HOLDEN VILLAGE, Chelan County — “Don’t go beyond the trees.”
The instructions from backcountry skier Dave Moskowitz could not have been more succinct.
No need to worry. I wasn’t about to wander too far in wet snow a thousand feet above Holden Village, a historic Lutheran-run retreat center in the North Cascades.
A sleeping monster waited on the snow-laden route to Copper Basin. I followed the lines Moskowitz and fellow Methow Valley skier Cal Waichler blazed through the forest toward the edge of a slide path, where the potential for avalanche activity was high.
It took an hour to snowshoe a mere 900 feet because the snow got deeper the higher I climbed. I had to post-hole to reach the tree line in the breathtaking wilderness.
Holden Village affords such opportunities year-round. I knew little about the remote locale before Moskowitz invited me to join him and Waichler last month to observe their wildlife conservation work in the North Cascades.
Stehekin, northeast of Holden in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, is known as the way station for Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) hikers en route to Canada.
The historic mining town of Holden isn’t as well known. It’s also a different scene from Stehekin for those who want to enjoy the wilderness without trekking to the border.
Nordic skiers visit in winter to traipse across whitened trails out of the village and into the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Experienced skiers like Moskowitz and Waichler attach grippy skins to their state-of-the-art equipment to break trails over virgin snow.
The angular slopes are no place for novices, though. Only those with avalanche expertise and gear that includes beacons, snow probes and shovels should test the untamed terrain.
While huffing my way toward Copper Basin under the colorless sky, I had to blink to imagine what the trail system looked like in summer. Village volunteers gushed about the diversity of destinations, from short waterfall hikes to overnighters to high-country alpine lakes.
“Every trail is worth it,” said Holden’s Nathan McClure, who has hiked 600 miles in the year he has lived there.
Holden is 11 rigorous miles off the PCT, though few stop there. That changed in 2023 when about 100 thru-hikers detoured to the village because wildfires in Glacier Peak Wilderness forced officials to close a 50-mile stretch of trail.
“They’d say, ‘What is this place?’” said Stacy Kitahata, a co-executive director of Holden.
One of those who came to Holden was Belgian ultrarunner Karel Sabbe, who shattered the PCT speed record despite the detour. Sabbe hiked an average of 58 miles per day for 46 consecutive days.
One of his support team members told the Holden staff, “This is the best food I’ve had in the United States.”
Kitahata gave a hearty laugh in recounting the exchange. “Well, I don’t know about that,” she said. But Holden must seem surreal to trail hounds. Hikers can take showers and do laundry, and get low-priced meals (mostly vegetarian) in the dining hall.
The Lutheran church restored the settlement in 1961 after securing ownership from Howe Sound Mining Company, which abandoned the place four years earlier when the price of copper plunged.
The company gave the Lutheran Bible Institute (now Trinity Lutheran College) the property on condition it sent a statement saying it received a $100,000 gift, according to the book, “Surprising Gift, The Story of Holden Village, Church Renewal Center.”
The church took over a derelict village that once served 600 miners. The Lutherans inherited a dining hall and recreation center with bowling lanes and a basketball court, chalets for mine managers and dormitories for single workers.
About 40 volunteers preserved as many of the structures as they could.
The village operates as a nonprofit townsite in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest under a special government-use permit.
In many ways, Holden is a retreat to another era. Visitors leave the “Down Lake” world behind in the land of no cell service — and no roads to get there.
Most visitors arrive by the ferry that serves Stehekin. Then it’s another 45 minutes up a bumpy mining road to the center. The villagers shuttle guests, workers and supplies to the settlement in an old yellow school bus nicknamed, “Honey.”
Holden also represents a piece of Washington’s industrial development. Mining began in earnest in 1937, some four decades after James Holden discovered copper ore in the area. Prospectors like Holden had combed the North Cascades for mineral deposits after the famed Monte Cristo mine extracted $7 million in gold and silver about 30 miles to the west.
Holden’s find produced one of the country’s biggest copper mines long after he died. Part of the mining legacy includes the environmental mess left behind in one of Washington’s most beautiful settings.
Toxic minerals contaminated Railroad Creek, a major tributary flowing through Holden on its way to Lake Chelan. It feels strange to stand among such head-spinning beauty in what had been a Superfund site.
The forest service charged global mining company Rio Tinto with a major remediation project from 2012–16. Near the end of the cleanup, the village survived the 2015 Wolverine Fire that led to the evacuation of most workers.
Holden residents now embrace the role of stewards of their fragile home.
“We’re at the place where you can see the exploitation of our natural resources,” Kitahata said. “We’re living it every single day of our lives, and we’re testing our water. We’re committed to the return of fish, foliage, beavers and other creatures.”
Kitahata said such beliefs coincide with Holden’s Christian ideals that emphasize inclusivity. The retreat offers a diverse summer speaker series, a solitary place to create art and a gateway to picturesque pinnacles and lakes not easily accessible from the north or west. A staff of 65 volunteers maintains the retreat, which attracts about 6,000 visitors annually.
The sun burst out on the morning we left, offering a glimpse of the craggy summits towering over the valley, including 9,511-foot Bonanza Peak, the Cascades’ tallest non-volcanic mountain.
The shimmering light did it. I knew I had to return for summer hiking despite a long drive from Bellingham.
Sometimes, it takes a lot of effort to reach the perfect getaway.
If you go
The drive: It takes 4–5.5 hours from Bellingham to reach the ferry dock at Fields Point Landing. Take U.S. 2 or the longer State Route 20 (closed in the winter).
Accommodations: Rooms at Holden Village are $105 per night for adults for stays one to six days and $90 per night for longer visits. From June 23 to Aug. 17, the price is $137/$118. Make reservations on the retreat’s website.
The night before taking the ferry: The church-run Holden B&B at Fields Point is 3 miles from the ferry dock. Simple, clean rooms with shared bathrooms and use of a kitchen for $80 per night during peak season and $50 per night off season. Some people use it as their base for ventures instead of visiting Holden Village. Reservations are available online.
Those taking the ferry from Chelan have more options.
Ferry: Lake Chelan Boat Company runs three shuttles to Lucerne. It can take 1.5–4 hours depending on which service. Costs range from $25 to $50 one way. For information: call 509-682-4584 or visit the website.
Overnight parking: $9 per day at Fields Point and $11 per day at Chelan.
Hiking: For more information on Holden’s services visit its hiking services page.
Elliott Almond's outdoor column appears monthly. Email: elliottalmond4@gmail.com.
