Hiking the Iron Goat Trail in the Washington Cascades

Looking for more great hikes in the Cascades along Stevens Pass?
Check out Bridal Veil Falls or head to Heybrook Lookout.

WE HIKED IT

November, 2020, about four hours

CURRENT INFO

We followed the hike as described in the book Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington by Susan Elderkin. If you hike frequently with kids in Western Washington, or are looking for a well-curated selection of short hikes for any age, I highly recommend this book. You can also find current trip reports for the Iron Goat Trail on the WTA (Washington Trails Association) website.

GOOD TO KNOW

• There are multiple trailheads that connect to the Iron Goat Trail. We used the trailhead listed in the book Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington by Susan Elderkin. It’s located 9.5 miles east of Skykomish and the sign along Highway 2 identifies it as the “Iron Goat Interpretive Site”.
• The parking lot directly adjacent to the trailhead was closed for the winter (and the highway sign had a “closed” notice on it), but there was plenty of parking along the Old Cascade Highway near the parking lot.
• The Iron Goat Trail is open year-round (as conditions allow).
• Those looking for an ADA-friendly trailhead should use the Martin Creek trailhead, which is located further west down Old Cascade Highway and up forest road 6710.
• Parking at the trailhead requires either a Northwest Forest Pass ($30) or another national lands pass, such as the America the Beautiful Pass.
• At the Iron Goat Interpretive Site trailhead, there are vault toilets, but they were locked (probably closed for the winter season) when we visited in November.
• A sign near an old caboose tells the story of the terrible snowstorm and subsequent avalanche that occurred here in 1910, which stranded two trains and tragically led to the deaths of 96 people. The tunnels and retaining walls you’ll see along the trail were built in an effort to make this passage safer for future train travel. Even with these improvements, the train line was permanently rerouted to a more stable location on the opposite side of Highway 2 in the early 1920s.

HIGHLIGHTS

Take a fascinating walk through history alongside 100-year-old abandoned train tunnels and retaining walls. The upper trail also provides tantalizing glimpses of the surrounding mountains.

THE KIDS’ TAKE

The Iron Goat trail is great for kids! Massive old walls, tunnels, bridges, and other remnants of days past add interest and excitement to the journey. Be sure to take your child’s hiking abilities into account when deciding whether or not to take the longer trail or to just stick with the shorter option. In our case, the last half hour spent in the dark on a steep trail was not to the kids’ liking (or most adults’, for that matter), but they rose to the challenge.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

There are many great hikes along Stevens Pass. Just west of the Iron Goat trail, you’ll find Deception Falls, a beautiful short hike that clocks in at less than a mile and makes a great picnic stop when the weather is good. Be aware that Deception Falls, like many other hikes in this area, closes for the winter, although some hikes can be done as snowshoe routes. The Stevens Pass ski resort is only six and a half miles further east on Highway 2. Of course, if it’s snowy enough for skiing, you may find that the Iron Goat trail has turned into a snowshoe hike!

Further west along Stevens Pass, a couple of other great hikes include the trails to Bridal Veil Falls and the Heybrook Lookout.

We stopped by the Sultan Bakery on our way home and enjoyed a delicious dinner of burgers and fries in our car. Right off Highway 2, it’s an unassuming, small-town cafe that offers home cooked meals in addition to bakery treats.

With the ongoing pandemic, I’ve determined that we must take advantage of every sunny weekend day that comes our way. Last Sunday was one such day, with clear skies, crisp air, and golden leaves shimmering in the sunlight. On the mountaintops, we could see a dusting of fresh snow. When we reached the Iron Goat trailhead, the kids were delighted to find snow just outside the car door.

We took a few minutes to read about the tragic train accident that occurred here in 1910 before starting the hike. Signs along the trail provide additional information about the tunnels and snow sheds found along the former railway route. The chill in the air and occasional patches of snow made it clear winter was coming, but the maple leaves carpeting the trail were a reminder that fall was still here.

The Iron Goat trail gets off to an exciting start. You don’t have to go far before you reach the first retaining wall. It’s a massive structure, stretching for a third of a mile. Even more exciting were the tunnels. The first ones appeared halfway through the lower portion of the hike. You can’t walk through most of the tunnels, as landslides have blocked the way and made passage dangerous. There are several, however, that allow you partway in for a little exploring.

The trail also features a wooden bridge crossing a steep ravine. Not long after this point, a trail branched off to the right, with a sign indicating this was the Corea Crossover. This was our chance to head to the upper trail for a full loop hike. I was feeling pretty good about our hike thus far; the kids were happy, the trail was easy, and the sun was shining. I knew the upper trail would be more of a challenge, but why not go for it? We were on a roll.

We began the upward climb, following the trail as it made long, gentle switchbacks up the hill. Before long, we reached the upper trial, where a snowy wonderland greeted us. This was especially interesting to our four-month-old puppy. He’d never seen snow before, and pawed happily at the strange white stuff, nosing about to take in the new smells.

The first stretch of the upper trail was unassuming. For awhile we continued through the forest, with few remnants of the railroad to be seen. Eventually, tunnels and concrete walls came into view. There was also more water on the trail than we’d seen on the lower route. Waterfalls spilled over the edges of hundred-year-old retaining walls, and tumbled down rocks. To our right, the hillside dropped away steeply at times. The trees thinned, offering beautiful glimpses of the mountains on the opposite side of the pass.

It wasn’t only the mountains that caught our eye; it was also apparent that sun was sinking. A few golden clouds were visible just above the peaks to the west. How much further did we have to hike? The trail was also muckier now, with frequent mud puddles, and long, wet stretches along the walls. In some places, we crossed rushing streams of water, my friend and I taking my four-year-old, T, by the hand to help him cross safely.

Still, I couldn’t resist stopping to marvel at the view. The sky had shifted from blue to grey, with a hint of silver as the sun sank lower. In the back of my mind, I knew it would soon be dark.

Darkness comes quickly in the late fall, quicker than I anticipated. We were still on the upper trail when the adults pulled out their phones and turned on their flashlights. Earlier that day, I’d thought briefly about the possible need for a flashlight, making a mental note that my phone had plenty of charge. I figured we’d be fine. Somehow, I hadn’t actually figured how necessary this really was. In my mind, 5:30pm was still dusk, not dark. But we had set our clocks back an hour just one week earlier, and here in the mountains, 5pm was definitely dark.

Oh, let this be a lesson! The ten hiking essentials are essential for a reason! Fortunately, three of the four cellphones in our party held out until we reached our cars, but honestly, we should have had a battery-powered flashlight, too. At any rate, we were all thankful when we spotted the turnoff that would take us back down to the trailhead. It couldn’t be far now! Right?

Well… far is perhaps a matter of perspective. Relative to the entire hike, no, it wasn’t far. But we discovered that the downward trail was the most treacherous part of the journey so far. The first switchbacks were steep and sharp, nothing like the gentle slope of the Corea Crossover trail. And they kept going… and going… and going. I clutched T’s hand tightly, ensuring that he wouldn’t stumble. He was crying softly, and his hands hurt from an earlier stumble over a rock. But he kept going.

“You’re doing great,” I tried to encourage him. “We’re going home, I promise, we just have to get down this trail first.”

Further ahead on the trail, my husband, Michael, was really having a tough time. I had the kid, but he had the dog. Buddy may only be four months old, but he can pull on his leash like crazy, and Michael was doing his best not to tumble head over heels down the rocky path. I’d say I had it easy in comparison.

Michael and J, our older son, told me later that they felt the switchbacks would never end. And Michael definitely was not thrilled about finishing the hike under the cover of night.

“It’s a good hike,” he said. “But taking those switchbacks in the dark was awful!”

But all’s well that ends well, right? Yes? Maybe? I’m happy to report that no one was hurt, and we all made it safely back to the trailhead shortly after 5:30. Coincidentally, I assumed prior to setting out that we would probably return between 5 and 5:30, and here we were. Next time, I’ll also check on what time the sun sets, you know, ahead of time. It could be helpful.

All in all, the Iron Goat trail is a wonderful hike. I highly recommend it, with one caveat: do it during daylight.