning and had what felt like a rushed breakfast, even though it probably took just as long as any other breakfast with five kids.  We were eager to hit the trail to Stehekin, hoping to get there before the first ferry so we wouldn’t be left scraping the bottom of the available camp-site barrell, but that didn’t quite work out.

The portion of the trail between Flick Creek and Stehekin is a nice and easy four miles, and often skirts the lake for some great views and lots of opportunity for little kids to wave at passing boats.  There were a few places where I was uncomfortable with the slope on the downhill side of the trial given that three year-olds do tend to stumble.   (I wouldn’t quite say cliff, but it was steep and narrow in places) Here is the part where I admit to putting my kid on a leash.  Judge away.  We’re alive and well to bear it.  She also had a squatting mishap and peed on her shorts, but mercifully missed her undies, so she hiked in panties for probably three miles.  Again, feel free to judge.  We’re happy with our choices.

Quick tip: If you’re hiking with little kids frequent short stops are just going to be on the menu.  Get used to it.  BUT handing a kid a single fruit gummy or mini-snickers when he starts to whine, may win you an extra ten or fifteen minutes before you need to stop (again).  Don’t worry about the sugar, he’ll burn it off quickly, and you can make sure he brushes his teeth well when you get to camp.  

There are private cabins scattered all up the shore and near the end of the trail it feels like you are walking through people’s back yards.  The trail ends in Lakeview Campground right next door to Stehekin’s Golden West Visitor Center.

We were too late to get two spots.  They have this weird, seemingly arbitrary rule that only 4 people can occupy each campsite, so although the one available site had two gravel tent pads with plenty of room for our 3 backpacking tents, we were over the number of allowed people and had to get an overflow site.  As it turned out the overflow sites were lovely, with great views of the lake, easy access to flush plumbing, potable water and “town”.   The pic below is from inside my tent in the overflow camp site.

We set up camp, took a quick peek in the visitor center and then hit the store to grab some beers and snacks.  While we were at the store I saw a flyer for a Saturday evening outdoor church service, so after dinner in camp we walked down to the cabana at the North Cascades Lodge and enjoyed some hymns and a short service with some college/seminary age kids who were part of a program called Christian Ministries in the National Parks.

Finally, we went for a walk along the road heading out of “town” because apparently we just didn’t feel like we’d walked enough that day.  Honestly I just love an evening walk in summer.

Day Four:

Sunday morning we had a quick breakfast, packed up our camp and stashed our backpacks for no charge at the general store (part of the North Cascades Lodge– you don’t have to be a lodge guest, and they don’t really “check” luggage, but they let folks stash stuff in their back hall) and headed to Discovery Bikes.  We rented bikes (I got one with a Burley trailer for Hazel at no additional charge) and headed up valley.

No visit to Stehekin is complete without a visit to The Stehekin Pastry Company and Rainbow Falls.  We were able to cycle up valley, stop for treats at the bakery, visit the Old Stehekin School, walk the short trail to Rainbow Falls, and bike back down valley to return our bikes in just under two hours.

After we returned our bikes we had time for lunch at the lodge while we waited for boarding to begin for the cruise back down lake.

What a great trip!  The kids are already talking about “our next backpacking trip” and “next time we go to Stehekin”.

If you haven’t hiked with kids I really recommend it.  Hiking teaches kids that they can do hard things.  It instills a love of nature, a respect for the environment, and teaches them that hard work pays off.

If you’re not sure how to get started check out Five Baby Steps To Getting The Family Outdoors More.  

Happy Trails!!