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      Ride through a stunning canyon and back along a high ridgeline in the high desert of Washington's Okanogan Region. Catch uninterrupted views of the sawtooth North Cascades Range and the Methow Valley as well as abundant wildlife and wildflowers.

      The Methow Valley in north-central Washington is magical for myriad reasons—the dry powder and bluebird days of winter, the hot high-desert days of summer, stunning views of the North Cascades Mountains to the west; the list goes on and on. Adding to its mystique is the little-known Pipestone Canyon, carved out the hills north of the town of Winthrop.

      The trailhead sits just past a wide-open area commonly used as a hunting camp during deer and elk season alongside Lake Campbell. The trail beelines into the canyon through a large section of burned-out Ponderosa Pines, while hoodoo-like columns (the namesake “pipestones”) ornament the canyon walls overhead like castle ramparts. After a good rain, this trail gets extremely muddy and, as it’s often very overgrown, the wetness from the brush will soak your legs through pretty quickly.

      After the first mile, the forest thins out and the trail opens into a broad grassy meadow, hemmed in by rotten rock rising up on the hillsides to both sides. Watch out for Rattlesnakes among the log piles and rock outcroppings throughout the entire hike. Rusting, abandoned farming equipment can be found scattered along the trail throughout the valley, which continues to open up ahead. Shortly before reaching a cattle fence around three miles in, a narrow booth path rises up to the left of the main trail, beginning a wide loop up through the hills to the east of the main canyon, then cutting back north, climbing towards the upper canyon rim.

      From the top of the rim, sweeping vistas emerge including much of the North Cascades Range and its dramatic, jagged peaks, and the fertile Methow Valley sprawling to the southeast. Golden Eagles nest in the canyon walls and can often be seen circling the valley on thermals while the occasional coyote may be spotted loping along in search of food to scavenge.

      The rim portion of the trail hugs the cliff edge rather closely, allowing for pretty impressive views of the pipestones from up close. This section of trail is completely wide-open as well, meaning the vistas are endless. Eventually the trail drops down towards Lake Campbell but unfortunately there’s no good crossing through the marshy basin. Continue along until it meets the road back at the hunter’s camp and backtrack about a mile to your car at the trailhead.

      Be sure to hit up Old Schoolhouse Brewery once back in town for tasty nachos and one of their award-winning craft beers.
      Parking google parking directions
      Activities Click to view
      Region Details
      • 9
      • 5
      • 3
      • 1

      Region Status
      Caution as of Jun 29, 2025
      Local Trail Association

      Stats

      Avg Trail Rating
      Trails (view details)
      19
      Trails Mountain Bike
      18
      Trails E-Bike
      8
      Trails Hike
      18
      Trails Trail Running
      18
      Trails Dirtbike/Moto
      6
      Total Distance
      53 miles
      Total Descent Distance
      23 miles
      Total Descent
      9,863 ft
      Total Vertical
      4,620 ft
      Highest Trailhead
      6,817 ft
      Reports
      43
      Photos
      33
      Ridden Counter
      746

      Photos of Pipestone Canyon Mountain Bike

      88 |
      Aug 1, 2022 @ 11:21am
      Aug 1, 2022
      106 |
      Aug 1, 2022 @ 11:21am
      Aug 1, 2022
      88 |
      Aug 1, 2022 @ 11:21am
      Aug 1, 2022
      299 |
      May 19, 2019 @ 1:29pm
      May 19, 2019
      332 |
      May 19, 2019 @ 1:29pm
      May 19, 2019
      376 |
      May 19, 2019 @ 1:29pm
      May 19, 2019
      302 |
      May 19, 2019 @ 1:29pm
      May 19, 2019
      330 |
      May 19, 2019 @ 1:29pm
      May 19, 2019

      Current Trail Warnings

      statustraildateconditionuserinfo
      Ronja, The Robbers Daughter
      Jun 29, 2025 @ 1:16pm
      Jun 29, 2025
      DryalwayshardtailThere is no trail here. Don’t be...
      Golden Eagle
      Jun 29, 2025 @ 1:07pm
      Jun 29, 2025
      DryalwayshardtailWashed out, steep, loose, and so...
      The Other Daughter
      Jun 29, 2025 @ 12:46pm
      Jun 29, 2025
      UnknownalwayshardtailTrail does not exist .

      Recent Trail Reports

      statustraildateconditioninfouser
      Pipestone Rim Trail
      May 16, 2025 @ 10:45am
      May 16, 2025
      Very DryLoose, dry, sandy, wildly overgrown. One...marebearrr
      Pipestone Canyon Valley Trail
      May 16, 2025 @ 10:45am
      May 16, 2025
      DryDry but finemarebearrr
      Campbell Lake Road
      May 16, 2025 @ 10:45am
      May 16, 2025
      Idealmarebearrr
      Nexus
      May 15, 2025 @ 4:37pm
      May 15, 2025
      WetSoggy spotsmarebearrr
      Lester Road
      Oct 21, 2024 @ 12:57pm
      Oct 21, 2024
      Idealmtngonzo
      Upper Beaver Creek Road
      Oct 21, 2024 @ 12:57pm
      Oct 21, 2024
      Idealmtngonzo
      Golden Stairway Tr
      Sep 19, 2024 @ 5:01pm
      Sep 19, 2024
      VariableHike a bike up from Blue Buck is steep,...uberstein
      Bowen Traverse
      May 15, 2024 @ 2:41am
      May 15, 2024
      DryGreat trail conditions.Mrector

      Activity Feed

      usernameactiontypetitledate
      alwayshardtailcommentrouteactivity #74846614
      Jun 29, 2025 @ 1:24pm
      Jun 29, 2025
      alwayshardtailaddreportactivity #74843036 and 3 more
      Jun 29, 2025 @ 12:44pm
      Jun 29, 2025
      alwayshardtailwishlistrouteactivity #74785583
      Jun 28, 2025 @ 9:35pm
      Jun 28, 2025
      Ambarstvoterouteactivity #72896704
      Jun 1, 2025 @ 2:42pm
      Jun 1, 2025
      Ambarstcommentrouteactivity #72896683
      Jun 1, 2025 @ 2:42pm
      Jun 1, 2025

      Recent Comments

      usernametypetitlecommentdate
      marebearrrtrailPipestone Rim TrailEverything everyone else already said....
      May 17, 2025 @ 4:26pm
      May 17, 2025
      MachaggistrailUnknownHad to work out this from golden eagle after...
      Jun 7, 2023 @ 1:42pm
      Jun 7, 2023
      katdwtrailGolden Stairway TrDisregard my question @ BB. I rode an unnamed...
      Oct 12, 2022 @ 6:29am
      Oct 12, 2022
      katdwtrailGolden Stairway TrDid you take this trail and link it up all the...
      Oct 11, 2022 @ 6:29pm
      Oct 11, 2022
      Dunc435trailPipestone Canyon Valley TrailDouble track green, very mellow.
      Oct 11, 2022 @ 2:26pm
      Oct 11, 2022

      Nearby Areas

      namedistance
      Loup Loup/North Summit 2 10 14.6 km
      Liberty Bell School Campus 15.2 km
      Pearrygin Lake State Park 1 15.7 km
      Lookout Mountain 1 19.5 km
      Sun Mountain 12 9 39.6 km

      Local Badges


      Activity Type Stats

      activitytypetrailsdistancedescentdescent distancetotal verticalratingglobal rankstate rankphotosreportsroutesridelogs
      Mountain Bike1847 miles8,077 ft20 miles4,619 ft
      #7,199#3,07432432335
      E-Bike831 miles4,820 ft10 miles4,619 ft
      16118
      Hike1851 miles9,731 ft23 miles4,619 ft
      #5,797#2,73913780
      Trail Running1851 miles9,731 ft23 miles4,619 ft
      #5,791#2,7333729
      Dirtbike/Moto628 miles4,495 ft9 miles4,619 ft
      33

      Downloading of trail gps tracks in kml & gpx formats is enabled for Pipestone Canyon.
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