Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Old Sauk River Trail
Featured In:
Day Hiking: North Cascades,
by Craig Romano.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. Within sound but not sight of the river, the trail begins in a thick stand of mature forest. Despite logging in the 1930s, many old-growth Douglas-firs still boldly stand. In 0.75 mile, after skirting a periodically dry channel, reach the mighty river. Behold its beauty and ever-changing mood. In the wet fall months, the river's volume and current increases. On more than a few occasions the Sauk has jumped its bed, taking a piece of the trail with it. But this trail is too admired to let go of-determined volunteers continuously restore lost tread. At 1.25 miles cross a bridge over a small creek, and continue alongside the churning Sauk through attractive woods. Walk this way in springtime and be treated to brilliant displays of wildflowers. Thousands of trilliums, dwarf dogwoods, wood violets, twinflowers, and starflowers carpet the forest floor. At 2 miles the trail appears to end. The November deluge of 2006 claimed roughly 150 yards of tread here. But trail builders constructed new tread around this washout along the unstable riverbank. Comprised of layers of glacial till and moraine, the Sauk's banks easily erode when assaulted with intense hydrological force. The trail now briefly leaves the river to follow a quiet channel. Look for sign of active beaver. In late summer to early fall, chances are good for spotting spawning steelhead. The trail crosses an old road and then makes its way back to the riverbank. Silt deposits on and along the trail provide ample evidence of frequent past flooding. At 2.75 miles the trail leaves the Sauk and its raucous bellowing behind. Briefly following Murphy Creek through a tunnel of moss-draped maples and under a canopy of towering cottonwoods, the trail reaches its southern terminus on the Mountain Loop Highway. Turn around and enjoy this trail downriver.
Driving Directions:
Take exit 208 off of I-5 and drive 4 miles east on State Route 530 to Arlington. Continue east on SR 530 for 28 more miles to Darrington. At a three-way stop, turn right (south) onto the Mountain Loop Highway and drive 3.5 miles to trailhead. Alternatively, you can begin at the southern trailhead 2.8 miles farther down the road. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Issues:
Bridge out | Mudholes | Water on trail
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It was raining when we left for the Old Sauk River trail. The hour and a half drive was...
It was raining when we left for the Old Sauk River trail. The hour and a half drive was very wet. We had decided that we needed desperately to get out into the woods after all of the holiday sitting and eating and eating and sitting. What a treat to arrive to find that we were the only ones there...though I didn't expect many people since it was a rainy Winter Wednesday.
The trail was wet but not muddy when we started out. There were many puddles but they were passable. Midway through the hike there was a stream that we had to cross. The river was high so I don't know if this stream crossing is typical but we had to balance across a log. Be careful crossing the log because there is an inviting branch sticking straight up at the end of the log where there are no vine maples to grab onto...this is devil's club as my husband found out the hard way. We didn't make it to the end, if there is an end to the trail because the rain was getting harder and the trail was getting muddier. We hiked for about 2 hours so I'm sure we were close when we turned around. On the way back, the trail was one big mud hole. Puddles had run together and saoked the earth and made it into mud in between. We were soaked all the way through to our underclothing by the time we got back to the car. The river is high and fast. We saw a bald eagle and a deer. It was nice to be alone on the trail with the river rushing by. We had 3 dogs with us and they had a great time. There has been extensive work on the south end of the trail by I think Washington Trails Association. The trail there is wet but nicely delineated by boulders and cleared of all brush and rocks. All in all, it was an excellent hike to get out to after the holidays. No elevation gain and quiet. I would highly recommend it to all levels of hikers. Day hike
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The trail is in great condition. It looks like a detour is being built but is incomplete, but the primary...
The trail is in great condition. It looks like a detour is being built but is incomplete, but the primary trail is still intact.
At about the 2/3 mark there is a small side-trail (with a small log blocking it) that leads to a parking lot; this is _not_ the end of the trail. Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail
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Nice casual Hike in the rain along the Old Sauk river...
Nice casual Hike in the rain along the Old Sauk river
Day hike
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Each year as the temperatures drop and the weather becomes less enticing, we start to search out hikes that are...
Each year as the temperatures drop and the weather becomes less enticing, we start to search out hikes that are a bit more “winter friendly.” With this in mind, we recently headed up to the Darrington area for a short riverside hike along the Old Sauk Trail. Easily accessible and almost entirely flat, the trail seemed ideal for a short hike during the winter months.
While the trail is ideal for hikers of all ages, it does not have the big reward of broad vistas or a remote alpine lake. Instead, the Old Sauk Trail is a chance to slow down, take a closer look at the landscape, and enjoy the sounds of the rushing Sauk River. With almost no elevation to speak of and year-round access, this trail is a great little escape during the winter or a last minute walk with the family during the summer months. To see the full report, check out: http://www.hikingwithmybrother.com/[…]/old-sauk-river-trail-728.html Jer Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Blowdowns | Mudholes
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Headed out on two hikes today. Just got back from the trail to Peek-a-boo Lake and decided to hike the...
Headed out on two hikes today. Just got back from the trail to Peek-a-boo Lake and decided to hike the Old Sauk Trail #728 while I was here. This was hike 46 of 50 planned at age 50. Weather was nice today with sunshine but most of that was while I was hiking the Peek-aboo Trail. While hiking The Old Sauk Trail it was over cast but still a nice level walk for 6 miles roundtrip. It would be nice to be here when the Salmon are running up The Sauk River so if you decide to hike this trail look into it during the time of year when you might see some Salmon. This will increase your chance of seeing Eagles, Opsrey, Blue Herron and Bears of course. All and all a nice little hike with lots of moss and ferns all around the trail. This trail is very nice for people not wanting too strain themselves too much. Only a gain or drop of 200 feet from one end to the other. This area reminds me of the Olympic National Park with all the moss growing on the trees. Trail is in great shape and easy to follow. Some great views of the river but over half the trail you can not see the river. You follow what I believe to be the old route that the river use to take and one of the reason for the name Old Sauk River Trail. Check out the video of the Sauk River from the trail as well as other hikes I have done in Washington State on my youtube channel at lmm3181 or click on this safe but direct link to this hike. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-sIo8ULfO8
As always get out and see this beautiful state and enjoy your hiking. Take Care Mike |
Lots of wonderful, lush, thick moss on this trail. Photo by Kim Brown.
2011
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