The Iron Goat Trail showcases some of the rich history that surrounds Stevens Pass, in the Washington Cascades.
I have to admit, I am a sucker for exploring ruins or abandoned buildings. There’s something about imagining the life that used to exist around these structures that just draws me in.
So any trail that involves any sort of abandoned houses, castles, forts, or in this case railroad tunnels, is right up my alley.
History behind the Iron Goat Trail
The Great Northern Railroad was constructed through Stevens Pass in 1893. It was an engineering marvel at the time, crossing mountains passes that were usually impassable during the winter.
There is a “ghost town” at Wellington, the site where a train full of people was swept down the side of the mountain during an avalanche. I did not have time to check it out, but supposedly there’s not much left of the settlement.
The Iron Goat Trail was constructed at a section of the railroad that was bypassed when a new tunnel was built. That tunnel is still used today and you can hear trains passing through occasionally.
The trail passes by old snow sheds and tunnels that were constructed to prevent avalanches from wiping away the trains and the tracks. Part of the trail is paved and wheelchair/stroller accessible.
The Interpretive Site is located in the center of the trail, which forms a loop. There are restrooms and information about the history of the area.
You can also park at the location where Wellington once sat, or take a forest road to the other end of the trail.
Hiking the Iron Goat Trail to Windy Point
I started my hike from the Iron Goat Trail Interpretive Site. There is a map of the trails on the official website.
There is about 9 miles of total trail along the old railroad grade. The map denotes the sections where you can see the old tunnels, snowshoes, and other points of interest.
I originally intended to hike a couple of easy miles after my previous hike to Beckler Peak. For some reason I though it would be a good idea to climb even more, to the Windy Point lookout.
Looking at the map, it looked like a short, albeit steep, connector trail. Upon examining the map more closely I realized it was about a mile up to the viewpoint.
While it was more than I was really up for at the time, the climb wasn’t too awful. It’s about 700 feet of switchbacks up the hill.
The view at the top was very beautiful, and well worth it. According to the signs, the railroad used to go around this rocky point, slowing to 5 mph.
They eventually built a tunnel to make the train’s travel through here faster. The tunnel was also interesting to see, although they advised against going through it.
These tunnels have not been maintained in almost 100 years and could collapse at any time. Therefore, nobody should be traveling through or climbing on the tunnel or snowsheds.
There is a pit toilet at Windy Point, although your only privacy comes in the form of Mother Nature’s screen of trees and brush. Nice view from the seat, though!
Tunnels and Snow Sheds along the Iron Goat Trail
Past Windy Point, the trail continues along the outside of the tunnel. I passed two women and their dog along this narrow walkway!
The East entrance to the tunnel is here. You can go inside the entrance of the tunnel, but they advise against continuing any further.
I think the giant wall in this forest looks vaguely dystopian, reminding me of the Hunger Games or the Maze Runner. It’s a bit surreal to be deep in a peaceful section of the woods, with a man-made structural looming alongside the trail.
I didn’t want to hike too far, so I turned around and walked back to the western end of the tunnel. This side was the same in that you could only walk into the tunnel entrance.
Interestingly, this side of the tunnel had sport climbing anchors fixed into the concrete. The anchors go all the way around the arch of the tunnel!
There were also anchors on the wall just outside the tunnel. I’m not sure how popular climbing is here, but it’s a pretty unique place to do it.
After exploring for a bit and taking pictures, I took the trail back down to the parking lot.
Unfortunately, that’s where I got caught in the awful traffic that I mentioned in my report of the Beckler Peak hike.
Overall Thoughts
I definitely would come back to this trail and hike the entire length! It’s very unique and captures an interesting time in history.
The other benefit of this path is that since it’s on an old railroad bed, the trail is very level. The only steep sections are where the lower path connects to the upper one.
It’s also not as crowded as many of the other hikes in this area. It makes for a great stop if you’re going to or from Leavenworth and the Seattle area.
