Drake Creek Bridge - Hidden Lakes Trail

Moving a new stringer across the creek. Diane Hofbeck

This is a great trail construction project helping to replace a bridge across Drake Creek on the Hidden Lakes Trail in the Pasayten Wilderness. We will assist the Forest Service in felling, bucking, peeling, and skidding trees for the bridge structure. We will be building bridge abutments and if we get all that done we will set the sills and stringers. The final steps are to install the decking and handrails. If any of this doesn't make sense rest assured you will have mastered all these skills by the end of the trip and will have had a lot of fun doing it. Oh, and you will have done it all with hand tools in one of the remotest and beautiful wilderness areas in the state.

Deep in one of the states largest wilderness's lies a string of lakes so remote they have earned the moniker Hidden Lakes. If that isn't enough, to get to these lakes you will follow the Lost River. The trail to Hidden Lakes starts at the Billy Goat trailhead and quickly crosses Eightmile Pass, drops down to Drake Creek and then ascends 1200' to Lucky Pass. It is then 4 downhill miles to Diamond Creek. 6 miles beyond this creek crossing the first Hidden Lake is encountered. Continuing north the trail heads for the Pasayten River and the Canadian border region. For this project we will be helping to rebuild a bridge over Drake Creek. This includes falling trees, bucking them up to length for sills and stringers, griphoisting them to the creek, building abutments and then if time allows setting the sills and stringers. If any of this sounds unfamiliar rest assured that by the end of the trip you will know how to do all these things. Green Trails #19 Billy Goat Mtn.

Driving directions:
From Seattle drive north on I-5 and take exit 230 (Anacortes/Highway 20) north of Mount Vernon. Follow Highway 20, otherwise known as the North Cascades Highway towards the town of Winthrop. From just west of downtown Winthrop on Highway 20 turn north on the West Chewuch Road (Okanogan County Road 1213). The big Red Barn is pretty much across the street from the intersection and is a good landmark. Follow the West Chewuch road for 9 miles (after about 7 miles it becomes FS 51). Turn left on FS 5130 (Eightmile Creek Road) and follow signs for 17 miles to the trailhead located at end of road beyond horse trailhead. Figure about 1.5 hours from Winthrop.