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Middle Fork Tenaway River Trail, Cle Elum, WA
August 2014
Synopsis
After a busy summer, we escaped to the Wenatchee National Forest above Cle Elum for a little camping, hiking, and birding. We camped at the Indian Camp campground, a state run free site, which was largely used by horseback ridders, motorbikers, and 24-hour generator runners. Not the most peaceful campground. But we lucked out by staying at the site farthest from other campers, yet right next to the road (which wasn’t very busy).
During the day we hiked up the nearby Middle Fork Tenaway trail. The trail immediately starts off by crossing the Tenaway River and that isn’t the only river crossing. The trail follows and crosses the river multiple times. The water only gets warmer the colder your feet get. Thankfully the August warmth made hiking with wet feet bearable. On some river crossings, it is possible to rock hop across without getting wet feet if you are nibble enough, but it’s easier to strap on the Tevas and just motor through the icy waters.
Aside from traversing the cold waters of the Tenaway, the trail meanders through ponderosa, douglas maple, and alders. There are no spectacular viewpoints from the trail, but the forest and the rushing clear waters are the highlights as are the American Dippers who hunt the stoneflies and sculpin lurking around the rocks.
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August 2014
Synopsis
After a busy summer, we escaped to the Wenatchee National Forest above Cle Elum for a little camping, hiking, and birding. We camped at the Indian Camp campground, a state run free site, which was largely used by horseback ridders, motorbikers, and 24-hour generator runners. Not the most peaceful campground. But we lucked out by staying at the site farthest from other campers, yet right next to the road (which wasn’t very busy).
During the day we hiked up the nearby Middle Fork Tenaway trail. The trail immediately starts off by crossing the Tenaway River and that isn’t the only river crossing. The trail follows and crosses the river multiple times. The water only gets warmer the colder your feet get. Thankfully the August warmth made hiking with wet feet bearable. On some river crossings, it is possible to rock hop across without getting wet feet if you are nibble enough, but it’s easier to strap on the Tevas and just motor through the icy waters.
Aside from traversing the cold waters of the Tenaway, the trail meanders through ponderosa, douglas maple, and alders. There are no spectacular viewpoints from the trail, but the forest and the rushing clear waters are the highlights as are the American Dippers who hunt the stoneflies and sculpin lurking around the rocks.
Top
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Bird List
| Osprey |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk |
| Northern Goshawk |
| Red-tailed Hawk |
| Western Screech-Owl |
| Great Horned Owl |
| Common Nighthawk |
| Vaux's Swift |
| Belted Kingfisher |
| Red-breasted Sapsucker |
| Downy Woodpecker |
| Hairy Woodpecker |
| Northern Flicker |
| Western Wood-Pewee |
| Hammond's Flycatcher |
| Pacific-slope Flycatcher |
| Warbling Vireo |
| Gray Jay |
| Steller's Jay |
| Common Raven |
| Violet-green Swallow |
| Chestnut-backed Chickadee |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch |
| Brown Creeper |
| House Wren |
| American Dipper |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet |
| Swainson's Thrush |
| American Robin |
| Nashville Warbler |
| MacGillivray's Warbler |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
| Townsend's Warbler |
| Wilson's Warbler |
| Chipping Sparrow |
| Lincoln's Sparrow |
| White-crowned Sparrow |
| Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) |
| Western Tanager |
| Black-headed Grosbeak |
| Pine Siskin |
| Critters |
| Yellow-Pine Chipmunk |
| Douglas Squirrel |
| Cascade Frog |
| Pika |
| Blooming Flowers |
| Lewis' Monkeyflower |
| Butterflies |
| fritillary sp. |
| skipper sp. |
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Information
National Forest info
Washington Trail Association description
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