June Hikes: 3.5 to 6 miles, 400 to 1,500 feet gain - Iron Goat Trail

The trail follows the old Great Northern Railroad route high above the valley floor on its way to Stevens Pass. This high route perched on the steep slopes of Windy Mountain was an impressive feat of engineering and the site of a 1910 avalanche considered American’s deadliest in which snow smashed into the trains, toppling them off the rails like toys. Many of the tunnels and snow bridges along this trail were built after the Wellington Avalanche Disaster to better protect the trains from snow. But it was not long before the route was rerouted all together to the modern Cascade tunnel.
• For fans of the Iron Goat Trail, the book, The White Cascade, by Gary Krist is a gripping account of the 1910 avalanche and the days leading up to it. The author compiled the narrative from events recounted in letters, diaries, memoirs and court documents. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88365.The_White_Cascade
• https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/wellington-ghost-town
• https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/iron-goat-trail
• History of Wellington - https://www.pbs.org/video/wellington-ghost-town-9c87ey/ and http://www.ghosttownsofwashington.com/wellington.html

9:30AM ready to hike at the Wellington TH (google map link here). Note that this is at Wellington ghost town and  NOT the trailhead located at Scenic (the one with the train caboose). WTA directions (here - click).