Gothic Basin via Weden Creek Trail #724

Our Hiking Time: 7h
Total Ascent: 3700ft
Highest Point: 6000ft
Total Distance: 10.5 miles
Location: N 47° 58.9980, W 121° 27.9240
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass
Difficulty: Hard

Last week we headed out to Barlow Pass and the Monte Cristo trail to explore Gothic Basin, a popular area filled with ice-carved lakes and rocky cliffs. Everything we’d seen and heard about this hike promised a beautiful lunar landscape with big views, meadows and alpine lakes and Gothic Basin did not disappoint.

After gold was discovered in Monte Cristo in 1889, initial efforts to extract minerals from the area were fairly small-scale. Bigger mining syndicates began arriving a few years later, starting in the areas around Del Campo Peak. In 1896, the Del Campo Mining Company began pulling gold, silver and copper out of the area, and that same year, Gothic Peak was named in honor of William Gothic, one of the first prospectors to stake a claim in Gothic Basin. Mining operations continued to expand after the turn of the century, and eventually an elaborate air tramway was constructed to transport ore from Gothic Basin down to the Everett and Monte Cristo Railroad along 7,000ft of cable.

Although prominently signed “Weden,” the creek the trail follows was named for prospector and settler Otis N. Weeden. Thus, the creek and lake that are often labeled “Weden” should actually be Weeden. It is unclear how the creek lost an “e,” though it may have been an intentional effort to remove the reference to Weeden because of his later crimes. On March 30, 1911, Weeden shot three of his neighbors before taking his own life in what was called the Sauk Prairie Massacre. The shootings were the result of a dispute over a small creek that all of the neighbors used for irrigation.

The Weeden Creek Trail #724 begins along the Monte Cristo Road, the former Everett and Monte Cristo Railroad grade. Flat and wide, the grade quickly covers the mile to the trail junction. Once on the path toward Gothic basin, the trail soon narrows and becomes more challenging. The miners and prospectors that cut this trail were interested in getting to their mines as quickly as possible, and the trail wastes little time before tackling the elevation. After a long series of switchbacks through a young forest, the sheltering trees are traded for open views of the river valley and cliffs of exposed rock. As you traverse the mountainside, the trail crosses a number of creeks and waterfalls. The largest is known as King Kong’s Showerbath, which makes for a great spot to take a break to cool off in the summer.

Continue to push up into the basin, where the trees almost completely recede and vast expanses of rock dominate the landscape. As you explore the basin, the trail splits. The short trail to the left descends down to an unnamed lakelet and views down onto Weeden Lake. Head right to continue deeper into Gothic Basin and toward Foggy Lake. There is still some elevation to tackle, pressing up rocky gullies to arrive at the lakeshore. Almost always frozen, Foggy Lake sits beneath the three-pronged Gothic Peak and Del Campo Peak. Clamber around the rocks and find a quiet spot to relax and enjoy the lake.

If you’re up for a little more work, we recommend continuing up the shoulders of Del Campo Peak. Follow the faint trail around the east shore of the lake and soon find yourself next to a small tarn known as Tin Cup Lake. Push up the rough trail to the boulder field at the base of the summit. From here the views are spectacular. A sea of mountaintops spreads out before you. Pick out nearby Sheep Gap Mountain, Silver Tip Peak, Gothic Peak and Crested Butte. The rest of the way up to the summit of Del Campo is somewhat technical, so make sure you’ve got the right experience and gear before attempting a scramble to the top.

This is a challenging hike that is not for everyone, but Gothic Basin is well worth the effort. The area is simply stunning. In the few weeks that Foggy Lake is melted out each year, its icy waters exude a gorgeous deep blue color. There are also a number of truly amazing campsites that offer privacy and choice views. We highly recommend this hike to anyone that is comfortable with the elevation gain along a moderately rough trail. Make sure to do a little research on the conditions in the basin before you go, as the experience is better if the area is melted out.

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, you’ll reach Highway 92 to Granite Falls. Take a right and follow for about nine miles to the Mountain Loop Highway. Take the MLH for 31 miles to Barlow Pass. Park and find the gated Monte Cristo Road on the right side of the road, opposite the trailhead parking lot.

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Tonga Ridge Trail #1058 to Mount Sawyer

Our Hiking Time: 3h 30m
Total Ascent: 1200ft
Highest Point: 5480ft
Total Distance: 5.5 miles
Location: N 47° 40.0080, W 121° 13.4700
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass
Difficulty: Moderate

We recently had a chance check out Tonga Ridge, one of the most popular ridge hikes along Highway 2. With long views and a gentle grade, it’s easy to see why Tonga Ridge attracts so many hikers, and now that we near the end of summer, the trail is likely to see more traffic than usual as huckleberry pickers flock to the slopes of Mt. Sawyer to harvest this year’s crop.

Back around the turn of the last century, mining and timber interests were pulling trees and ore out of the valleys near Skykomish at breakneck speed. Forest fires were among the biggest threats to these industries, as fires would destroy resources, camps, and cut off access to the outside world. The Forest Service responded by building fire lookouts throughout the region in an attempt to find and contain fires before they spread out of control. In the Skykomish Ranger Distinct, there were numerous lookouts including a fire lookout camp on Tonga Ridge throughout the 1920s, likely in response to a fire that seared the trees off Mt. Sawyer in 1914. A ranger named George Sawyer spent his life in the forests of the Skykomish District helping keep watch for those fires, and after his death in 1930, Mt. Sawyer was named in honor of his service.

The Tonga Ridge Trail #1058 begins from the end of Forest Road 6830, gently rolling through a young forest of fir and hemlock. The trail is well-maintained and largely free of rocks and roots and after a short climb begins to open up and offer glimpses of the Foss River and Burn Creek valleys. As you enter the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the trees thin and bracken fern and blue huckleberry begin to crowd the trail. During the spring, wildflowers brighten the trailside, and during the late summer and early fall, the huckleberries ripen and tempt both hikers and wildlife.

The trail continues to amble through meadows and stands of evergreen, gliding over the ups and downs of the ridge without much difficulty. After about two miles you’ll reach a relatively large meadow that older maps mark as Lake Sawyer. Today the small lake is gone, but it still serves as a useful landmark for finding the unmarked trail to the summit of Mt. Sawyer. As you enter the trees just past the onetime-lake, look for a small, steep track heading upwards. After a short scramble, you’ll find yourself on a narrow path switchbacking up the shoulders of the mountain. Although unmaintained and unofficial, the route sees more than enough traffic to keep the trail clear.

Before long the trail delivers you to the wooded summit with broad vistas stretching to the north and south. The bigger views are to the south, where Mt. Daniel and Mt. Hinman steal the show, and Mt. Rainier and the top of Mt. Thompson perch in the distance. To the west, pick out Beckler Peak, Mt. Baring and Mt. Index. Once you’ve had your fill, walk through the trees to see the mountaintops to the north, including Scorpion Mountain, Alpine Baldy, Mt. Fernow and Glacier Peak. Find a good rock and settle to soak up the views. For those looking for a longer day, you can continue past Mt. Sawyer up to Sawyer Pass and follow bootpaths down to Fisher Lake and Ptarmigan Lake beyond.

This is a great all-season trail that we recommend every hiker. Whether you’re looking for a snowshoe, springtime wildflowers, summer berry picking or autumn colors, Tonga Ridge delivers. The trail is also fairly easy and should be approachable for hikers of all ages and experience, which tends to draw in the crowds. You can expect to share the trail with a lot of other folks on this popular hike, and the limited parking at the trailhead can be challenge on a crowded day. If at all possible, try to hit Tonga Ridge on a weekday when traffic will be lighter.

To get there, take Highway 2 out past Skykomish just beyond milepost 50. Take a right onto FR 68, also known as the Foss River Road. Continue for about three-and-a-half miles to a junction, taking a left onto FR 6830 and following it for almost seven miles to the signed 310 spur. Head right onto the spur and drive a little over a mile to the end of the road and the trailhead. -Nathan


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Sunrise Mine Trail #707 to Vesper Peak

Our Hiking Time: 6h 45m
Total Ascent: 3900ft
Highest Point: 6214ft
Total Distance: 6.6 miles
Location: N 48° 0.7800, W 121° 31.0740
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass
Difficulty: Hard


This week we headed out to the Mountain Loop Highway to take on Vesper Peak, one of the many hikes in the area that remain snowbound most of the year. The hike description hinted at stunning views, a lake, and perhaps traces of a mining operation, but cautioned that the route was difficult and a little treacherous. Vesper Peak delivered on both counts – we got our views, but our legs paid for them.

In 1889 gold was discovered around Monte Cristo. With that discovery, Monte Cristo boomed, and prospectors fanned out into nearby valleys and scaled rugged peaks looking for the next mother lode. Among those intrepid prospectors was F.M. Headlee, who is credited with discovering Barlow Pass in 1891. The Headlees were a prominent family in the area during this time. One Headlee filed the plat for the Monte Cristo townsite in 1893, and another spent decades as a Snohomish County public official. In 1897, F.M. Headlee finally found what he was looking for: his name appears on the Sunrise Prospect Mine claim along with T. E. Headlee and G.E. Humes. The mine was located near the head of Vesper Creek, though it is unclear whether this location was ever used for production. Instead, it seems that the Bren Mac Mine in the Sultan River Basin was used to access most of the minerals under Vesper Peak.

The Sunrise Mine Trail #707 begins by threading through a ragged stand of trees, with almost no underbrush. Greenery soon appears as a series of creeks and rivers cut across the rocky trail. The largest and most formidable is the South Fork Stillaguamish River, located about a half-mile down the trail. There are no permanent bridges here, so use caution crossing over rocks and logs, especially during the spring. Once you make it past the water, the trees begin to recede and the work begins. The trail slices through a valley of dense underbrush, switchbacking upwards toward the cliffs above. The narrow trail is more root and rock than earth, with parts of the trail missing where sections have fallen away.

Eventually the trail will plateau, and you will find yourself at the bottom of Wirtz Basin. Talus-filled and likely dotted with snow-fields, the high-walled basin seems like a dead end. Ahead, Morning Star Mountain looms at the head of the basin, and to the left are the heights of Sperry Peak. You will not be able to pick out Headlee Pass until you’re almost upon it, as the narrow break in the cliffs is hidden. Press onward, following the cairns over broad talus fields and winding past small pines and hemlocks. Use caution once you reach the base of the pass, where a series of tight switchbacks leads to the top and much of the trail is loose scree, making it easy to send rocks careening down the mountainside onto hikers below.

After you reach Headlee Pass, you may want to take a moment to poke your head over the rocks to get a taste of views to come. Once you catch your breath, follow the trail for another quarter-mile across boulders and loose rock to Vesper Creek. Here you can follow the creek a short distance up to snowy Lake Elan (sometimes referred to as Headlee Lake or Vesper Lake) or cross and find a few welcoming campsites.

The real prize lies ahead, at the top of Vesper Peak. The trail is not easy, and at times is little more than a scramble, but the rewards are worth the effort to reach the rocky summit. From the top you can pick out dozens of peaks. To the north the reddened slopes of Big Four Mountain loom above Copper Lake. As you turn east, find Mt. Dickerman, Mt. Pugh, Sloan Peak and Glacier Peak. Sperry Peak is right next door, while Morning Star Mountain and Del Campo Peak are further east. As you swing south, pick out Mt. Stuart and Mt. Rainier. Continue to the west and find Little Chief Peak, Whitehorse Mountain and the Three Fingers as you complete your 360-degree turn. There are too many peaks to name. Settle in for a well-deserved break and see how many mountains you recognize.

This hike is not for everyone. It is difficult, scaling over 4000ft in a little over three miles on rough trail. Some route finding skills are occasionally required, depending on how snow covered the trail is, and above Vesper Creek you can expect to encounter snow all year. With those caveats, we recommend this hike for strong hikers looking for a challenge. And, because it is difficult, there is a bit less traffic on the trail, so you can expect to enjoy the views in relative solace.

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, you’ll reach Highway 92 to Granite Falls. Take a right and follow for about nine miles to the Mountain Loop Highway. Take the MLH for almost 29 miles to the Sunrise Mine Road No. 4065 on your right. Follow the gravel road just under two-and-a-half miles to the end of the road and trailhead. –Nathan

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