Human use of the Chiwawa River Valley goes back a long way. Indians set up camp at various places along the rive to fish, hunt, and pick huckleberries. Prospectors looking for gold, silver, copper, and marble further trampled the river trail. Mining claims and homesteads brought more traffic, enough to widen the trail to a wagon road. By the 1910's, mining activity in the area that would later be known as Trinity was so great the Chelan County allocated funds for the Chiwawa "mine to market" road.

Today, the Chiwawa Valley Road provides access to 15 USDA Forest Service Campgrounds, 22 hiking trails, and many opportunities for fishing, hunting, mushrooming, and snowmobiling. Black bear, mule deer, elk, beaver, cougar, bobcat, great blue heron, northern spotted owl, and mountain goat are only a few of the wildlife species that inhabit the Chiwawa Forest. The half-million-acre Glacier Peak Wilderness lies just north of Trinity, the former mining town at the end of the 24-mile road.

Stop One: Chiwawa River Bridge (2.9 miles).

Stop Two: Chikamin Flats (9.6 miles). Once a popular Indian camp during huckleberry season.

Stop Three: River Oxbows (12 miles).

Stop Four: Debris Flow (13.4 miles).

Stop Five: Guard Station (13.5 miles). A wooden shed and flagpole are all that remain of the old Rock Creek Guard Station, built in 1913.

Stop Six: Chiwawa Horse Camp (15.5 miles). At the foot of 5,942 ft Estes Butte.

Stop Seven: Blue Pool (17.3 miles).

Stop Eight: More Flood Damage (21 miles).

Stop Nine: Trinity (23.8 miles). The handful of buildings here are all that remain from a large mining settlement built in the 1920's.

Distance: 23.8 Miles

Directions: From Lake Wenatchee, This tour begins at the junction between Chiwawa Valley Road #62 and Chelan County Road #22 (the Chiwawa Loop Road, just south of Fish Lake).

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