Iron Goat Loop

  We managed to get out between storms, and snowshoe today. Skykomish Ranger station said they plow partially up Martin Creek Rd, but we found that the county only plows to the start of Martin Creek Rd off the Old Cascade HWY,so unless you have a 4X4 with chains, good luck, the snow is wet/sloppy & at least a foot deep. Even with 4-wheel drive we barely made it out.
  Once on the trail, we decided to take the cut-off trail to upper Iron Goat. There's a good 1 to 2 feet of snow on this section, so ice-trax or snowshoes are a must. We decided to go west on the trail & loop around to the lower trail using the Corea Cut-off. There's about 2 ft of snow on the upper, with some of the foot bridges out, so ended up stream hopping in places. Lower trail was much easier, with 1ft or less of snow.