May-June, 2023
Off we go to explore!
We three campers/explorers all climbed into one of our vehicles and drove from our campsites to an access point that was near a hiking trail that ran right along both sides of Icicle Creek. Here’s the map below. Our campground, Eightmile Campground, was right next to Icicle Creek, but it was further to the right, to the east, than the map shows, and it didn’t have access to this long trail that ran along both sides of Icicle Creek.
At this point in its journey, Icicle Creek runs from the west to the east. It starts west of here, WAY up in the ice cold Cascade Mountains that, this time of year, are still full of snow. Then Icicle Creek wends its way eastward through major mountains and valleys, eventually emptying into the Wenatchee River right inside the town of Leavenworth. At one point on our exploration, I did put my fingers into Icicle Creek … oh my heart, was it COLD!!
And so we drove to the access point, parked at the “Trailhead” on the map above, then hiked along the trail westward (to the left). We crossed Icicle Creek at Rock Island Bridge, and then we hiked back to the right, to the east, along the opposite side of Icicle Creek, eventually crossing Jack Creek, and then twice crossing Trout Creek, eventually reaching Chatter Creek Bridge. We crossed that bridge and hiked our way back up to the parking lot. It took a few hours to work our way through all of this, but it sure was worth it. It was wonderful! We stopped often to look and enjoy and take photos.
Ok … so … let’s get going …
The parking lot (above) was not full! It pays to go camping early in the year and mid-week.
Access to the trail is in through that dark area on the right, in between two trees.
Just a few minutes on the trail brought us out to a view point above Icicle Creek.
Looking upstream (above and in the video below).
From the same spot, I turned and looked downstream … in the photo and the video below.
And then on up river we went still heading west. When we were in sunshine, it was warm! When we were in shade, it was chilly.
The photo below is of a small creek that flows into Icicle Creek. This reminds me that I thought Icicle Creek was mis-named. It had a LOT of water in it, a torrent of water moving fast! A “creek” to me is small and meandering … Icicle Creek was not small not meandering. The water was plentiful and fast and it was loud. But this little tributary creek was sweet.
Further on up the trail … one tree (below) was being used by birds and probably other critters, but the tree right next to it hadn’t been touched. We wondered why.
There were even more entrance holes in the tree around on the other side of it … maybe this tree was dying and the wood was rotting? So bugs and birds used it instead of the neighbor tree?
And then, further on … this little Douglas Squirrel peeked out from behind a tree trunk. They are native to the Pacific Northwest. [When this blog post is published, the “Header” will still be a horizontal photo of this Douglas Squirrel. You can click on “HEADER PHOTOS” at the top of every page here to see all of the header photos I’ve used.]
“Don’t interrupt my lunch, Ann, I’m busy!”
Further up the trail. There were many interesting things to see. The three of us were almost the only people on the trail. It was a glorious day.
Eventually, we came to the western most point of our journey. You can see the Rock Island Bridge in the photo below. We chose a picnic table that was in the sunshine and right next to Icicle Creek and ate our lunches there.
The video below is of the creek east of the bridge, downstream from the bridge, right where our picnic table was.
Here’s the bridge again …
And here’s a short video of the water under the bridge. Look at that HUGE tree trunk right in the middle. Think about how much water must have been roaring through here to wash that tree trunk into that position.
But, back up on the trail, and approaching the bridge, there was this interesting sign listing all manner of destinations along hiking trails in the area.
And then we were on the bridge. In the middle of the bridge, I turned to the right and snapped the photo below of the water coming down towards the bridge. What a seemingly peaceful stream, yes? And yet, you’ve seen the torrents of water. What a spectacular world this is.
After walking across the bridge, we then turned to the left and headed east along Icicle Creek, but on the opposite side of the creek now, heading downstream.
It certainly was spring here!
Below … the foot bridge across Jack Creek.
Finally, we see the Chatter Creek Bridge in the distance (below). It will take us back across Icicle Creek, to the trail that leads back to the parking lot.
The two videos below run together … both were taken by me when I was on that bridge in the photo above. The first video below looks to the left, upriver, with the torrent of water coming down towards me and towards the bridge.
I took the next video below by simply turning to the right and looking at the water running under the bridge and then on down stream. Keep in mind, this little “creek” is currently running no where near its maximum flow. Maybe WAY up there somewhere in the Cascade Mountains, this waterway is a gentle, little creek. But down here, it’s powerful!
If you are ever in the Leavenworth, WA, area and have some time on your hands, this walk/hike is excellent! It’s beautiful. Icicle Creek is stunning especially in the spring when the icy mountain snowmelt fills its banks.
Wonderful! I love little Ms. Douglas Squirrel eating her lunch. And all of the photos (stunningly beautiful) and videos. I will likely never get to any of these places you go, so please show us and tell us and share more. 🙂
Thank you, Kinny. 🙂 I will continue to share more.
This is spectacular. The huge wide views of the trees and the mountains, and the closeups of the flowers and plants. The river is stunning. Ok it’s called a “creek” but I’m with you, this ain’t no “creek”! I really like that timber bridge over Jack Creek.
Ain’t no “creek” indeed. 🙂 Perfectly said, Ruby.
And yes, isn’t that timber bridge fascinating.
Oh my gosh how beautiful. I usually pick a favorite photo, even if I don’t say it here. But this time I can’t pick just one. Love the squirrel telling you to bug off. 🙂
That squirrel just sat there chewing away, looking right into my eyeballs. Her lunch was way more important than I was.
Beautiful hiking area & the Icicle Creek is fun to swim in for strong swimmers; I enjoyed it on a very hot day. Glad you enjoyed the adventure!
You swam in Icicle Creek?! You are a miracle. But I already knew that. 🙂
Gorgeous!
Absolutely! 🙂
I know various readers have asked this before but I’m still amazed at how wonderful every campground is, every campsite is, and every area is that you go camping in. This was truly stunningly beautiful. Hubby and I always seemed to find one dud place a year. But you never do! How do you do that?! 🙂
Marge, it’s partly online research, which maybe you folks didn’t have until just the past few years. But it’s also the State of Washington and how they set up and how they maintain their campgrounds. And national parks here in Washington. You just about can’t find a bad one! It’s so beautiful here. On the other hand, in the seven years I’ve been camping, I’ve had two neighbor campers who were problems, but the park rangers or the park host took care of those problems asap. I’ve been venturing into Oregon just a tiny bit, their campgrounds are gorgeous too … and Canada, well everything is gorgeous in Canada! I suspect a lot of my success (so far) in finding great campgrounds and campsites is the internet. But also, I follow my friends to THEIR favorite campgrounds, and those have always been winners. 🙂
So if it is not a creek, what is it?
A stream? I think it’s too rambunctious for a stream.
Anne suggested “burn”, which I figure (being Scottish) will appeal to you.😏
Anne is brilliant. Too rambunctious for a stream. But too small to be a real river. “Burn” it is. aye! 🙂
There are beetles that eat and dig into Douglas Fir, and of course woodpeckers, and there is an invasive insect that enjoys Doug Firs, but I’ve never seen holes so large and so many of them, and so close together. Are you sure they weren’t created by humans? My best guess is that they are woodpecker holes and, yes, the tree was already dying. I’d love to see that tree up close.
Beautiful country! Your photos are gorgeous. So peaceful.
Thanks Tina. I suspect woodpeckers too, but someone here must know more than you and I do, eh?
Thank you for the nice words. 🙂
Hiked up in the mountains above here many times, probably saw the source of Icicle Creek, where it was a creek. 🙂 I agree, it sure isn’t a creek where you’re seeing it. Thanks for taking me back. Beautiful photos.
You must have terrific memories, Steve. Thanks for weighing in on the “creek” definition. If I ever head up further into those mountains and come across the real Icicle Creek where it is a creek, I’ll snap some photos for you.
Tina, my best guess is woodpeckers too, tho I too have never seen such huge holes and so close together. Yet, if the tree is dying and has dry rot in it then the woodpeckers will gather amass to eat the bugs that are eating the rotten wood. I’d love to see that tree too … let’s go! 🙂
What beautiful country. Ann finds the best places. 🙂
Thanks Judy. I always love your comments. 🙂
What a great blog. The photos are magnificent, the scenery magnificent. And that “creek” … Icicle Creek? Hmmm, it’s gorgeous, but I have to agree it isn’t a “creek” in my understanding of the word. A creek is small and meandering, sort of dribbling along. Even a stream is relatively small and certainly isn’t a torrent of water. I like Fritzi’s description of Icicle Creek as “rambunctious” … indeed it is! Seriously rambunctious!!
I’ve not lived in Scotland and don’t speak Scots Gaelic or even the Scottish version of England’s English, but from my relatives (and ancestors) I get a sense that a “burn” is a large stream or a small river that is indeed rambunctious. So I vote for a “burn” as the word used to describe Icicle Creek. It’s not large enough to be a river, but it’s larger than a stream. Icicle Creek, with it’s rambunctious ways, certainly burns its way down through those mountains! So … Icicle Burn!
Thanks Fritzi (and Anne) … and Ann. What fun, and how beautiful.
Great comment, Pat! “with it’s rambunctious ways” … and it “certainly burns its way down” … fun stuff. 🙂
That water was so cold in Icicle Creek, that it truly did burn, it hurt when I put my hand in it. So why not call it Icicle Burn?
Remember the hopes we had a few years ago that the Ivory Billed Woodpecker was not really extinct? To my knowledge, they haven’t found the Ivory Billed yet, but her cousin lives in Washington State.
I believe the large holes in the rotting tree are made by our Pileated Woodpecker. They drill large oval or square holes where they raise their young. Since the adult birds are 12 to 19 inches long, they need large holes for their nest sites. The Internet says that they never use the same hole twice! They are stunning birds. ( Maybe Ann could insert a photo here :-). )
Oh Jan, thank you! I knew someone here had to know more than the rest of us. I love Pileated Woodpeckers, but I did not know that they never use the same nest twice … and I had no idea those holes in that tree were nests. But when I search for THOSE words online, then I find photos of them, just like you say.
Here’s a link to a blog post of mine about two Pileated Woodpeckers that were hanging around my campsite back in 2017 in the Kanaskat State Park during the very first year I was camping. https://www.travelswithtowhee.com/kanaskat-state-park-july-day-2/