North Sauk River Trail

Mountain Loop Highway

The Old Sauk River Trail is my current favorite trail.  Off of the Mountain Loop Highway (SR 530), the 1 mile ADA loop through mossy forests includes an accessible river viewpoint.

Start of the Old Sauk River trail

The medium-packed gravel parking lot in the forest hosts disabled parking, an accessible (across the gravel) outhouse, and picnic tables (one of which is wheelchair accessible).

Viewpoint for the Sauk River

The trail is a 1 mile loop through the forest, with a riverside view of the Sauk River.  One spur presents steps down to the river, while one offers a stair-free, ramped path down.  The latter is completely accessible.  

Old Sauk River Trail

The loop itself meanders through stands of Douglas fir, cedar, and various alders.  

Trail bottleneck

In general, the trail is level enough for a manual chair and wide enough for any wheelchair.   There is one point where the trail narrows significantly, but I was able to wheel through it.  

Potential weather challenges

The trail surface is dirt, except for one wooden bridge over a creek.  It might become impassable after storms (muddy path, downed trees, washed-out bridges). I don't know that for sure; it's just a precautionary warning.

Iron Goat

Iron Goat Trail

The Iron Goat Trail was built on the site of the former Great Northern railway.  The trail was abandoned as a railway passage when a snow slide in the early 20th century killed nearly 100 people, and a tunnel (still in use today) was built instead, turning the abandoned railway passage into a recreational trail.  Because of the obvious snow danger in these steep slopes, it's not advisable to hike the trail when there is still snow and slide danger.  

A three-mile section of the trail is officially designated as an ADA trail, with a wide path that has a level side-slope and is surfaced with hard-packed gravel and dirt (strewn with pine needles and big-leaf maple leaves in the fall).  Because the trail slope is railway grade, power chairs can traverse in either direction, but I would advise manual chairs to start at the Martin Creek trailhead and travel downhill, incorporating  some kind of shuttle to bring the car from the upper parking lot to the lower lot.

The trail runs through the forest off of Highway 2, with view of the old railway tunnels, big leaf maples, streams, fungi, and a few interpretive signs along the way.

The gravel parking lot has disabled parking, an ADA outhouse (currently closed), and a non-ADA picnic table.  The trail begins with a boardwalk, and it has some sections that travel upon bridges or boardwalks.  But most of the trail is hard-packed dirt and gravel. 

Erinswood

Big Leaf Maple leaves at Erinswood

The closest I came to playing in the leaves this year was hiking over the leaf-covered trails at Erinswood, outside of Index, WA.  The leaf coverage was just enough to make the trails and surrounding wooded area seem like autumn, without being too deep to impede passage.  Autumn is the perfect season to view the colorful big-leaf maples before they drop and the leaf-covered woods thereafter.  It is also the perfect time for the exhibits of fungi on display.

Even without the color of the maples, however, the hike would be beautiful, because of the many stands of western red cedar trees, as well as the ubiquitous moss and ferns of the western Cascades.  If you time it right, you can also find salmon- and thimble- berries.

The .8 mile (round trip) trail is located outside of Index, WA, across from the rock-climbing mecca of the Town Wall.  There is a medium-packed gravel parking lot.  There is no outhouse, and I don't remember there even being Honey Buckets there.  The first .1 mile of the trail is accessible, but not officially ADA, leading to a turn-off to Heybrook Ridge.  

After that junction, the trail narrows and is encroached upon by brambles and bushes for about .1 mile.  

The trail then reaches a .4 mile loop which is wide and relatively flat, with a few short/steep hillocks.  I could wheel the entire trail by myself (but I have levers, a large third wheel, big tires, and some muscles).  The trail, named after a local resident-hiker with a disability, is intended to become a truly ADA trail, with the addition of a hard-packed gravel surface on top of the dirt.  Until this layer is added, the trail has a few roots sticking up, but it is mostly smooth.   

There is a small creek, which comes close to the trail at one point, presenting a rocky section and a possible wash-out point.  

My biggest question, however, is how one is supposed to get to the ADA trail, since it seems that the only access is down this .1 mile overgrown and narrow trail.  If that is resolved and the ADA portion of the trail is completed, this will be a wonderful wheelchair-accessible trail -- short, but full of a variety of beauty.

Deception Pass State Park

Driftwood at Deception Pass State Park

I know I've said this before, but it bears and even demands repeating: I live in a beautiful place. Especially when viral pandemics and closed borders keep you close to home, it's all the more important that your home is a place offering opportunities and beauty.  Hooray, Washington State!

Lookout onto Strait of Juan De Fuca

Taking advantage of a sunny -- but very cold -- day, we headed to Deception Pass State Park and the Sand Dunes Trail.  The trail is located at the main entrance to Deception Pass State Park on the Whidbey Island (south) side of the bridge.  Follow the signs to the large, paved parking lot at West Beach.  The trail begins at the south side of the parking lot.  There were disabled parking spots, and I assume the restrooms were disabled, as well, but they were locked, so I couldn't confirm that.  Parking requires a Discover Pass; however, vehicles with a disabled placard or license plate are exempt.

The trail can be accessed from the parking lot either by a paved trail that goes past the beach on Cranberry Lake, with a beach house, outdoor showers, and a large picnic area.  There is even one picnic table with space cut out for a wheelchair and a paved path leading to it.  The trail can also be accessed by a wide unpaved road next to the water.  Either way, the Sand Dunes Trail, officially designated an ADA trail, is a paved 1.2 mile loop.

West side of Sand Dunes Trail

One side of the loop goes along Puget Sound, with views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands. The beach is covered with driftwood, and trail name (Sand Dunes Trail) is reflected by the small dunes along the trail.  There are several informative interpretive signs.  I've read that in the summer, porpoises, eagles, and osprey can be seen.

South-east side of
Sand Dunes Trail

The other side of the loop goes along Cranberry Lake and then through a stretch of mossy trees.  

Among the trees, and perhaps best seen from the Puget Sound side, is a tremendous, twisted 850 year-old Douglas Fir.

This root is easy to bypass

The thing about trees is that they have roots, and big trees have correspondingly big roots.  Unfortunately, at the south end of the trail are two large roots crossing under the trail which have seriously broken through the pavement, causing an upheaval which makes the trail impassable.  I was able to get around both of these obstacles by going on the side of the trail.  Even if I hadn't been able to, I would have gone down and back on both sides of the loop, because the views were so stunning.

This root is harder to bypass,
but possible

Padilla Bay Shore Trail

PBST looking out at Padilla Bay and the Salish Sea

"Where the Skagit River meets the Salish Sea." This trail description on The WTA website sounds so romantic and foreign.  However, the Padilla Bay Shoreline Trail is really just about 72 miles north of Seattle.

South entrance

North entrance

The directions to the trail can be found on the WTA trail description webpage, along with a prosaic description of the trail.  The trail can be accessed from either the north or south trailheads, but the south trailhead is a little easier, since it provides a parking lot with Honey Buckets.  The trailheads are guarded at both ends by barriers to keep out motorized vehicles.  Fortunately, they are both wide and long enough for wheelchairs to fit through. 

PBST along the estuary

The trail itself is 2.25 miles each way, built of hard-packed gravel on top of a dyke.  It is fairly well trafficked by pedestrians and bikers, most of whom are wearing masks.  The southern half runs along the Skagit River estuary, and the northern half runs along Padilla Bay.  If you are a birder, you'll want to bring your binoculars.  Others will be captivated by views of water, islands, mountains ... and, of course, the Shell Oil Refinery.

As an extra treat, the route from Seattle to the trail winds through the small towns of Bow and Edison, allowing a stop or two at The Farm to Market Bakery and/or The Breadfarm.

Monte Cristo

Monte Cristo Trail (and resident)

Monte Cristo (town) -- in 1889, a vein of gold- and silver- ore was discovered in the mountains at the head of the South Fork Sauk River, and over the next twenty years, mines produced millions of dollars in ore.  A bustling town sprung up at the foot of these mines -- complete with a school, hotels, and a train to Everett.  This town of Monte Cristo is now a ghost town, 4 miles from Barlow Pass, on the Mountain Loop Highway, near Granite Falls.

Monte Cristo (trail) -- I've tried twice without success to get there (once on each side of the river).  I've come to terms with the probability that I will never see Monte Cristo.  The trail on one side of the river starts out promising, but it becomes narrow after a steep dip, and it eventually requires crossing the river without a bridge.  The other, longer side has a wide and rocky road, but it's very hilly, and the road surface is not always very firm.  Thus, on both sides I had to turn back way before reaching the town of Monte Cristo.  However, my attempts added a new picnic destination and trail to my repertoire -- short, but accessible, with mountain and river views, all kinds of berries, and wildlife.

Attempt #1: June 2020

Gate guarding entrance to Monte Cristo Trail

Since the road to Monte Cristo was damaged by flooding in 1980, a gate has been installed and locked at the trailhead on the west side of the Sauk River.  According to the trail guide provided by the Monte Cristo Preservation Association, keys are available to rent through the Snohomish County Department of Public Works, with MCPA members receiving a discount.  Hopefully this procedure works, since the hiker access space on either side of the gate is not wide enough for wheelchairs (I was able to manipulate the opening, with the help of a strong hiking companion, a second chair, and some creativity, so I haven't actually tried the key).

Beginning of Monte Cristo Trail

The first section of the trail is fantastic for wheelchairs.  The wide path, surfaced with hard-packed gravel, travels along the Sauk River through the trees, with mountains in the distance.  The vegetation is both inviting and threatening, as we saw blossoming berries and devil's club alongside the path.  At about .8 mile the trail comes to a short and steep downhill run, after which it narrows and becomes inaccessible for wheelchairs.  Eventually, an able-bodied hiker would cross the Sauk River over a log and join up with the Monte Cristo bypass road to town.  

Sauk River on MC Trail

We went a little farther, finally stopping for a picnic by the river before turning around at about 1.2 miles,  This is a great short hike, with beautiful scenery, wild berries in season, and the possibility of seeing bears.  As we were hiking along, we noticed a large pile of scat, that could have been bear scat.  A little farther on, we saw a second large pile that was definitely bear scat.  A little farther on, we noticed that the grasses were trampled down into an inviting bear-shaped nap spot.  When we stopped by the river for a picnic, we were treated to a perfectly Goldilocks-distanced (not too close, not too far) black bear!

Monte Cristo Trail Resident

Attempt #2: September 2020

Gate to Monte Cristo Road

We had been advised that the trail to Monte Cristo on the other side of the Sauk River was built upon an old access road and did not require any river crossing.  With this in mind, we set out for Monte Cristo on the east side of the river.  Again, the trail is guarded by a gate. On sides were hiker's passage ways sided by rocks and too narrow for a wheelchair.  

Monte Cristo Road

The trail is built on top of an old road and doesn't cross the river, but it is very hilly, and the surface is uneven, loose gravel.  It begins miles before the trail on the west side even starts, because of a turn in the Mt Loop Highway), making it even longer.  Maybe a power chair with off-road wheels would be able to drive this way, but it was too much for me!

Road surface

Monte Cristo Road

Hike #3: September 2020

View from Monte Cristo Trail

We returned to the trailhead on the west side of the Sauk River and did the short, accessible section down to the river.  The berries were gone.  There were no bears.  The mountains in the distance were out. It was a short but beautiful hike.

Camp Brown

 Camp Brown,overlooking the Middle Fork Snoqualmie 
and Garfield Mountain

Things change.

20 years ago, I was in an airplane, embarking upon a year-long trip around the world. Now, we talk about "staycations" and plan road trips near to home. Things change.

20 years ago, I was walking with my own two legs, using hiking poles only to hike. Now, I am unable to take even one step, and I am only able to hike by using my wheelchair. Things change.

Several years ago, we drove down a pothole-filled, dirt road past Mailbox Peak, to hike along the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River -- only to have to turn around very quickly, as the trail soon became impassable to my wheelchair. Today, we drove 11 miles down a smooth, paved road --this same one -- to a fantastic ADA trail a little down-river from where we'd hiked previously. Things change.

Camp Brown was historically a logging camp, boys' camp and US Forest Service Guards' station, and it is now -- thanks in large part to the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust -- a beautiful day use area.  Framed by mountains (especially Garfield Mountain), the Camp sits next to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, in a forest filled with a variety of conifers and deciduous trees, covered by moss and lichen.  11 picnic spots with picnic tables, charcoal grills, and views are nested within the trees alongside the congressionally-designated Wild and Scenic river.  The parking lot offers disabled parking spots and accessible outhouses (temporarily closed), while each of the picnic tables has a place for a wheelchair and its inhabitant.  Visitors must display a Discover Pass; according to the Discover Pass website, however, visitors with disabled placards/plates are exempt.

The main attraction, in my mind, is a .45 mile gravel-lined, hard-packed dirt accessible trail,
which is always wide, usually level, and mostly flat.   There are small ups and downs, especially at beginning and end of the loop, but I made it without help around trail (disclaimer: my Freedom Chair wheelchair is propelled by levers and fairly strong upper-body muscles).  A friend completed this trail in a power wheelchair with no problem.  There is one bridge, but the edges are level with the ground.  

There is one area that looks as though it had already been washed out and rebuilt.  Since the trail is positioned next to a river, I'm curious to see if the path and accessible features will remain intact after the winter and spring rains.

The trail and the picnic areas are accessed from the parking lot.  After a brief straight path, the trail loops to the right.  The hiker can travel around the loop in either direction, taking either the first or second turn-off.  Continuing straight leads to stairs down to the river.  Those who can not (or prefer not to) do steps can reach the river via an accessible path jogging out from the ADA loop back to the bottom of the steps.  The loop circles through trees and ferns, showcasing displays of moss and lichen, interspersed with educational placards.

Camp Brown is a wonderful place for a picnic or a short hike or both.  Things change . . . but hopefully this is one that won't change much!