Today, the Stehekin River Valley is still a remote area that can only be reached by way of a 55-mile boat ride up Lake Chelan.

The Stehekin River continues generally southeast below McGregor Mountain to the northwest end of Lake Chelan.

[6] Over the centuries, the changing course of the Stehekin River deposited rich, alluvial sediments along the valley floor; however, it also left behind large boulders that made farming difficult.

The most desirable homesteads were located along the Stehekin River and its tributaries since these sites provided a reliable water supply for farming and natural transportation routes leading to Lake Chelan.

In the fall most homesteaders would leave the area, choosing to spend the winter in less isolated communities like Chelan.

Many of the early homesteaders supplemented their incomes by guiding miners into the backcountry and packing goods to remote mining claims.

In 1902, the valley's first school was opened in a cabin located at the head of the Lake Chelan.

[6] As mining declined, subsistence farming, logging, and tourism sustained the residents of the Stehekin Valley.

With the establishment of the Stehekin Ranger District in 1905, reliable seasonal work became available to valley residents.

The Stehekin River is scenic and remote, offering whitewater rafting and kayaking opportunities.

Rainbow and cutthroat trout fishing is best in the spring, and fishermen come for sockeye salmon in the fall.