I hiked iron goat trail in the first snow of the year. We started in Wellington and hiked to the switchbacks and then back to Wellington. The trail for this section is mostly flat as it follows a ridgeline. There is negligible descent towards the switchbacks. I noticed the slight elevation gain back towards Wellington, but it was very easy. The trail is easy to follow as well. There was an inch of heavy wet snow on the trail and Old Cascade highway in the morning. By the time we completed our loop, it had melted. In the morning, going through the brushy section just past the concrete snowshed was challenging because the heavy snow had bent the trees over the trail and made it impassable. We used hiking poles to knock the snow off the tree branches so they could stand back up and clear the trail. The brush is also overgrown and it is impossible to miss the nettles. I just plowed through them and let the burs get all over my pants. It  wasn't possible or practical to move around them. The snow made the brushy section very wet and gators would have been a good idea. My pants and boots got soaked. Windy pass is an excellent lunch spot and the sun came out of us while we sat there.

We took this from the Red Caboose to the Wellington townsite. The trail is in good shape and there are lots of mushrooms to photograph all along the trail. Watch for the dome spider webs on your way, the web is shaped like a dome instead of the classic orb spiderweb. I did get one picture that had the spider in the middle and posted it, look carefully and you will see it! There is only one waterfall over the snowsheds and a little water running thru one of the small creeks.The middle section in the more open area could use a good brushing, I got caught with some stickers and nettles on my hands while walking thru this section. No views at Windy Point on the way up, but the clouds had lifted enough to get a some views of the Surprise Creek valley and surrounding hills. There is sone nice color looking around at the townsite, yellow cottonwood leaves and some vine maple turning red.  It is amazing to look and realize these sheds are 100 yrs old, you can see them starting to decay. What will they look like in another 100 yrs I wonder? The loos at the Wellington townsite parking lot are locked for the season but the Windy Point 'loo with a view' is still there and the ones at the Red Caboose are still open.  Traffic was fine thru Sultan, but terrible in Monroe. 

My dad and I hiked this trail yesterday. The turn off into the parking lot is quite sudden so be careful not to miss it. Also, it says the toilets are closed but they are not closed. I used them yesterday and they are in good condition:) the hike itself was interesting we took the lower grade and used the corea crossover trail to get to the upper grade. There were a couple parts on the crossover trail that smelled like cat pee and had large animal tracks, so maybe a cougar had been around there. So be aware of that. The hike was a little overgrown on the upper grade. The tunnels themselves were very cool, but please don’t enter them the rocks are very unstable and not very strong. We didn’t realize that there’s another trail to go 3mi to Wellington towards the end, but we were too sore at that point so we are definitely going to come back and make our way to Wellington! Overall, great hike and it was pretty easy.

This hike is quite a history lesson in the late 1800 railway system in Washington state. The remnants of tunnels and a series of concrete walls built as part of snow shelters, help tell the story of the early trains that traversed the Great Northern Railroad through the Cascade Mountains and the men who worked there. If you park at the Martin Creek trailhead, as we did, consider doing a loop, if you can, hiking the three-mile section of the trail east to the Red Caboose and then climbing a steep mile or so series of switchbacks to the Windy Point lookout and hiking back along the upper trail back to the trailhead. You can also do this in reverse, hiking the upper out and the lower trail back  

Tips: Watch out for stinging nettles. They abound. Be sure to read all of the interpretive signs to appreciate the full story. If you have time and don’t mind adding another six roundtrip miles to your hike, continue east from the Windy Point lookout to the ghost town of Wellington and the site of the worst avalanche disaster in US history. Or you can drive to it, as we did.

Rating:  3.5 of 5 stars (Higher stars for small children)
My opinions:  This hike is a great beginner hike.  There is only a 700 foot gain.  Start from the west end of the trail—from the Martin Creek Trailhead.  At about 200 feet take the left at the “Martin Creek Crossover (to upper grade)” sign.  You will hike a more gradual climb to the upper grade trail.  Highly recommended. 
Along the upper trail, take the stairs up to the “Spillway Spur.”  Very interesting history.  Someone said that they skipped this because it was difficult with tennis shoes and had bees.  I did not see bees. It was a little muddy, but not bad at all.  I recommend seeing over a 100-year-old wooden spillway structure.  Nice.
When you hike your three miles, definitely take the quarter mile detour to the Windy Point Lookout.  Beautiful views! 
(I did not go the extra 3 miles to Wellington one-way.)
Then come back to the turn-off and take the mile hike down to the lower trail (Iron Goat Trail).  This lower trail also has very interesting old snowshed walls.  The loop will lead you back to the Martin Creek Trailhead.
This loop hike is also a nice hike when the rest of the mountains are under smoke or if it’s rainy. 
Some nice valley views along the way. 
NOTE:  We saw a couple with child walking along the road from the parking lot.  We said we’d give them a ride, but they said they wanted to hike in different scenery.  I suggested they take the upper trail back.  I don’t know if they realized they were probably doubling their hike back, along with adding a lot of change in elevation.  I don’t think they knew what new “hike” were doing.  Please research before you take a “short-cut.” 
Parking & Road Conditions:  For any car. Easy to get to.  Parking along the road is fine.  Plenty of parking on a Sunday at 11:30.
Snow:  None.
Trail & trail conditions:  Good.  The lower Iron Goat Trail is 95 percent handicap accessible.  Only a few places that it may be difficult to push a wheelchair—just a couple hundred feet, but probably do-able.  What for Stinging Nettles!
Bugs:  There were some mosquitoes, especially when we stopped.
Time: This trail took us (two 60ish guys) 6 hours to do the 7 mile loop, with lots of stops and exploration.
Views:  Nice valley views—mainly from the Windy Point Lookout.
Flowers:  A few wild flowers.
Food:  In Sultan, the Sultan Bakery has yummy bread and bakery items.  Yummy bacon.  Lots of good food.  Their bakery stuff is superb!  They are open to about 7 pm. 
In Monroe, Benjarong Thai food has an excellent Curry Salmon dish that is worth stopping for.  They are open 9:30 pm weekdays and 10 pm on the weekend.