Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Iron Horse Trail: Washington Creek
The Iron Horse Trail runs down the middle of the linear John Wayne State Park. The trail utilizes the old rail line known as the Milwaukee Road, which carried locomotives of the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul-Pacific Railroad. The trail runs from Rattlesnake Lake to Idaho and is the only east-west cross-state trail.
From Rattlesnake Lake start up the old rail-trail as it crosses Boxley Creek and heads east along the northern flank of Cedar Butte. The trail is relatively flat and wide enough for a family of four to walk side by side. Take your time and enjoy the walk along this historic route. At 4 1/2 miles out, you'll find yourself on a towering trestle spanning the deep cut of Change Creek, and in another 1/4 mile another one crossing Hall Creek. These massive wooden structures offer those with acrophobia a chance to experience their fear, while the rest of you can experience the stunning views out over the lower South Fork Snoqualmie Valley and its intersection with the broad Middle Fork Valley. Mount Si and Mailbox Peaks stand tall to the north, marking the west and east flanks of the Middle Fork Valley.
Driving Directions:
From Seattle drive east on I-90 to exit 32 (436th Avenue SE). Turn right (south) on 436th Avenue SE (Cedar Falls Road SE) and drive about 4.5 miles, passing the Rattlesnake Lake parking area, until you find the Iron Horse Trailhead parking area on the left. Recent Trip Reports
Hiked here recently?
Submit a trip report!
There are
23
trip reports for this hike.
See all trip reports for this hike.
Iron Horse Trail: Washington Creek
— Apr 12, 2013
— CMMP
Day hike
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
Unfortunately this was a very boring hike. I must have been confused with another railroad hike I s...
Unfortunately this was a very boring hike. I must have been confused with another railroad hike I saw on the website but I thought there would be more to see. There were a few notable things such as a nice waterfall and a tiny amount of abandoned railroad history. I turned around at Ragnar, which was somewhat interesting in it's own right as a railroad dump of sorts.
The trail itself is very easy, you could hike it in tennis shoes without issue. However it's also very boring. Imagine walking down a straight, tree lined gravel driveway. Now imagine it going on for miles. I'm just glad I brought my headphones.
Iron Horse Trail: Washington Creek
— Mar 09, 2013
— Trick Jarrett
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
The hike was excellent, we went into it largely unaware of what to expect. We enjoyed the largely em...
The hike was excellent, we went into it largely unaware of what to expect. We enjoyed the largely empty trail as opposed to the overflowing parking lot for Rattlesnake Ledge.
There was only one tree across the trail, it had broken and had a clear area for walking but it still largely crossed the path. Also there was a notable hole in the trail, two feet wide and roughly three feet deep. Another hiker had stuck branches in the hole to help with visibility but it needs repair or a more permanent aid for visibility. There were no other issues with the trail.
Iron Horse Trail: Washington Creek
— Aug 06, 2012
— MortonTheMoose
Day hike
Issues:
Bugs
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
FYI: The description of the Iron Horse Trail is inaccurate both online and in the Snoqualmie Day Hi...
FYI: The description of the Iron Horse Trail is inaccurate both online and in the Snoqualmie Day Hiking Mountaineer's book. The towering railroad trestle spanning Change Creek is not 4.5 miles from Rattlesnake Lake. After the hike, an REI salesperson confirmed this discrepancy with a tale of his own and mentioned Change Creek is approximately 8-10 miles from the R.L. Trail head.
The Trail itself is great for Mountain Bikers, not Hikers. The sharp gravel gave me blisters and there were no views except the one I failed to photograph, an old railway trestle which is easily accessible @ Exit 38. You Live you Learn! Happy Trails.
Iron Horse Trail: Washington Creek
— Jul 14, 2012
— earthkwaque
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Ripe berries
Issues:
Bugs
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
Beautiful day out, but this hike was totally not worth it. I can see the appeal for bikers and eques...
Beautiful day out, but this hike was totally not worth it. I can see the appeal for bikers and equestrians (there's evidence of that all over), but there are much much better options for hikes nearby (Rattlesnake Ridge, for instance, which I recommend to do from the less crowded Snoqualmie Trailhead). Here are all the things I didn't enjoy:
-very little tree cover means it starts to get uncomfortable quickly when the sun comes out. -yes, the gravel trail is nice and wide but all alongside it are pretty much a weed band before the treeline starts. Not much by way of views for most of the way. -the bugs (mosquitoes and a few flies) are out in full effect so don't forget your insect repellant if you choose to do this hike anyway. It's been a long tiring week so we were looking for a nice and easy trail close to Seattle, but this was a total dud. Don't waste your time.
Iron Horse Trail: Washington Creek
— Jul 06, 2012
— DayHiker50
Day hike
Features:
Ripe berries
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
A great day in the 70's. Since I didn't have the time or the energy to actually hike from the Rattle...
A great day in the 70's. Since I didn't have the time or the energy to actually hike from the Rattlesnake Lake parking lot to the railroad tunnel (18 miles one way), I thought this would be a great trail to get the bike out. Some confusion at the start. I took a left at what I thought was the right way, but ended up on the railroad trail going towards North Bend. Had to turn around and take the small trail near the bathrooms to the actual Iron Horse trail. Once on the right path, there were no problems. The trail is perfect for bikers and hikers. No surprise corners or narrow paths to get into anybody's way. Plenty of room for all.
The trail is kind of deceptive. My GPS said that the elevation gain was 2000+ft over the 18 miles to the tunnel. The trail looked flat, but there was an ever so slight incline which meant all pedaling no coasting. Got to the tunnel just under 4 hours. The camera battery died so no pictures (crap!). I didn't go into the tunnel, but you can actually see light at the end of the tunnel even if the other end is two miles away. If you do plan to bike/hike in the tunnel, bring rain gear. It was dripping all over the place in there. The way back was great. The slight incline meant that you could probably coast 95% of the way back to Rattlesnake. When I mean coasting, it would be at a fast walking pace. There wasn't enough incline to gain speed, so I would keep it into high gear and do a couple of fast pumps to get the bike going over 10mph, coast a bit and do it again. The way back only took 2 1/2 hours. Only a few places where deep gravel could pose a bike dumping hazard if you were not careful. The trail was about 40% tree covered 60% exposed, so bring sunscreen if going on a sunny day. Will do this again, but with a few other people and a better bike seat. No bugs! |
 Iron Horse Trail. Photo copyright Alan Bauer.
Map it
|
Document Actions
- Email this page
- Print this
- Share
