We discovered this trail from the new trail map on this site. The trail was in perfect condition! Several maintenance folks were on the trail trimming some of the lush vegetation on the edges. Lots of summer flowers, tiger lillies, columbine, bluebells. The cool breezes from the tunnels felt great and we took a break next to one to cool down on this hot day (heeding the warning not to go inside). This trail is great for somebody who is recovering from heart surgery and can not start off climbing steeply. We went up the gradual direction and then down the steep path. On the other hand, if you had some arthritis in the knees or ankles, you could climb up and then take the gentle grade back down.

Even though it was cold and drizzly at Stevens Pass, my husband and I decided to visit the Wellington Avalanche portion of the Iron Goat Trail. Driving East it's a tricky left turn onto the Old Stevens Pass Highway, which we missed the first time so had to turn around at the summit and try again. The roads are now snow-free. What a fascinating place! First we saw the old train tunnel but due to several recent flash floods, the trail is closed leading right up to the tunnel. In the opposite direction (west) we walked through the old snow shed that is slowly disintegrating but still relatively safe (we hoped!) to walk through. Kind of spooky in there but we saw a spotted owl perched up near the ceiling checking us out -- very exciting! We read all the informative signs about the terrible avalanche of March 1, 1910 that swept away an entire trainload of people. Even though the town of Wellington was mostly spared, it eventually ceased to exist. Just a few remnants of the town remain. We have a new appreciation for the terrible working conditions and daunting task of running a rail line through those mountains -- many lives were lost in the process. If the weather had been nicer, we would have continued walking on the Iron Goat Trail but that will have to wait for another time. Definitely recommend this historical, easy hike.

We wanted to start at the Wellington trailhead, but when we saw all the snow at the Stevens Pass ski area, we should have known! Down the Old Cascade Highway a short distance the road was filled with snow. Ruts in the snow show that high-clearance vehicles have driven through, but we knew our Outback wouldn't make it. So we drove down to the site of the Iron Goat Interpretive Center, where the red caboose is being outfitted but is not yet ready. The parking lot is large, there were clean restrooms with solar-powered lights, and a wide asphalt trail that led off to the Iron Goat. At a fork in the trail, the asphalt continues left to the Martin trailhead; this trail looks as if a wheelchair could make it through. We chose the trail called the Windy Pass Crossover. It starts out as a wide forested trail, but as we went higher, the trail became more narrow, steeper, and in some places consisted of rough stone stairs. Not to belittle it: it's a great trail, beautifully engineered. Even though we were hiking a day after a great deluge, the trail was not muddy and there was no standing water. We reached the Iron Goat Trail just a few feet from the west end of the Windy Point Tunnel, one short mile and 700 feet of elevation from the caboose. We continued to the Wellington trailhead, accompanied by the sound of running water. The embankments above us, both natural and manmade, were pouring water, but this trail too is beautifully engineered and maintained. No mud, only two places where there was standing water. We thought about walking down the Old Cascade Highway from Wellington, but Ranger Paul, whom we met at the big snowshed viewing platform, discouraged us. He said the road is not very interesting and it would dump us out on Highway 2 which we would have to walk along for a quarter of a mile to get to our car. So we went back the way we came, down those steep stairs. On the Iron Goat trail, we saw lots of wildflowers--bleeding heart, spring beauty, Indian paintbrush, one lone yellow glacier lily, and two great treats: a big patch of wild ginger, and a flower that was new to me, Hooker's Fairy Bells (Ranger Paul had a flower book).

This trail is not just well maintained, it is groomed. I never saw such maticulous rockwork, trail edging, and even raking. We started at the Martin Creek trailhead and took the upper trail. Marvelous! Not only is is an easy walk in the park, but it abounds in flowers. There are patches of Siberian miners lettuce, bleeding heart, false Solomon's seal, and violets. Even better, there are many relics of the old Cascade railway - a wheelbarrow, cook pots, and various other odd metal pieces. The huge concrete support walls for the avalanche sheds are truly impressive. Some of the timbers and metal plates from the roofs are still there. Best of all are the tunnels. Most are leaky, caved in and dangerous, but still fun to examine. There are many well done interpretive signs along the way and two connector paths between the upper and lower trails. There are nice waterfalls over the concrete supports and if you venture up one of the marked spurs, you can find the old spillway still in place. We only did the loop from Martin Creek to Windy Point and back - about 6 miles round trip. Highly recommended!

Nothin' like a good Halloween hike to burn off calories before succumbing to candy corn. So 11 of us laced up and did a through-hike of the nine-mile Iron Goat Trail on this gray, drizzly day. What a wonderful trail - both for the visible evidence of its railroad history and for the impressive restoration by Volunteers for Outdoor Washington (VOW). The fall foliage was mostly on the ground, but still colorful, and we found maple leaves as big as turkey platters! After meeting at the Iron Goat Trail Interpretive Site (red caboose) on Hwy 2, we organized a car shuttle to the high point at Wellington trailhead (3100 ft). From there, we hiked west (downhill) six miles along the upper grade to the Martin Creek TH (2450 ft), and then a final three miles down the lower grade to the Interpretive Site (2100 ft). A couple folks opted out at 3.5 miles and took the Windy Point Crossover Trail back to the Interpretive Center, descending 700 ft down the steep switchbacks. At Wellington, we admired the immense concrete snowshed and reflected on the 1910 avalanche disaster that claimed 96 lives when two stalled trains were pushed down the mountain into Tye Creek. This being Halloween, we wondered if any spirits were hovering about. After reading the interpretive plaques, we skirted a few small patches of snow and commenced our hike. Hiking in the downhill direction made this an easy trek, suitable for all fitness levels, children, and dogs. The mile markers were helpful indicators of our position, although we misremembered their origination - 1712 is the rail distance from St. Paul, MN (not Chicago, doh). The interpretive signs were great, and we spent plenty of time studying the many tunnels, snowsheds, and backwalls, plus other relics we found along the way. The softened wood on the collapsed snowsheds made them look like they melted into the hillside, and the dark tunnels with their crumbling interiors were suitably spooky. Almost as impressive as the railroad history was the amount of water pouring down the mountain after recent heavy rains. Water, water everywhere - not just in creek beds, but over the tops of snowsheds, down the middle of trails, wherever it could find a course. This was especially true of the trail section between Windy Point (where we had lunch) and Martin Creek (the western end). This is the only section of trail that's not ADA-accessible; instead of a broad, well-groomed track, it's a typical wooded path, a bit brushy in spots. Today, it had ankle-deep streams running across it, mud holes, and minor flooding. Near MP 1715, the Spillway Spur Trail WAS a full-on stream - the spillway doth spilleth over! When we reached Martin Creek, we were hoping for a bio break, but the restrooms were locked. The final three miles down to the red caboose were uneventful. We inspected the twin tunnels (learned what an "adit" is) and snapped a few final pics before strolling across the nifty pedestrian bridge on our way to the parking lot.