Iron Goat Trail #1074

Highlights: Mountain views, forest,

Distance: 7.8 miles one-way

Beginning Elevation : 2300 feet

Ending Elevation: 3100 feet

Difficulty level: Easy

Map(s): Green Trails #176

Visitor Use: Heavy

SUMMARY:Both trailheads of the Iron Goat Trail offer accessible restroom facilities, informational kiosks, and sign in boards. On the Iron Goat Trail, you will enjoy beautiful views of surrounding mountains, educational interpretive signs and comfortable trailside benches.

Guided wildflower hikes are offered in season, as well as nature walks and a special railroad history and archeology hike in October. The trail follows the abandoned Great Northern Railway grade with easy grades of generally 2%, however, steeper pitches of up to 12% for short distances are encountered on some approaches to small bridges. Different hiking options are available at each trailhead to accommodate hikers of all abilities

At the Wellington trailhead, you can take an easy/moderate half-mile round-trip hike to the west portal of the first Cascade Tunnel and back to the trailhead on a 5-foot wide trail that is barrier-free and suitable for wheelchairs (maximum grade of 12% for 30 feet).

You can also take a half-mile round-trip hike to the site of the Wellington avalanche disaster and back uphill to the trailhead on the wide, barrier-free trail or you can go for a more difficult 6-mile round-trip hike downhill at a 2.2% grade to the east portal of the Windy Point Tunnel and uphill back to the trailhead. The trail narrows to a minimum of 3 feet but is barrier-free and suitable for wheelchairs at a moderate level.

From the Martin Creek trailhead, you can go on a 2.4-mile, round-trip hike along the lower grade to the Twin Tunnels and back to the trailhead. Most of the trail is 2%, but some pitches are up to 10% for 35 feet. This trail is also 5-feet wide barrier-free and suitable for wheelchairs.

Visit the www.irongoat.org for more information on these and other guided hikes as well as the schedule for volunteer work-parties.

TRAILHEAD ACCESS:Access from Martin Creek Trailhead

Drive State Route 2 to milepost 55. Turn north onto the Old Cascade Highway, U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Road #67. Drive approximately 2.3 miles to the junction with USFS Road #6710. Turn onto #6710 and continue for 1.4 miles to the parking lot.

Access from Wellington Trailhead

Drive State Route 2 to milepost 64.4, just west of Stevens Pass and turn north on the Old Stevens Pass Highway. (If you are coming from the Puget Sound area, you should proceed east to Stevens Pass because of limited sight distance and turn around at the crest of the hill where visibility is optimum. Then return westbound to Milepost 64.4). Continue on Old Stevens Pass Highway for 2.8 miles until you reach the junction with USFS Road #050 and turn right. This will take you to the parking lot and trailhead.

Northwest Forest Pass required to park: Yes

TRAILGUIDE

Best Seasons: Summer/Fall

AREA

US2 Skykomish River Stevens Pass

RANGER STATION (NEAREST)

Skykomish Ranger Station

TRAIL REVIEW submit your review

Notice: Hiking in the backcountry can be dangerous. Information on this website comes from a variety of sources. You have to be responsible for using good common sense and researching trails carefully. Things change constantly in the outdoors.

Use caution while hiking so you can enjoy it safely. Don't get in over your head. A call to the ranger station and avalanche hotline(winter) are highly recommended. Bring the ten essentials and make sure someone knows where you are going and expect to be back.