Kennedy Hot Springs

What happened to Kennedy Hot Springs

For decades Kennedy Hot Springs was the classic backpacking soak in the North Cascades. It sat beside the White Chuck River below the west side of Glacier Peak, in the Glacier Peak Wilderness on the Darrington Ranger District of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Hikers drove to the end of White Chuck Road (FR 23), walked up the White Chuck Trail, and soaked in a small pool with the glacial river rushing past. It was a common first night for people heading to the Pacific Crest Trail and the high meadows around Glacier Peak.

That ended on November 7, 2003. A huge rain and wind storm sent floods and mudslides through the White Chuck valley. In a 2011 article, the Washington Trails Association wrote that the springs were buried under feet of debris and “gone forever.” The storm also wiped out the White Chuck Trail and the end of White Chuck Road.

More than 20 years on, nothing has been rebuilt. A hiker who passed through in late 2017 warned others not to expect to find the springs at all, because they lie under tons of debris. The same report said the Forest Service would no longer maintain the White Chuck River Trail or the Milk Creek Trail. We found no trip report or agency notice describing a usable soaking pool at the site since the flood, so this listing is marked closed.

What you will find now

The old Kennedy Hot Springs site is part of a wide, raw flood plain where Kennedy Creek meets the White Chuck River. Hikers describe sand bars, log jams and braided channels, with forest growing back over what the flood did not strip away. A 2020 trip report found the trails on the valley floor simply gone. Maps and even some PCT signs still show them, but beyond the end of the Kennedy Ridge Trail there was nothing to follow, only bushwhacking, log jams and sand bars.

It is still remarkable country. A 2017 hiker described the upper White Chuck as almost like a moonscape in places, with the White Chuck Cinder Cone rising out of it. Views of Glacier Peak open up as you drop from Red Pass. Just do not plan the trip around a soak.

Getting there

There are two realistic ways into the area, and both are serious backpacks.

• From the south, via the North Fork Sauk Trail: From Darrington, take the Mountain Loop Highway toward Barlow Pass and turn onto the North Fork Sauk road to the North Fork Sauk Trailhead. A 2017 party followed the North Fork Sauk Trail through big old-growth fir and hemlock for about 5.5 easy miles to Mackinaw Shelter. From the shelter it is about 3.5 miles and roughly 3,000 feet of steep, sun-exposed switchbacks up to the PCT. From the junction, go north on the PCT about 1.75 miles to Red Pass, then drop into the upper White Chuck valley toward Kennedy Meadows. That hiker put the distance from their camp near the old springs trail back to the North Fork Sauk Trailhead at about 16 miles, with a big climb back over Red Pass.
• From the north, on the PCT: The other approach comes south on the PCT from the Suiattle River side. In 2026 that is closed: Forest Order 06-05-26-03 closes the Suiattle River Road to vehicles until January 1, 2028, and the Miners Fire closure order closes the Suiattle River Trail and the PCT north of Mica Lake through December 31, 2026.

Do not use White Chuck Road as a route to the springs. It was closed to vehicles from 2003 until 2011, when it reopened only as far as just past the Rat Trap Pass Road (FR 27) turnoff. The Forest Service decommissioned the rest, and WTA reported at the time that the road will never again reach the old trailhead. More recently, December 2024 flood damage led to Forest Order 06-05-25-02, which closed FR 23 from milepost 3.7 to the FR 27 junction, and FR 27 from milepost 4 to FR 23. The order text gave an end date of December 31, 2025, but the alert was still on the forest’s alerts page in 2026. Ask the Darrington Ranger District at (360) 436-1155 for the current status.

When to go

If you want to see the area, aim for mid-summer to early fall, when Red Pass and the PCT are mostly free of snow. Hikers who have crossed it describe very steep, exposed climbs, so start early on hot days. The Mountain Loop Highway between Darrington and Granite Falls usually closes at Barlow Pass in winter, which cuts off the trailhead for months.

Check the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie alerts page before you go. In 2026 the forest had several active fire and flood closures on the Darrington Ranger District.

Rules and etiquette

• Wilderness rules apply in the Glacier Peak Wilderness: no bikes or motor vehicles, small groups, and camps well back from water and trails.
• Food storage: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has a forest-wide food storage order (06-05-25-01, April 15, 2025 to April 15, 2027). Store food and garbage in a bear-resistant way.
• Camping limits: outside developed campgrounds you may camp no more than 14 days in a row at one spot and 28 days a year on the forest.
• Leave no trace. Do not dig in the flood deposits looking for warm water. The ground is unstable and it damages the site.
• Closure orders: walking into a closed area can bring a fine of up to $5,000 and up to 6 months in jail.

Where to stay nearby

You will be camping. A 2017 party found many good sites near Mackinaw Shelter and about a mile before it, plus multiple camps with plentiful water between Red Pass and Kennedy Meadows. Darrington is the nearest town, with basic services. Along the Mountain Loop Highway there are several national forest campgrounds; check which are open on Recreation.gov.

Safety notes

• Navigation: the trails shown on many maps in the White Chuck valley no longer exist. Carry a current map, a GPS track and the skills to travel cross-country over log jams.
• River crossings: the White Chuck River and Kennedy Creek are glacial and can be cold and fast. A 2017 party crossed on large logs; conditions change every year.
• Remoteness: there is no cell service. Carry a satellite messenger.
• Heat and exposure: the climb from Mackinaw Shelter to the PCT is long, steep and sunny. Carry enough water.
• Wildlife: this is bear and mountain goat country. Keep your distance from goats, which can be aggressive.