North Cascades National Park
Buckner Lane to Buckner Orchard
easy FamiliesHistory BuffsCasual Walkers
0.3 mi Distance
0 ft Elevation Gain
Varies Estimated Time
one_way Trail Type
What to Expect
This is less a hike and more a stroll through living history. The trail follows a hand-dug irrigation ditch that channeled water to what is now one of the most intact pioneer orchards in the Pacific Northwest — the Buckner Homestead, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The path is flat, shaded by towering conifers, and short enough that you'll want to slow down deliberately rather than reach the end too fast. The orchard opens up suddenly: rows of gnarled apple trees dating to the 1880s, still fruiting, surrounded by original homestead structures. Grab a self-guided walk booklet from the trailhead box or the Stehekin visitor center and let it do the talking. This trail is made for history lovers, families with young kids, and anyone who appreciates the strange persistence of a working orchard in the middle of a wilderness.
Trail Details
Distance 0.3 miles round-trip
Difficulty easy
Estimated Time Varies
Trail Type one_way
Pets Not allowed
Season Year-round
Trailhead Buckner Lane to Buckner Orchard
- 1
The self-guided walk booklets are sometimes depleted mid-season — pick one up at the Golden West Visitor Center in Stehekin before riding the shuttle out to the trailhead.
- 2
Plan your visit for late August through September: the apple trees are actively fruiting, and the NPS occasionally opens a pick-your-own window — check the visitor center board for current-season rules before helping yourself.
- 3
Walk the irrigation ditch slowly and look for where it was hand-cut into the hillside — the engineering is surprisingly ambitious for an 1880s homestead and tells a better story about Buckner's ambition than any sign does.
Photos
NPS
