Monte Cristo Ghost Town

Our Hiking Time: 4h 15m
Total Ascent: 600ft
Highest Point: 2900ft
Total Distance: 9.5 miles
Location: N 47° 59.1180, W 121° 23.5620
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass
Difficulty: Easy

As Halloween approaches, a lot of folks start thinking about ghosts, goblins and haunted houses. While we’ve yet to find a hike out to a haunted house, we do occasionally get the chance to visit a ghost town. Recently we trekked out to Monte Cristo, one of Washington’s most famous ghost towns and the site of the state’s biggest gold rush.

In 1889 an prospector named Joe L. Pearsall was living in Mineral City looking to strike it rich. As the snows receded, he climbed nearby Hubbart Peak to survey the area, and saw something metallic shining in the afternoon sun. Pearsall gathered a few samples and had his partner Frank Peabody take them to Seattle for analysis. Testing indicated silver and gold. On July 4, 1889, Pearsall and Peabody staked the first claim in the area, calling it the Independence of 1776 in honor of the holiday. Today it’s referred to as ’76 Gulch.

News traveled quickly. Claims multiplied and dozens of mines were opened. Peabody is credited with commenting that the minerals in the area would make them “as rich as the Count of Monte Cristo” and so the burgeoning town took up the name, hoping to attract more investors to help finance the operation. The Everett and Monte Cristo Railroad was built in 1893 to transport ore to smelters in Everett, and made the town more accessible to the outside world. The scale of the mining operations increased exponentially, and soon a complex system of cable-bucket aerial tramways was built, allowing miners to send 230 tons of ore swinging down steep mountainsides every day for processing in Monte Cristo’s concentrators.

By 1907, over 300,000 tons of copper, gold, silver and zinc were pulled out of the mines, worth millions of dollars. But the cost of operating the mines and keeping the railroad running was digging into profits and many of the miners had moved on to find their fortunes in Alaska. A market collapse in 1907 put an end to mining in Monte Cristo, and attempts to revive the industry failed. In 1936 the railroad, which had long suffered washouts from seasonal flooding, was removed and Monte Cristo became something of a ghost town.

Still, attempts were made to attract tourists, using the old Royal Hotel and other remaining structures. After World War II, interest picked up and Monte Cristo saw hundreds of visitors on summer weekends, all driving down a county road built on the old railroad bed. In 1980 a flood washed out the bridge over the South Fork Sauk River and it was never repaired. The lodge burned down in 1983 and the U.S. Forest Service gained control of most of Monte Cristo in 1994. Today, the Monte Cristo Preservation Society helps to maintain and highlight the history of the former mining town. The area also serves as a gateway to number of trails in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness.

The hike begins at Barlow Pass, following the same railroad grade that has been in use since 1893. Flat and wide, the graveled road is an easy stroll along the South Fork Sauk River. Occasional openings in the trees reveal glimpses of the rocky prominences guarding the top of the valley: Cadet Peak, Toad Mountain, and Silvertip Mountain. After about a mile, you’ll reach the washed out bridge and the junction with the Weden Creek Trail #724 leading up to Gothic Basin. A 2006 flood further eroded the trail here, forcing you to take a narrow path through the trees to a large log spanning the river. During the summer months the river is low enough that it is easy to wade across. Many chose to brave the log crossing – use caution if you attempt this route as the log could be slippery.

Once across the river and back on the road, it’s another three miles to the town site. Along the way you might be able to pick out Twin Peaks or Monte Cristo Peak up ahead, and Lewis Peak and Del Campo Peak make appearances to the west. At four miles, reach the Monte Cristo Campground, and just beyond the bridge over Glacier Creek leading into the townsite. Once you arrive, take some time to explore the few remaining structures still standing and pick through the rusting artifacts from the mining days. Be sure to wander down Dumas street – named for Alexander Dumas, the author of the Count of Monte Cristo – to get an idea of how the town was laid out. Bring a healthy amount of imagination, as most of the town is long gone, leaving only signs to mark the former location of buildings.

This is a decent hike that should be approachable for almost anyone, especially those interested in a little history. To get the most out of your visit, we recommend you stop at the Verlot Ranger Station on your way out to Barlow Pass to pick up a pamphlet that includes a map of Monte Cristo and explanations of the various marked sites in the town. After you are done touring the town you may be looking to do a little more hiking. If that’s the case you can continue up to Glacier Falls and Glacier Basin. Or you can retrace the pre-railroad approach to Monte Cristo with hike up to Poodle Dog Pass #708, named in honor of Frank Peabody’s dog, which he evidently took with him when he climbed the pass on his way to Monte Cristo from Mineral City.

This hike’s only challenge is the river crossing, but that may soon be changing. A new access road will be on the other side of the river, connecting with the current road after the washout. The road is being built to support a massive cleanup effort focusing on containing the arsenic and other heavy metals churned up by Monte Cristo’s mining past. The cleanup will begin in spring of 2013 lasting to the summer of 2015, during that time the plan is to close the townsite. How the new road will be used after the cleanup is still undecided. Luckily, even though a little snow has fallen, you still have some weekends left to visit Monte Cristo before it’s shuttered until 2015.

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. -Nathan

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Snoqualmie Tunnel via The Iron Horse Trail

Our Hiking Time: 2h 30m
Total Ascent: 0ft
Highest Point: 2500ft
Total Distance: 5 miles
Location: W 47° 23' 23.6820, N 121° 23.7540
Required Permit: Discover Pass
Difficulty: Easy

With Halloween just around the corner, we wanted to find something a little spooky for our hike this week. After considering a few ghost towns and mines, we settled on a restored railroad tunnel that offers a slightly unnerving 11,890ft walk under Snoqualmie Pass in near total darkness. Complete with dripping walls, echoing voices, misty air and a chilly breeze, this short trek through a piece of railroading history makes for the perfect Halloween hike.

Back around the turn of the last century, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad finally connected Seattle to the rest of its eastern lines. They were a little behind their competition, as the Great Northern Railway had completed this feat over a decade earlier. Like Great Northern, the Milwaukee folks underestimated the Cascade snows and began operation without a tunnel, building the Laconia Station at Snoqualmie Pass to help keep the trains running through the winter. It only took a few years of heavy snow to convince the railroad to accelerate its plans to build a tunnel.

Early surveys began in 1908, and some initial construction preparation was started in 1911, but not until after the particularly nasty winter of 1912-13 did construction begin in earnest. In roughly 15 months, around 2,500 “tunnel stiffs” bored into the mountain from either end of the tunnel, burning through 340 tons of dynamite and removing 180,000 cubic yards of rock. They met on August 5, 1914 and the first passenger came through Tunnel 50 on January 24, 1915. In 1917 the tunnel was connected to the lines that powered the railroad's hybrid electric-steam engines in order to deal with ventilation problems, and the large wooden housing for the electrical boxes still line the tunnel today.

Times change and over the years traveling to the ski slopes by rail slowly gave way to private automobiles. The railroad declined and the last Milwaukee train passed through the tunnel on March 15, 1980. The railroad abandoned its land and the tunnel was closed. Ownership passed to Washington State, and for the next 15 years, tracks were removed and the Iron Horse State Park slowly began to take shape, but without the Snoqualmie Tunnel, the park remained divided. Then, on September 24, 1994 old Tunnel 50 was re-opened, creating an unbroken trail that now stretches 110 miles across the state. The tunnel was again closed on January 30, 2009 for renovations including adding another 4-inch layer of concrete on the walls and ceiling. It reopened July 5, 2011.

From the trailhead walk the gravel path the short distance to the tunnel entrance. The wide, graveled railroad grade is flat and easy for large groups and bikers to share the trail. At the entrance note the wooden doors used to seal the tunnel between trains during the winter months. In the past these were used to minimize the ice that would form in the tunnel. For the same reason, the tunnel closes every year from November 1 to May 1, to prevent ice-related injuries. As we mentioned, the tunnel is a chilly and dark, so put on your jacket and headlamp before you plunge into the darkness.

The faint pinpoint of light ahead is the other end of the tunnel, and you’ll spend the next hour or so watching it get bigger and brighter. Once you emerge from the tunnel, be sure to linger and take in the decent views of nearby Granite Mountain, Denny Mountain, Bandera Mountain and McCellan Butte. As you turn around, take note of the second arched entrance that many say was made in preparation for a parallel tunnel that was never built. Because of the slight curve at the beginning of the tunnel, you will not have the light at the end of the tunnel to guide you for most of the way, making the return trip a little spookier.

This is a great hike for the whole family around this time of the year. There’s no elevation gain, the trail is wide enough for everyone to share, and a tunnel is a decent option on a rainy autumn day. If you’re looking to minimize the number of folks you share the trail with, we recommend you head out to the tunnel earlier in the day, as it can become crowded later. Remember to bring a strong flashlight or headlamp and enough layers to keep you warm. The tunnel closes the day after Halloween, so plan to give Snoqualmie Tunnel a visit before it closes for the next six months.

To get there, take I-90 to exit #54 and head right. Almost immediately take a left onto State Route 906, following the signs to Snoqualmie Tunnel. In about a half-mile, take a right just before the Highway Maintenance area. In a few hundred feet turn right into the trailhead parking lot. -Nathan


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Tubal Cain Mine and Tull Canyon Trails

Our Hiking Time: 3h 45m
Total Ascent: 1600ft
Highest Point: 4600ft
Total Distance: 8.5 miles
Location: N 47° 51.1680, W 123° 5.7780
Required Permit: None
Difficulty: Moderate

A few months ago we headed across the water to the Olympic Peninsula to take on a hike that promised lakes, mines, creeks, and the wreckage of a B-17. The Tubal Cain Mine Trail snakes through the Buckhorn Wilderness, tracing the route miners took back in the early 1900s to reach their mining camps.

Back in 1903, miners led by Victor Tull consolidated their mining claims to form the Tubal Cain Copper and Manganese Mining Company. Named after Tubal-Cain, a biblical blacksmith that worked bronze and iron, the company had high hopes of extracting vast wealth from the depths of Iron Mountain. Unfortunately, between nearly non-existent yields and the high cost of accessing the remote area, the company struggled. Two small camps were established to support the mining activities, and the foundations and rusting metal left behind by Copper City and Tull City can still be found today. Despite digging nearly 1,500ft into the mountain, the mine was never able to turn a profit. In 1912, an avalanche destroyed the heart of the operation and the mines were abandoned by 1920.

For the next 30 years, the area remained quiet. Then, on January 19th, 1952 a modified B-17 returning from a search-and-rescue mission off the coast of British Columbia became disoriented in a blizzard and crashed into the ridgeline above Tull Canyon. The plane slid 2,000ft down the steep mountain, scattering parts across a massive debris field. Somehow, five members of the eight-man crew survived and were rescued the next day by another team from their own unit. Now, even 60 years later, the wreck lingers – parts of massive wheels, large chucks of wing, and pieces of the B-17’s four engines are easy to find.

The Tubal Cain Mine Trail begins in a young forest of fir, hemlock and rhododendron. Wide and flat, the trail gently guides you past the Silver Creek shelter and over a log bridge spanning the creek. Soon the trail climbs up into Copper Creek Canyon and the Buckhorn Wilderness, before flattening out along the slopes above Copper Creek. After about three miles of smooth trail, you’ll reach the Tull Canyon Trail and an exploratory adit dug by the mining companies. The tunnel only goes back 50ft or so, though we don’t recommend you do any exploring.

From here, head upwards along the Tull Canyon Trail for about a mile to find the remnants of the B-17 and the leavings of Tull City. The trail is a sharp contrast to the Tubal Cain Mine trail; steep, rocky and narrow. Climb for a little less than a mile to the site of the wreckage, scattered amongst the trees, ponds, and creeks. Linger here, or continue along the trail to the meadows at the far end of the canyon where Tull City once stood. When you’re done exploring, retrace your steps back to the Tubal Cain Mine Trail and continue onward toward the mine.

Before long you’ll pass by the few rusting remains of Copper City and should see a large slope of tailings from the Tubal Cain Mine on the left side of the trail. A short climb up the mountainside leads to the mine and the creek that spills out from its depths. If you’re looking to add some more mileage, you can return to the trail and press on for another two miles to a short trail leading down to Buckhorn Lake or continue further to climb up to Buckhorn Pass for decent views of the surrounding Buckhorn Wilderness.

This hike has a little bit of everything, from lakes and creeks to canyons and mountain passes. With multiple destinations along the trail, you can tailor this hike depending on your time and company. The trail to the mine is a good choice for a late season hike and should be approachable for almost every hiker. And while Tull Canyon Trail is more challenging, the promise of plane wreckage provides ample motivation. The trek out to Buckhorn Pass is for those folks looking to put in a ten or eleven mile day. Whatever you’re looking to do, find some time to head out to the Olympics to explore the Buckhorn Wilderness along the Tubal Mine Trail soon.

To get there, take the Bainbridge Island Ferry, following State Route 305 through Poulsbo to State Route 3. Follow SR 3 to the Hood Canal Bridge, taking a left over the bridge onto State Route 104. Follow SR 104 as it merges onto US 101 and continue another 18 miles and turn left onto Palo Alto Road. Continue about eight miles to Road #2880. Veer right and steeply descend down to the Dungeness River, past Dungeness Forks Campground. In about two miles head left on Road #2870 and continue about 11 miles to the Tubal Cain Mine Trailhead. -Nathan

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Hibox Mountain via Rachel Lake Trail #1313

Our Hiking Time: 8h
Total Ascent: 3800ft
Highest Point: 6547ft
Total Distance: 7 miles
Location: N 47° 25.9020, W 121° 18.0360
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass
Difficulty: Hard

Not long ago, we had the chance to return to the Rachel Lake and Box Canyon aiming to climb Hibox, a prominence along Box Ridge’s rocky spine. We really enjoyed our hike up Alta Mountain a few years ago, and hoped Hibox would be a similar experience. As it turned out, Hibox Mountain is a little more challenging than Alta Mountain, but the views are at least as good, if not better.

Back before Washington was a state, it was part of the Oregon Territory, and settlers carved out their lands on either side of the Washington Cascades. By 1853, Washington’s population had grown to the point that it was re-organized as a separate government known as the Washington Territory. Almost immediately, the new government began to tackle the need to connect the eastern and western portions of the territory. Surveyors and explorers set about finding suitable passage through the Cascades, eventually finding many routes, including Snoqualmie Pass. Box Canyon was explored during this time, and was named for the way Rampart Ridge and Keechlus Ridge “box” you in as you try and cross the Cascades. Hibox (sometimes called High Box) is the highpoint on Box Ridge, and was named by forest officers.

The hike beings at the Rachel Lake Trailhead #1313, following Box Canyon Creek through small stands of pine and lush slide zones filled with bracken fern and salmonberry. The trail here is relatively flat, with only small ups and downs and an occasional log to hop over. The creek also provides a couple of open areas that make for great rest stops on your return trip. Keep an eye out for the rocky finger of Hibox on the ridge. Your first glimpse will be in a large slide area and again at a second clearing at a little over 2 miles. Just after you cross the second clearing, look in the trees for an unmarked but obvious trail heading toward the mountain.

From here, there is only one direction: up. Switchback up the shoulders of the ridge, following a rough and narrow trail through the trees toward the summit block. Eventually, the trees recede, replaced by talus and scree veering to the right, under the cliffs that make up the mountaintop. Some sections of the trail are loose rock here, so tread carefully as you climb up to the ridgeline.

Your last challenge is the short scramble to the top where 360-degree views await. From those heights you can easily pick out nearby Alta Mountain, Three Queens and the Park Lakes to the north. Beyond you can see Chikamin Peak, Lemah Mountain, Chimney Rock and Summit Chief Mountain. On a good day you’ll be able to pick out Glacier Peak. As you turn east you’ll see Mt. Hinman, Mt. Daniel and Mt. Stuart. To the south is Rampart Ridge and Mt. Rainier. Keep turning west to pick out Mt. Thompson out from among the Snoqualmie Peaks. Settle in to see how many more peaks you can count.

Climbing up to Hibox will be a challenge for some hikers and we don’t recommend it for everyone. Once you leave the Rachel Lake Trail, the trail is steep, rough, and is easy to lose in the talus fields. On the upside, you can also expect to leave most hikers to Rachel Lake and Alta Mountain, as the route does not get a lot of traffic. This hike can be great alternative, as long as you’re comfortable with a little route finding and a small amount of scrambling. If you’ve already explored Rampart Ridge and are hungry for a little more, Hibox might be the prefect fit.

To get there, take I-90 to Exit 62. Turn north and drive five miles to the Lake Kachess campground, then turn left onto Box Canyon Road #4930. Continue for four miles to the large trailhead parking area. –Nathan

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