2017 Summer Road Construction in Stehekin
Stehekin Road to be Paved!
Long-time visitors to the Stehekin Valley can tell you all about travelling on the primitive winding dirt road. Quaint and scenic though it is, most would gladly trade the dusty, bumpy ride for smooth pavement.
The day of a smooth ride is finally approaching – by mid-summer 2018 we should have blacktop road to the Ranch!
Unfortunately, there is no way to get to that point without a stretch of road construction which will undoubtedly cause some minor inconveniences in the short-term.
How this affects YOU:
We are doing all we can to work with the construction crews and governing agencies to keep the impact to our guests at a minimum.
If you would like to avoid delays while traveling the road, we highly recommend arriving on the Lady Express boat. We will be able to travel the road to meet this boat with minimal delays, and get you to the Ranch in time for lunch as usual.
Those who choose to take the Lady II boat be warned – there are likely to be significant delays in bus service to the Ranch from this boat. That being said, this wait does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. The most likely time for this to happen is July or August, when the sun is usually shining, and enjoying the Lake is probably the best activity choice for the hot afternoon anyway.
*PLEASE help us to serve you better by letting us know in advance how you plan to arrive and what bus you would like to catch.*
Buses, schedules and other road travel options:
Stehekin Valley Ranch 2017 Bus Schedule
The “Red Buses” have once again refused to work with the Ranch for transportation, so we will be running our own bus service for 2017. (If you prefer to ride the Red Bus, they will charge $8/person.) We will be mirroring the Red Bus schedule as much as possible (while staying in front of their dust cloud) because the road is required to be open without delays during those times. Click the link above for the full schedule.
Bicycles and pedestrians will be able to travel through construction zones most of the time unimpeded. Occasionally, foot/bike traffic will be delayed for safety reasons, but generally should be able to get through except during full road closures.
How to stay up to date with construction information:
This project is being run by the Federal Highway Administration, Western Federal Lands Highway Division (WFLHD) in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS). As construction begins, and throughout the project, these entities will be posting updates to keep the public informed as to what to expect. These will be posted once a week, regarding the work expected for the upcoming week.
We (the Ranch) will be posting these updates on our website and Facebook page as we receive them.
Please understand that we will do our best to communicate with our guests as we know more. At this time, we do not have concrete dates for the various stages of construction – dates tend to shift as construction moves forward.
If you have additional questions about how this construction may affect your stay, you may contact our reservation office and we will do our best to help you. However, please understand that we don’t have all the answers, and can only pass on the information we have been given by the contracting agencies.
Some final thoughts…
This ONLY affects road traffic – all trails are open, activities are available, and the Ranch itself will be the same as always – Great Food, Cozy Cabins, and Friendly Staff.
We are excited to get this construction phase completed and look forward to the great improvement it will make for visitor enjoyment of our great valley.
In the meantime, we encourage you to embrace the “Stehekin Time” concept while you are here – slow down, relax, and enjoy your surroundings. A little late is right on time! See you soon!
