Icicle Creek is a stream in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Washington. It originates at Josephine Lake near the crest of the Cascade Range

Cascade Range

The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...

 and flows generally west to join the Wenatchee River

Wenatchee River

The Wenatchee River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, originating at Lake Wenatchee and flowing southeast for , emptying into the Columbia River immediately north of Wenatchee, Washington...

 near Leavenworth

Leavenworth, Washington

Leavenworth is a city in Chelan County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,965 at the 2010 census. The entire town center is modelled on a Bavarian village.-History:...

. Icicle Creek's drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 is mountainous and mostly undeveloped land within the Wenatchee National Forest

Wenatchee National Forest

Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 1,735,394 acres , it extends about 137 miles along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range of Washington, USA from Okanogan National Forest to Gifford Pinchot National Forest...

 and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Alpine Lakes Wilderness

The Alpine Lakes Wilderness is a large wilderness area spanning the Cascade Range of Washington state in the United States. The wilderness is located in parts of Wenatchee National Forest and Snoqualmie National Forest, and is approximately bounded by Interstate 90 and Snoqualmie Pass to the south...

. The final six miles of the creek are moderately developed with scattered homes and pasture, a golf course, children's camp, a small housing development called Icicle Island Club, and the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. Some water is diverted from the creek for municipal use by the City of Leavenworth at Icicle Creek river mile

River mile

In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer...

 5.6.

Icicle Creek's name comes from the Indian word na-sik-elt, meaning narrow canyon. According to Albert H. Sylvester, topographer and Forest Service surveyor for many years, "Place the letter n at the beginning of icicle and the letter t at its end, and you practically have the Indian word."

Course

Icicle Creek begins as the outlet of Josephine Lake, less than a mile from the crest of the Cascade Range and the headwaters of Tunnel Creek, a tributary of the west-flowing Skykomish River

Skykomish River

The Skykomish River is a Washington river which drains the west side of the Cascade Mountains in the southeast section of Snohomish County and the northeast corner of King County. The river starts with the confluence of the North Fork Skykomish River and South Fork Skykomish River approximately one...

. Stevens Pass

Stevens Pass

Stevens Pass is a mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains located at the border of King County and Chelan County in Washington, United States....

 is a few miles north of the lake. The Pacific Crest Trail

Pacific Crest Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...

 passes along the lake's western side. Josephine Lake's altitude is 4681 feet (1,426.8 m). Icicle Creek flows south from the lake through a deep and narrow valley. After a few miles it turns southwest and its valley takes on a classic glacier-carved U-shape. Icicle Creek begins to turn more directly south near river mile 22, just after Spanish Camp Creek joins from the northeast. Spanish Camp Creek and its headwater tributaries drain the high alpine western side of Icicle Ridge from Grindstone Mountain to Cape Horn and Ladies Pass.

Shortly below the Spanish Camp Creek confluence Icicle Creek is joined by French Creek from the west. French Creek is one of the main tributaries of Icicle Creek. It flows for miles through a deep U-shaped valley. Its many tributaries drain a number peaks and ridges along the crest of the Wenatchee Mountains

Wenatchee Mountains

The Wenatchee Mountains are a range of mountains in central Washington State, United States of America. A major subrange of the Cascade Range, extending east from the Cascade crest, the Wenatchee Mountains separate the drainage basins of the Yakima River from the Wenatchee River...

, including Granite Mountain, The Cradle, and Highchair Mountain. Near the end of French Creek's valley is Paddy-Go-Easy Pass, which leads to the Cle Elum River

Cle Elum River

The Cle Elum River is a tributary of the Yakima River, approximately 28 miles long in the U.S. state of Washington.The river originates in the Cascade Range near Mount Daniel and flows generally south, through Hyas Lake. The river is joined by many tributary streams including Waptus River and...

 valley. Below the French Creek confluence Icicle Creek leaves the Alpine Lake Wilderness and is soon after joined from the south by Black Pine Creek, which enters Icicle Creek river mile 20. Black Pine Campground is located near the confluence. Boggy Creek joins from the north near the Rock Island Campground. About a mile below that Icicle Creek is joined from the south by Jack Creek, another major tributary. Like French Creek, Jack Creek flows through a long, deep U-shaped valley, draining a portion of the crest of the Wenatchee Mountains. Jack Creek originates in several headwater streams draining a high alpine region near Stuart Pass, Ingalls Peak, and Mount Stuart

Mount Stuart

Mount Stuart is a mountain in the Cascade Range, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the second highest non-volcanic peak in the state, after Bonanza Peak and tenth-highest overall...

.
Below Jack Creek Icicle Creek is joined from the north by Chatter Creek. Chatter Creek Campground is located on the north side of Icicle Creek near the mouth of Chatter Creek. Several tributaries join below Chatter Creek, such as Hoxsey, Bob, Doctor, Ida, Big Slide, Jay, Johnny, and Victoria creeks. Ida Creek joins at the Ida Creek Campground. Ida Creek joins at Ida Creek Campground and Johnny Creek joins at Johnny Creek Campground. A number of small streams join below Victoria Creek, such as Fourth of July Creek. Bridge Creek joins from the north at Bridge Creek Campground.

At river mile 8 Icicle Creek is joined by Eightmile Creek, a larger tributary. Eightmile Creek and its tributaries Mountaineer Creek and Pioneer Creek drain a large area to the southwest, reaching to the crest of the Wenatchee Mountains. There are a number of lakes in the Eightmile Creek basin, including Eightmile Lake, Lake Caroline, Colchuck Lake, Lake Stuart, Jack Lake, and Horseshoe Lake. Major mountains drained include Mount Stuart, Sherpa Peak, Argonaut Peak

Argonaut Peak

Argonaut Peak is a tall mountain in the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Washington. Part of the Stuart Range part of the Wenatchee subrange of the Cascades, it is within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the Wenatchee National Forest and part of the region known as The Enchantments. At in...

, Colchuck Peak, and Dragontail Peak

Dragontail Peak

Dragontail Peak, also known as Dragon Tail, is a mountain in the Stuart Range, in Chelan County, Washington. While climbing an adjacent peak, Lex Maxwell, Bob McCall, and Bill Prater remarked that the needles on the crest, southwest of the summit, resembled a "dragon tail". The name was officially...

. These peaks are among the highest in the Wenatchee Mountains. Mount Stuart is the highest non-volcanic peak in Washington. These high mountains are known as the Stuart Range

Stuart Range

The Stuart Range is a mountain range in central Washington, USA. The range lies within the eastern extent of the Cascade Range immediately southwest of Leavenworth and runs east-west. The western peaks make up a single sharp ridge. The eastern half of the range splits into two parallel ridges,...

. The range contains a number of glaciers, notably Colchuck Glacier, Sherpa Glacier, and Stuart Glacier. Eightmile Campground is located on Icicle Creek just below the mouth of Eightmile Creek.

Below Eightmile Creek Icicle Creek is joined from the south by Rat Creek, which flows from the northern slopes of Cannon Mountain, Enchantment Peaks, Prusik Peak, and The Temple. There are numerous mountain lakes in this region. Just above river mile 5 Icicle Creek is joined from the south by Snow Creek, a notable tributary. Snow Creek flows from the heart of The Enchantments

The Enchantments

The Enchantments is an area comprising an upper and a lower basin, the lakes and tarns contained within them, and the peaks of the Stuart Range bounding the basins. The area is located entirely within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness about southwest of Leavenworth, Washington in the United States...

region of high alpine lakes between Enchantment Peaks and the Stuart Range.

Below Snow Creek Icicle Creek exits the Wenatchee National Forest and enters a semi-developed area near Leavenworth. Its valley broadens and the creek meanders widely. It passes the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery and a number of scattered houses before emptying into the Wenatchee River about a mile south of Leavenworth.

Natural history

According to the Washington State Department of Ecology the water quality of Icicle Creek is good and has "met or exceeded expectations and is of lowest concern."

Tributaries

From down to upstream, hierarchically listed, not exhaustive:

• Snow Creek
  • Toketie Creek
• Rat Creek
• Lion Creek
• Eightmile Creek
  • Mountaineer Creek
  • Pioneer Creek
• Bridge Creek
• Fourth of July Creek
• Mac Creek
• Victoria Creek
• Johnny Creek
• Jay Creek
• Big Slide Creek
• Ida Creek
• Doctor Creek
• Bob Creek
• Hoxsey Creek
• Chatter Creek
• Trout Creek
• Jack Creek
  • Meadow Creek
  • Van Epps Creek
• Boggy Creek
• Grindstone Creek
• Black Pine Creek
• French Creek
  • Snowall Creek
• Spanish Camp Creek
• Frosty Creek
• Doughgod Creek
• Cuitin Creek
• Leland Creek
  • Prospect Creek
• Chain Creek
• Trapper Creek
  • Basin Creek