Franklin Ghost Town — Saturday, Jul. 7, 2012

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

Franklin was a coal mining town from around the turn of the century. Not much remains except an interesting old cemetery and a very deep vertical mine shaft covered with a metal grate. The trail is unmarked but should be very easy to find with the following directions. Go south on Hwy 169. In the town of Black Diamond, turn left on Lawson Rd which becomes SE Green River Gorge Rd. Go about 4 miles. The Entrance to the trail is on the right. It is gated with an old poorly constructed steel wire fence with no parking and tow away signs on it. The Entrance is located 400 feet before you reach the single lane bridge which crosses the Green River Gorge. The only place park is a small pullout on the opposite side of the road next to the bridge. Definitely walk out onto the bridge to get a suprisingly airy view of the river below. The hike starts on a dirt road. In about 1/4 mi you reach an old coal car donated by Palmer Coker Co. In about 1/2 mi you reach an old coal mine shaft. It is covered with a sturdy steel grate that is safe to walk on. The shaft goes down 1300 ft to a point 500 ft below sea level! If you drop a rock down the shaft it takes about 4-5 seconds to hear it hit bottom. After the mine shaft the tread becomes narrow overgrown and muddy in places. A pair of clippers would be useful to beat back the black berry vines. At about 1 mile you reach the first grave stone. A small side trail to the right leads to a few other head stones. Overall a worthwhile hike if you happen to be in the Black Diamond area.