About one-third of Stehekin residents have been isolated from town since devastating flooding in December 2025.
CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. — One of Washington’s most remote places will see a new crucial piece of infrastructure, following two major natural disasters in two years that nearly wiped out the town.
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) received verbal commitment on Wednesday from the federal Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum for funding to build a new road in Stehekin after historic flooding in December 2025 destroyed one of the few streets in the town.
Located at the north end of Lake Chelan in the North Cascades, Stehekin is one of the most isolated places in the lower 48 states. There are no roads in and out of the town – it is only accessible on foot, or by ferry. Only about 80 people live there year-round.
“We get that it’s a very remote part of our state, but nonetheless, it is part of a giant recreational ecosystem that is almost like a crown jewel within the Cascades,” said Cantwell in the session with Burgum.
Massive flooding in December 2025, exacerbated by destabilized sediment on the mountain hillsides from the 2024 Pioneer Fire, destroyed several pieces of essential infrastructure in the town. A newly-constructed wastewater treatment plant and a boat landing were leveled, and parts of the Stehekin Valley Road and Company Creek Road were destroyed.
Company Creek Road is the only paved path that connects the town over the Stehekin River, via the Harlequin Bridge. Residents rely on road access to the eastern side of town to reach facilities like a local organic garden, post office, National Parks Service center, school, and dock, where the delivery barge drops off supplies.
Since December, the road has been washed out, stranding about one third of Stehekin’s residents. In April, the National Parks Service and the Army Corps of Engineers began construction of a temporary road to reconnect the other side of town.
Burgum committed to establishing a permanent solution to the roadway issues, as well as a floodwater mitigation plan for Stehekin residents.
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