Thunder Creek Trail is a 10.3 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Marblemount, Washington that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
North Cascades National Park Service Complex 810 State Route 20 Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 Visitor Information (360) 854-7200 Wilderness Information Center (360) 854-7245 HEADQUARTERS FAX: (360) 856-1934
Directions from Diablo Lake: Follow State Route 20 to Diablo Lake. Enter the south side of Colonial Creek Campground at milepost 130. Park in the lot above the boat ramp. One of the two trailheads for Thunder Creek Trail lies uphill from the parking lot behind the trailer dump station. This is the preferred trailhead for horses. To reach the other trailhead, walk the length of the campground, following the signs to the amphitheater. The main trailhead is marked by an informational display nearby.
November 29, 2020I hiked thunder creek yesterday starting at colonial creek campground. Theres still no snow on the trail, but a portion of the trail has collapsed around 3.5 miles in. There was 3 large trees and 2 smaller ones blocking the trail at this spot. I was able to cross 2 of the large trees but the last one took the entire trail out, it looks like you could try and cross on a narrow part of whats left of the ground, but it looked to sketchy to me so this is where I turned around. The sun shining through the early morning fog made this a great hike on the part of the trail I did hike.
November 25, 2020Hiked Thunder Creek a total of ten times from August through October. Started at the trailhead and turned back at McCallister Camp. Beautiful views visible along the trail. Sighted deer, woodpeckers, and other small birds. Buggy in the summer months but less so in autumn months as it gets colder. Can’t wait to go back next summer.
September 30, 2020We went yesterday, starting about 11 am. The trailhead parking lot was blocked off but the camping lot is open so you can park there and walk about 1/4 mile to the trailhead without issue. Bathrooms are closed though. Hardly saw anyone on the trail but it was a great hike. We went about 6 miles to a point with we could sit on a big rock and look down to the river and have lunch. Beautiful well maintained trail hike with old growth in a wonderful forest, walking along the lake and river for the first couple of miles and hearing the river most of the way. Several nice bridges along the way. Highly recommend this but likely best during the week.
September 17, 2020September 17, 2020September 6, 2020September 5, 2020Glorious
September 3, 2020August 26, 2020Well worn trail, some lush growth and many large western red cedar along path. ran into a swarm of hornets and one of us got stung, but no sign of them on the way back. August in the woods.
August 23, 2020Took it to the first bridge. Great river access.
August 17, 2020One way, backpacking from triconi
August 14, 2020Beautiful hike following the aptly named thunder creek, a beautiful glacial creek that roars into Diablo Lake. It offers great views of the creek and dense old growth forests. Please note that the all trails in and out stops arbitrarily in the middle of the forest. We added an extra mile or so to the McCallister campground which has epic views of the snow capped peaks around you and a horseshoe bend.
August 8, 2020Easier stroll. Could have made longer and steeper
July 31, 2020Great hike. Should be noted that you cannot access McAllister Hiker, the bridge is washed out. Ran into a black bear right near the forest boundary line.
July 30, 2020Beautiful but BUGGY. Great trail that hugs a rushing aquamarine river. Plenty of solitude past McAllister camp. Stayed at Tricouni the first night and had the campground to ourselves. Well maintained sites and pit toilet. Steep climb to the Junction for night 2. Lovely views of surrounding mountains and waterfalls. Deer and dipper birds out and about. Bring plenty of bugspray and enjoy.
July 21, 2020July 3, 2020Stayed at the campground a few years ago and did this hike. It was mostly shady but bring bug repellent. Happy hiking!
June 30, 2020Not sure why this is rated as hard....it’s easy with little elevation gain. Lots of people on the trail today, several large groups of 8+ on the trail. We pulled off the trail at Neve campsite and there is a nice place to hang your hammock next to the river. We plan on camping at this site in a few weeks.
June 27, 2020General Specifics reporting for duty: nice long trail
June 20, 2020this was a great trail! I stayed at Colonial Creek Campground and had to leave that day, so I only made it about 7 miles round trip before I had to turn around to pack up! the elevation gain was slow and easy and there were lots of pretty small waterfalls, streams to cross, and mountains to look at!
June 15, 2020Hiked June 15th. This was a nice early-season, low-elevation hike which was very accessible in late spring. This being said, don't expect any stunning views or overlooks as the trail remains in the forest the whole way. The creek is a stunning turquoise color and seemed more like a raging river this time around. We hiked 7 miles to Tricouni camp which has multiple tent sites, all with small fire pits, and a pit toilet. The mosquitoes were pretty bad here even though the campground was well above the creek. I recommend bringing a head net or some hard core bug repellent as they are out to get you from dawn to dusk. The hike itself was very easy and it baffles me how it can be rated 'hard' on alltrails. The 7 mile section we did took only a few hours and was without difficulty (**DISCLAIMER** I am a fit 18 year old male). This trail is nice and low key with many camping options so it can be as long or as short as you like. The downsides include underwhelming views and BUGS, but don't let that scare you away. It was well worth it.
May 26, 2020The Campground is closed due to COVID-19 at the moment however you can park right across the road and walk to the trail from there. That also made the trail very quite and secluded which was a treat it also made it a little less maintained there were a few tree downs but, all easily maneuvered. We did Thunder Creek to 4th of July Pass, we made it most of the way and saw no snow. It seems if we had continued to trek further up that we would have had an impressive view of several glaciers. There were also no Bears or signs of any but, still Cascades National Park so be aware and bring proper equipment. There a few campgrounds along the way to 4th of July pass if you are looking for a nice overnight. There are a couple of trails that connect back there after 4th of July Pass so you can pick any length you would like.
August 23, 2019Great trail! Parked at Colonial Camp ground, walked through the RV camping area to find the trailhead and more parking(whoops). Camped at Neve Camp, we didn't want to be too far in since this was our very first backpack camping trip ever! Glad I chose Neve Camp instead of Thunder Camp when I got our backcountry permit at the ranger station, had to choose one or the other then. Neve Camp had much more space and was located practically on the creek whereas Thunder Camp was smaller, tighter and farther from the creek,but not by a whole lot. Did not see any bears or even any sign of bears. Overall distance for us was 5.4miles. Also a huge perk, when getting backcountry permit at ranger station, they offer free bear canister rentals! Will definitely be going back to try out some of the farther camp sites!
August 3, 2019Unfortunately I didn't get to do this whole trail for a couple of reasons, but I did go several miles in and what I did do was pretty easy and fun. There's a river to walk next to or to even go up to for some of it, which is always great. I went a little past where the bridge crosses the river and then had to turn around. I'd love to go farther if I ever go back to the North Cascades since I know it leads to some great views even though it gets more difficult along the way.
