Iron Goat Trail, Wellington Ghost Town — Sunday, Sep. 23, 2018

I have always driven by this hike and seen the parking lot (Iron Goat Trail, not Martin Creek Connector).  It is just off Highway 2 with a big red train caboose at the trail head.  Bathroom are also available here as well.  This was good because today I wasn't driving something that could negotiate the FS roads.

The trail begins on an ADA path that starts out paved.  The first point to make a decision is whether to go up the switchbacks to the upper grade or toward the Martin Creek Connector.  I decided to go up to the upper grade.  This is a steep switchback with a dropoff on one side.  Provides some spectacular views as you ascend to the upper grade.  I believe it is about 1 mile where you will gain about 800 feet elevation.  Once you get the the top, it is all easy railroad grade trails from there.

I headed towards Wellington Ghost Town.  It is about 3 miles, but lots to see along the way.  About 1/4 mile from the switchback you get to a lookout point with rocks to sit on.  Take in the view as you can look down to see SR2 and train tracks entering a tunnel below.  This is a great place to take a rest, eat a snack, or depending upon time, lunch.

As you head further, you have to walk on the outside of a tunnel with a little ledge (about 3 feet wide) with a drop-off on the right side.  Easy to navigate, but can be a little unnerving for anyone who doesn't like heights.  Once you get past this you get to your first tunnel.  It is closed, but you can walk into it a bit.  They have barricades with warning signs for falling rocks so I would recommend not going into the tunnel further.

For the next few miles, you get a chance to walk through a really nice path with trees and occasionally past a few train snow walls.  In a few spots there is water falling over the wall and into a small creek that passes under the trail.

Spectacular views along the way of the pass.  Eventually you reach the snow tunnel that is pretty interesting to walk through. About 1/2 mile in an echoing path you can see out your right side.  Once you come out of the tunnel you are just about to Wellington. 

Wellington is an interpretive site that discusses this ghost town's buildings and workings when it was active.  Really not much to see other then a few concrete foundations.  There is a parking lot so several hikers may come up to this location and hike it backwards.  I saw quite a few people who just came to see the snow tunnel and town.

You can go a bit further and see the first Cascade Tunnel which is 2.5 miles long, however due to Flash Flooding, the trail to the opening of the Cascade Tunnel is closed, but you can still get a view of it from the trail.

I headed back towards the crossover switchbacks, but decided to continue on towards the Martin Creek Connector.  This provided quite a few more tunnels, snow walls, and views.  Eventually I wanted to get back down to the lower grade, so after a few miles I found the Corea Crossover which lead me back down to the lower grade without having to go the additional 2-3 miles around the bend. 

Once back down to the lower grade, it is an easy, flat hike back to the parking lot (about 2-1/2 miles or so.)  During this hike, there are yet more tunnels (a few you can walk through) and a bridge.

Total miles for the route I took was about 13, but you can certainly make it much shorter (~8 miles to Wellington round trip, ~2-1/2 miles to the lookout point round trip).