Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Rockport State Park
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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. Rockport is one of my personal favorites in the Washington State Parks system, and I never tire of wandering its peaceful and well-manicured trails or camping beneath its towering timber. The Evergreen Trail makes a nice 3-mile loop around the 670-acre park. Before heading out, take a few minutes to read the interpretive displays about the park, the old-growth forests, and David Douglas (for whom the ubiquitous Douglas-fir is named). The trail takes off east from behind the restrooms. In 0.1 mile intersect a service road, which can be used for more looping options. The trail winds through stately fir groves, under tunnels of vine maple draped in moss, along shoulder-high boughs of ferns, and over chattering creeks. Wrens, woodpeckers, and chickadees provide the background score. The way dips and curves as it makes its way to the park's eastern boundary by an old logged area. Sauk Mountain can be seen rising above. The trail then turns west, and at 0.6 mile is the Broken Fir, which graced this forest as a healthy tree from 1660 to 1974. Gradually gaining elevation, you'll reach an intersection at 1 mile. Left heads to the service road, and right continues following alongside tumbling Fern Creek for 0.25 mile before crossing it in a cool ravine. Now in quiet woods, enjoy the forest primeval. Gradually descending, at 1.75 miles once again reach the service road. The trail now follows alongside a delightful creek, crossing it several times. At 2.1 miles the Evergreen Trail merges with the wheelchair-accessible West Loop Trail. Head right, traveling through stately hemlocks, and after 0.4 mile veer right and leave the West Loop. Continue for 0.5 mile, skirting the campground and passing a junction with the Skagit View Trail and a monster fir before returning to the day-use area to complete your loop. Nice park, huh? Return often.
Driving Directions:
From Burlington (exit 230 on I-5), head east on the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) for 37 miles to Rockport State Park (7.5 miles east of Concrete and 1 mile west of the junction with SR 530). Turn left into the park, and then immediately turn right into the day-use parking area (elev. 500 ft). Water and restrooms available. Recent Trip Reports
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Road to trailhead inaccessible
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*STATE PARK IS CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS & THURSDAYS*
I saw that sign a couple hundred feet before the turnoff into the...
*STATE PARK IS CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS & THURSDAYS*
I saw that sign a couple hundred feet before the turnoff into the park and couldn't believe it. Why close a state park? Budget cuts? How many rangers do they have working there, and don't they live there anyways? I would have been far more disappointed had there not still been bald eagles to see on the Skagit River. This was my third time in four years driving up to see the majestic birds, and although they're more sparse in late January than December, that almost made spotting them more spectacular. The short hike along the river just down the road at Steelhead Park was my backup, and the hardened snow made the footing just uneven enough to be challenging without being annoying. Please enjoy my video blog of the trip--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZekHJOZxZ5I Day hike
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We began our hike on the Evergreen Trail starting behind the restrooms in the day use area. The trail is...
We began our hike on the Evergreen Trail starting behind the restrooms in the day use area. The trail is clear for one mile to a junction where the trail goes north. From here the trail is impassable because of massive blowdowns. The trail shows signs of recent work with its cleared trees, new puncheon, bridge, and gravel added to sections to reduce muddy areas. The West Loop Interpretive Trail can be hiked but is no longer ADA accessible. Sunday we talked to Al, the resident ranger at Rockport, when we saw him at Rasar SP. He told us budget cuts has slowed down the work that can be done in clearing the rest of the trails. In fact, he may lose his job which would be especially sad after all his hours of work throughout the years. The large old growth douglas firs, cedars, big leaf maples and beautiful mosses and lichens make Rockport a beautiful place to hike on a winter day rain or shine! The frost on the leaves and the many fungi made for slow walking as there were many images asking to be taken making our progress very slow! After the first mile we returned to the parking area via the service road and then crossed HWY 20 to hike the 0.5 Skagit View Trail and the 0.4 Sauk Springs Trail. The frozen ground and the many fallen maple leaves lining the trail made for easy walking, but mud will become a problem when the weather becomes warmer.
Day hike
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Blowdowns
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The girlfriend and I drove up to Rockport for a late afternoon day hike. We usually hike the Evergreen...
The girlfriend and I drove up to Rockport for a late afternoon day hike. We usually hike the Evergreen Trail, and started up the eastern portion first. Good news: the trilliums are coming up. Bad news: trees down. There were several that had been sawed through and moved aside in the early part of the trail. We clambered over a couple, and went around a newly formed pit in the middle of the trail made by the root system of a larger tree ripping up and out of the ground -- we'd see a lot more of this before we were done.
The portion of the trail going east to west after the "broken fir" was pretty clear. There was one spot where a large tree had fallen exactly on the trail, and we were forced to walk on top of it for a distance. The damage from the storm was already impressive, but we had no idea what was coming. Just before Fern Creek the Evergreen Trail turns north for a bit; we missed this turn. Whether it was from storm damage or simply inattention I don't know, but we found ourselves in the Service Road just south of it. Consulting our map and the position of the sun we decided it would be unwise to backtrack. We took the service road northwest from there (for maybe 0.3mi) until it met up with the Evergreen Trail again. We hit the Evergreen Trail and turned south, determined to walk this last leg of the trail. This 4/10 of a mile was grueling and probably took as long as the rest of it combined. The blowdowns are nasty, very frequent, difficult to navigate around, and at least in a couple places are hazardous to climb over. There are jagged edges of branches threatening to gouge you as you go over, at least a couple longish drops, and some places where it is difficult to pick the trail up again. If I knew what it was going to be like, I would not have attempted it -- but by the time we were halfway in, the light was fading, and we were committed. Finally we hit the Interpretive Trail, pretty well covered in dirt and moss from the waist down and laughing about it. We returned to the parking lot where we examined a sign more closely, and found that the entire Evergreen Trail is marked "impassible". I'm here to tell you that it can be done, but perhaps it shouldn't be. Not yet. There is a staggering amount of work to be done to get that trail open again. If one of the previous commenters are right and the park ranger here is being left to do this alone, he needs help. It is NOT a one person job. Day hike
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Blowdowns
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Because of a windstorm on 11-15-10 most of the trails in the park are impassable. We talked to Al, the...
Because of a windstorm on 11-15-10 most of the trails in the park are impassable. We talked to Al, the resident ranger who was working on clearing the many blowdowns on the south side of the park across HWY 20. He told us that a section of the Fern Creek Trail has hundreds of match stick blowdowns and a huge Douglas Fir has fallen on a section of the trail. This will require a complete rerouting. We hiked the 0.4 mile Sauk Springs Trail and the 0.5 mile Skagit View Trail which are on the south side of HWY 20. These have been cleared but evidence of the storm are obvious everywhere you look. Al told us that he had lost all his aides because of budget cuts and that he was the only one working on the clearing. We walked through the campground and then did a section of the West Loop Interpretive trail which is open to hikers but is no longer suitable for ADA because of damage from the storm. A single picture can not show the extensive damage from this storm. Ferned canopy is covered by fallen trees and debris in many areas of the West Loop.
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns
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Surprised to see the park entrance closed off with an "emergency closure" sign when we arrived at 10:30. Went to...
Surprised to see the park entrance closed off with an "emergency closure" sign when we arrived at 10:30. Went to investigate, and fortunately someone just came out to open the entrance. Something about a power outage...
Hiked part of the Evergreen Trail counter-clockwise. There was one huge blowdown that was rather difficult to get around, but other than that the trail was in great condition. Didn't encounter anyone on the trail. Glad to have discovered this beautiful, moss-covered old-growth forest; no need to drive all the way to the Hoh rain forest! |
A hiker is dwarfed by the towering firs at Rockport State Park. Photo by Kim Brown.
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