Iron Goat Trail — Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

With three access points and several crossover trails between the upper and lower grades, there are lots of options for hiking the Iron Goat Trail. For today's hike I started at the Martin Creek Trailhead and immediately climbed up the Martin Creek Crossover. I hiked along the upper grade all the way to Wellington, then retraced my steps back to Windy Point. From here I dropped back down to Scenic via the Windy Creek Crossover and returned to the Martin Creek Trailhead on the lower grade. In all, this route is about 13 miles. The upper grade is getting overgrown, especially between the Martin Creek Crossover and Windy Point. My pants got soaked walking through all the dewy plants. From Windy Point to Wellington, the trail is wider with less undergrowth, but a few areas are still getting brushy. The lower grade looked as if it had been recently brushed out. With many interpretive signs along the trail, you will definitely leave with a better understanding of the railroad history of the area.