Iron Goat Trail #1074

Our Hiking Time: 4h 15m
Total Ascent: 700ft
Highest Point: 2800ft
Total Distance: 6 miles
Location: N 47° 42.6840, W 121° 42.6840
Difficulty: Moderate



Some days are meant for snowshoeing: cold and crisp, with just enough sun to give the snow an extra sparkle. Finding ourselves facing a perfect day for strapping on our snowshoes, we packed up to explore a section of reclaimed railroad grade known as the Iron Goat Trail.

In 1893, the former Great Northern Railway finally connected Seattle to Chicago and the Midwest. Constructing a route over Stevens Pass was no easy feat, requiring a series of switchbacks and tunnels to navigate the steep grade. After the route was complete, the railroad still needed to contend with heavy annual snows that often delayed trains for days. Over time, even more tunnels and snowsheds were built to lessen the impact of the snow, yet winters continued to plague the railway. On March 1, 1910, a massive avalanche tumbled down Windy Mountain toward Wellington Station and two snowbound trains full of passengers waiting for plows to clear snow from the tracks. The snow swept the trains down into the Tye Creek basin, killing nearly a hundred people – one of the worst railroad accidents in the US. The railroad reacted to the disaster by building more snowsheds for a few years before eventually admitting defeat and blasting miles of tunnel under Stevens Pass, bypassing and abandoning the higher route.

Officially completed in 2007, the Iron Goat Trail follows portions of that abandoned route, allowing hikers to peek into tunnels, visit former townsites, and explore some of the history of the area. We took a central approach, beginning at the Scenic Trailhead and the Iron Goat Interpretive Site. Almost immediately, you have the choice of following the grade out toward the workcamp site known as Cornea or taking the Windy Point Cutoff to the upper grade. The Cutoff trail is only about a mile, but be warned that the trail is very new, very steep, and difficult to navigate with snowshoes. If you’re snowshoeing, we recommend you skip the cutoff and dive into the trail.

Although the roar of Highway 2 never fully recedes, the forest is welcoming and pleasant. Volunteers have put an incredible amount of effort into adding signs and information to explain the remaining vestiges of the railroad. You’ll quickly encounter impressive concrete retaining walls built to anchor snowsheds to the mountainside and replicas of mileposts marking your distance from St. Paul, Minnesota. Crumbling tunnels yawn invitingly along the route, necessitating more than a few side trips to peer cautiously into the darkness.

With nine miles of trail and three different trailheads, the Iron Goat Trail has more than enough to explore. The trail between Martin Creek Trailhead and Scenic Trailhead is ADA accessible and stroller friendly in the summer months, and is an easy snowshoe in the winter. If you want a little extra, take a cutoff trail up to the Embro workcamp or out to Windy Point. The trail doesn’t have the remoteness and hushed silence that some of us associate with snowshoeing, but it is perfect for a last minute destination or a first-time snowshoe.

To get there, take US 2 out just past milepost 58 and look for the Iron Goat Interpretative Site on the left. Northwest Forest Pass required. -Nathan



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Lime Kiln Trail

Our Hiking Time: 3h 10m
Total Ascent: 500ft
Highest Point: 750ft
Total Distance: 7 miles
Location: N 48° 6.1680, W 121° 54.9480
Difficulty: Easy



Waking to find the day overcast and already starting to drizzle, we headed out for a short hike through Robe Canyon Park near Granite Falls. We’d heard about the 6-year-old trail through an area steeped in history and a rainy day was a perfect time to explore it. We packed up our rain gear and set out for the Lime Kiln Trail.

Opened in 2004 after years of work by volunteers, much of the Lime Kiln Trail hugs the South Fork Stillaguamish River, following the Everett & Monte Cristo Railway grade. Back in 1892, the railroad owners sought to keep construction costs down by ramming a rail line above the Stillaguamish, rather than follow a more expensive route proposed by surveyors that considered the Robe Valley unstable. The decision proved costly – flood damage required annual repairs, sometimes severe enough to destroy bridges and collapse tunnels. The railway doggedly pulled minerals and timber out of the area for 40 years, before finally ceasing regular service in 1932. In 1936, the rails were pulled up to make way for the Mountain Loop Highway.

Remnants of the railway still litter Robe Canyon, though nothing is quite as impressive as the lime kiln. Used to produce quicklime by heating limestone to high temperatures, the 20’ structure was a continuous kiln, fed from the top. The quicklime made here was shipped to Everett to make the plaster and mortar. Saw blades and artifacts aplenty can be found nearby, a testament to the fledgling community of Cut-Off Junction the kiln and railroad supported.

From the trailhead, the route snakes through second-growth Douglas Fir onto a logging road. The road is still in use and privately owned, but after three-quarters of a mile through managed forest, you are plunged back into the park and onto wilder trail. Pass marshy Hubbard Lake, and follow the trail down into the valley, arriving on the grade high above the river. The forest feels more remote and untamed here. The thick, mossy-heavy undergrowth occasionally encroaches on the trail, while endless streamlets constantly trickle across the path. Soon, artifacts will appear – buckets, dishes, equipment and unidentifiable rusting metal – leading like breadcrumbs to the lime kiln. Beyond the kiln, nearly a mile of trail awaits. Follow the path out to a small sandy beach, or climb up to a massive cement foundation – all that remains of the bridge that once spanned the river.

Although the Lime Kiln Trail is a little light on sprawling vistas and pristine alpine lakes, the Robe Valley lends an air of ruggedness, and feels more remote than it is. The trail is somewhat popular, so expect some company year-round, but at about seven miles round-trip and 500’ of elevation, this little hike is a good winter hiking option. And, with a fairly mild grade and lots artifacts to play with, the Lime Kiln Trail could be perfect for a young family out for a hike.

To get there, take I-5 North to Exit 194. Follow Highway 2 for about two miles. Stay in the left lane and merge onto Lake Stevens Highway 204. Follow for two miles to Highway 9. Take the left onto Highway 9 toward Lake Stevens. In just under two miles, reach Highway 92 to Granite Falls. Take a right and follow for about eight miles to a four-way stop in Granite Falls. Take a right onto Granite Ave, and in three blocks a left onto Pioneer St. Continue for a little over a mile as the road changes to Menzel Lake Rd, and veer left onto Waite Mill Rd. Continue for a half mile to the school bus turnaround, and take the left branching gravel road to the trailhead. - Nathan



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