Monte Cristo Ghost Town — Saturday, Jun. 22, 2013

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

I've read about the impending closure of this hike, and seeing as how I found myself in the area and looking for a day hike it seemed like a no brainer to make the trek to Monte Cristo. I'm definitely glad I did, but in some ways I have mixed feelings about this hike... First and foremost, the weather was beautiful and that made for spectacular views. This hike runs through a valley and is surrounded by rocky, snowy peaks all around. From those peaks run streams which turn into waterfalls as they make their way down the mountain. I've yet to visit the Alps, but I have to think that on a good day, these views are just as awesome. As for the hike...it's OK. The trail is a road, which we knew about and were OK with. But the purpose of a road is to get from point A to point B quickly - a hike wanders, and a road directs. There are portions of this "hike" that are straight as an arrow for as far as you can see. It makes for less than interesting hiking. The log bridge was no big deal, but this was a dry day; a wet log over a river may not be as easy to traverse. That said, the river isn't exactly raging, and even if you fell in you would likely just get wet and wish to turn back. The town is pretty cool, though I would have liked it more without the obvious signs of modernity. Large signs indicate where things used to be (even when some of them are quite obviously still there); I think smaller, less obtrusive signage would have been better. I think the goals should have been to keep it as much like a ghost town as possible, without the overly large signs taking away from the atmosphere. Overall, I recommend this hike for it's great views and unique destination. Better get there while you can, as it's supposedly slated for environmental cleanup later this summer, and may not be the same after.