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Little Bear Trail

A short, family-friendly trail with wildflowers and lake views that still delivers a real payoff. The 2.3-mile round trip is manageable for most kids. Discover Pass required for parking.

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At a Glance

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Distance

2.3 miles, roundtrip

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Elevation Gain

250 ft

landscape

High Point

1,350 ft

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Activity

Hike

Best For

WildflowersDogs AllowedDiscover PassLake ViewsKid FriendlyMid-Distance

Photo Highlights · May 2026

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Why Go

Little Bear Trail is within the Lake Chelan State Park which is located on the south shore 15 minutes away from downtown Chelan. It consists of two loops which intersect, the Forest Loop and the Bitterbrush Loop. The loops can be hiked individually or can be combined together for a hike a little over 2 miles. It's a great family hike, with limited elevation gain and a gentle trail, plus the start of the trail passes underneath the road via a tunnel. In the spring, there are numerous wildflowers, with the Bitterbrush Loop having fields of Arrowleaf Balsamroot in April as well as views of Lake Chelan. There is no real preference to which direction you hike the trail / loops.

The trail starts next to the restrooms at the park. After the entrance, take your first right, and then look for the bathrooms and parking spaces a few hundred yards later. Note, the park is popular in the summer, and parking / entry may not be available for the hike.

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Route & Map

Plan This Trip

Getting There

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Directions

Heading away from Chelan on South Lakeshore Road, after 10 miles look for signs on the right for Lake Chelan State Park.

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Parking

Parking is available at the Lake Chelan State Park, and requires a Discovery Pass or fee of $10 per car.

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Field Notes · Personal Trip Report

Trip Reports

I've hiked Little Bear Trail twice — pick a visit to read its full report.

Summit's First Lake Loop

I brought my puppy on an uncrowded May morning and watched him practically sprint through the tunnel, eager to explore the Forest Loop counterclockwise.

calendar_today May 12, 2026

straighten 4.2 miles, roundtrip · 490 ft gain

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It had been awhile since I had been on the Little Bear Trail, and wanting to give my puppy some exercise, I headed over Lake Chelan State Park. While the park wasn't packed by any means, there were a good amount of campers in the park, although the parking lot next to the trailhead was empty. I put my puppy Summit on a leash and off we went on the Little Bear Trail.

We passed through the tunnel under the road, and Summit was way out ahead of me, practically trying to run. We passed one individual on the way to the Forest Loop, but other than that, saw no one else on the trail for the rest of the hike. At the junction with the Forest Loop, my dog went right and we started doing the loop counter-clockwise.

Bridge on Forest Loop

I would have liked to stop to read some of the interpretive signs, but Summit seemed anxious to keep moving. Usually he is a little more into stopping to sniff around, especially new locations, however today he was moving fast, with very few stops. Once on the Bitterbrush Loop, we did encounter one downed log, although the rest of the trail was in good shape, with really no mud nor other obstacles.

Downed log

While the Forest Loop had relatively few wildflowers, the Bitterbrush Loop travels through meadows which had quite a few wildflowers. There were fields of Arrowleaf Balsamroot, however they were a little past their prime - some were still in bloom, but most had died off. This is definitely a good hike to do in April, or potentially even late March for Arrowleaf Balsamroot.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot on Bitterbrush Loop

I saw numerous other wild flowers on the trail, including phlox, lupine, bluebells and Lyall's Mariposa Lily, which is quite a stunning flower.

Lyall's Mariposa Lily

View of Lake Chelan

I even saw some Lupine which was pink in color. All the Lupine I see in the area is bluish / purplish, and this was my first encounter with a pink Lupine. I wonder if it's a different type of Lupine, or just has a different color to its flowers?

We finished up the hike, and ended up walking around Lake Chelan State Park a bit, as my dog seemed like he needed a little more mileage. Hence the trip report shows over 4 miles...