Coyote Loop

trip in the near future (assuming the heavy rains in December didn't completely destroy the trail…), and I wanted him to start getting some hikes prior to the trip. Coyote loop seemed like a good one to start on, especially with the puppy joining us.

There were a decent amount of cars at the trailhead for a Friday in early spring. When I first moved to Chelan and the first of the Chelan River Gorge trails, 'Reach 1, had just been completed, it seemed like there were rarely more than a couple of cars at the trailhead, even during the summer. Now it's not uncommon to see the lot almost full, which is actually a good thing, as it means people are out enjoying the trails. And given the number of trails accessible from the trailhead, it has never felt crowded.

We proceeded down Reach 1 Trail, with Summit, my puppy on the leash. He's still learning that not everyone is as enthusiastic as he is about greeting each other on the trail. We didn't run into anyone and once we were on the Eagle Trail, I took him off leash.

Summit and Winter on the start of the Eagle Trail

The wildflowers were starting to really bloom. I had done the Cutthroat Loop Trail a couple of days prior, and while there wasn't a huge difference, there were more Arrowleaf Balsamroot, the Phlox was really coming out and the Dark-throated Shooting Star was starting to show.

Dark-throated Shooting Star

We reached the Cutthroat Loop trail, and noticed a small group coming up behind us. We decided to pull over and have some water and let them pass and get ahead of us. Once we began hiking again my son was nervous our dog would run after them, but he stayed close to us as we worked our way up to the Coyote Loop.

Chelan Penstemon

Once on the Coyote Loop Trail, we headed clockwise as we were ready to take a lunch and water break, and there is a nice view point on the edge of the bluff a couple hundred yards up the trail. We had one person pass us by while snacking on some food, but the rest of the hike we had the trail to ourselves until the very end of the hike on Reach 1.

My son and dog on Coyote Loop Trail

After eating our lunch, we continued along Coyote Loop Trail and then back on the Eagle Trail to begin the small descent down off the small bluff. The temperatures weren't too hot, however my dog was definitely feeling the heat a little bit. We had an appointment scheduled the following week for the groomers, and hopefully that will help keep him cool once the temperatures really heat up.

On the way back

It was nice to get out for a hike with my son and puppy, and the Chelan River Gorge is always a good spot to get out, with it being one of the best areas for wildflowers around Chelan in the early spring.

My wife and I arrived at the Chelan Butte trailhead on a nice summer morning, and I noticed they had a nice new sign in place showing all the trails in the Gorge - I'd been busy exploring other hikes in the area and hadn't been in the Chelan Gorge area since last fall. After admiring the new signage, we headed out on the Reach 1 trail towards Coyote Loop.

New signage at Chelan Butte Trailhead

After a short while, we turned onto the Eagle Trail, and paralleled the Chelan river. The trail was a little dusty and occasionally had some shrubbery and grass creeping into it, but otherwise was in pretty good shape. It actually seemed like both the Coyote and Cutthroat loops were in better shape than when they first opened - not sure if additional work had been done, or just more people hiking had made the trail less overgrown.

Eagle trail

We passed by Cutthroat Loop and made our way up the hillside towards Coyote Loop. I was keeping an eye out for snakes, as the last time I hiked this trail around the same time of year, I saw a rattlesnake just off the trail - it was early morning and on the cooler side, and the snake never moved. Fortunately, we didn't see any rattlesnakes on this hike.

Ascending towards Coyote trail

We hiked counterclockwise on the Coyote trail, as there is a nice overlook near the junction, and I like saving that towards the end of the trail, rather than at the beginning. With it being late summer, the water levels in the Chelan River are low, and it's not nearly as stunning as during the early spring, but it was scenic nonetheless.

View of the Chelan River Basin

After completing the Coyote loop, we headed back down Eagle trail and decided to get a little extra mileage doing the Cutthroat loop. As the trail progressed along the banks of the Chelan River, I noticed a maple tree that looked like it was starting to turn colors. Seems way too early for fall colors.

Maple tree along the Chelan River

We finished up the Cutthroat loop, and then headed back to the car on the Eagle Trail and Reach 1. Nice summer morning to get out for a hike, with no smoke and reasonable temperatures!

With summer travel, enjoying the lake and some occasional mountain biking around Echo Ridge, I hadn't been out on a hike in the Chelan Valley for a couple of months. I had some errands to run in Chelan on Saturday morning before my son's soccer game, and I decided to sneak in a quick hike on Coyote loop before doing said errands. The mornings were starting to cool down, and I was looking forward to checking out this new area.

Pulling into the parking lot at 7:30am, it was busy - at least for Chelan - with about five cars in the lot. It sounded like a group of folks were getting ready to head up Chelan Butte. I grabbed my gear and made my way down the Reach One trail, watching the sun rise above the horizon.

Sun shinning on Reach One Trail

After less than a half mile, I turned onto the Eagle trail. Although the wildflowers of the spring and early summer were gone, there were a number of plants with interesting blooms. It's so dry around here I wouldn't think many plants could have flowers in the late summer, but I suppose they have to adapt in order to survive. While not nearly as impressive a display as the spring with way more muted colors, it was interesting nonetheless.

Plant in bloom on Eagle Trail

Another interesting plant

I passed by the start and then the end of the Cutthroat Loop, and shortly thereafter began a small climb up out of the river basin. When I had done the Eagle Trail with my son earlier in the spring, we had turned around at the Cutthroat Loop, so this was new territory for me.

Ascending from the Chelan River

Reaching the end of the Eagle Trail and start of the Coyote Loop, I decided to head counterclockwise, which in hindsight was the best direction, as it saved the nice view until the end of the hike. I noticed a couple of mountain bike tracks on the trail. Not sure if I hadn't seen them on the Eagle trail, or if they came in from the Gorge Road.

I continued along the trail, which had flattened out by this point. A little less than halfway along the loop the trail made its way along the bottom of a ridge, which provided some shade and cooler temps. Which was fortunate, because I was startled when I saw a rattlesnake curled up just off the side of the trail. I jumped back when I saw it, but quickly regained my composure when I realized it was still asleep (or it was too cold for it to be active). I quickly snapped a picture and kept hiking.

Rattlesnake on the Coyote Loop trail

Fortunately, I didn't see any more Rattlesnakes after that encounter. A couple hundred yards from the end of the loop was a nice vista over the river basin. I completed the loop, and then headed back down the Eagle Trail.

View of the Chelan River Basin

I made my way back to the car and was surprised to see it had taken me under an hour and fifteen minutes to complete. With the cooler weather I hadn't bothered to stop and hydrate. It was a nice hike, although if you are short on time or looking to shave off the mileage, you can just stick with the Eagle trail and then proceed a couple hundred yards up to the view point.