Shadow of the Sentinels

 

Shadow of the Sentinels Trail 

Last fall, I did a great loop through the North Cascades, hiking, camping, and blogging about many of the trails and sites.  This spring, I hiked one of the several trails I had written about, but hadn't had time to try: the Shadow of the Sentinels near Baker Lake.

The trees along this hike are amazing.  The trail through the old-growth forest frequently passes up-close single and small groups of ancient and huge Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, Silver Firs -- many estimated to be 700 years old.

The trailhead begins at a paved parking lot with an accessible outhouse.  There is a picnic table, that can be accessed from the parking lot, but it is not cut out for wheelchairs.  Parking requires a Northwest Forest Pass (people with a permanent disability are eligible for the nation-wide interagency "America the Beautiful" access pass, which is valid at all sites managed by the US Forest-Service and some other agencies).

The trail itself is a .5 mile loop, surfaced mainly with pavement and boardwalk. The path is mostly level, and I was able to push myself, except for one short but steep hill on a boardwalk, where I needed help.  The transitions between pavement and boardwalk were flat.  There were a couple spots where roots were pushing up through the pavement, but I think they could be passed by all types of wheelchairs.

Tremendous number of downed
trees in early spring

This trail is a lesson in the necessity of advanced research.  As with any trail, you can find excellent descriptions at the websites of the Washington Trails Association (WTA) and AllTrails.  Just as importantly, both trail websites show Trip Reports written by members.  Recent reports inform you of trailhead and trail conditions, alerting you to obstacles and challenges.  For example, thanks to WTA trip reports, we were somewhat prepared for the fallen trees on this trail.  (Although, honestly, nothing could adequately prepare us for the sheer magnitude of the blowdown -- the incredible number of trees that had fallen over, their size, and the damage caused by their ripped out roots.  

Damaged trail and temporary
"bridge" constructed to
go around it

Were I a good citizen with a decent amount of energy, I would create accounts with both of those organizations and add my own trip report with information especially pertinent to wheelchair hikers.  You see, part of the damage caused by the falling of these huge trees was significant trail damage.  Many sections of the paved trail were fixed with packed dirt.  And one tree's roots pulled up a small section of the trail, leaving a gaping hole that walking people could go around, but wheelchairs could not.  We passed through only because my husband built a bridge and seriously helped me cross over; others may need to go the "wrong" way around the trail (the hole is near the start if one goes the correct way), and then turn around, going back along the same loop the "right" way.

The trail is covered with snow in winter, and it is subject to fallen trees in spring, so the best time to hike in a wheelchair is probably summer to mid-fall.

Baker Lake Dam (road with a view)

The trail is relatively easy to find.  Drive east on Hwy 20 for about 17 miles, and turn left on to Baker Lake Road at Milepost 82.  Then drive north for about 15 miles.

For an stunning view, it is worth taking a short side-trip across the Baker Lake Dam between Baker Lake and Lake Shannon, 2.3 miles south-east of the trailhead.

Accessible Hikes in WA: March 2020 - March 2021

 

Iron Goat Trail near Steven's Pass, WA

Over a year ago, Covid19 began to dominate life in Western WA.  Daily counts of the increasing infections and deaths became a regular morning roll call, with each day bringing a new list of closures, cancellations and restrictions.  The outdoors -- always important to residents of this region -- became one of the few opportunities for escape.  Before the March 23  "Healthy at Home" lockdowns were implemented, I took a hike and jotted down some notes for a post about hiking with a wheelchair during the pandemic.  At that time, people outdoors did not wear masks and were uncertain or even unconcerned about trail etiquette during a pandemic.  My notes at the time expressed my anxiety about hiking on local trails, which were over-run by families and teenagers in the early afternoon, giving way to an endless stream of runners and dog-walkers in the evenings.  

A couple of weeks later, I went on another hike.  This time we drove over an hour outside of Seattle, hoping distance would diminish the crowds.   To our surprise, the trailhead parking lot was full, so we waited until 5 pm, when the lot was empty, and we had the trail to ourselves.

Over time, people in Western WA have settled into Covid-prevention behaviors.  Mask-wearing, even on trails, has become ubiquitous, and the majority of the hiking community seems to abide by a set of pandemic hiking protocols.  Still, because the outdoors offered one of the few safe outlets for recreation during the pandemic, many trails in Western WA suffered from over-use. The vaccination roll-out and the coming of summer bring new recreational possibilities and lists of creative and safe openings, which may lower the impact on Western WA trails.  On the other hand, the discovery of the great outdoors and the joys of hiking may be one of the lasting changes brought by the pandemic conditions.   All the more thanks and donations that are due WTA and other organizations working on trail maintenance.  

In the past year, I've been fortunate to try a variety of trail settings in Western WA.  I stuck to recommendations, and most of the trails were truly accessible (there may have been a downed tree, oversized root, or exposed bridge edge that required creative thinking or a turnaround, but hopefully those obstacles were temporary).  Here is my latest list of wheelchair hiking suggestions, which can be added to previous compilations of accessible trails (see below).  For this list, I've included trail smoothness (which considers exposed roots, rocks, and bridge edges -- mostly for power chairs) and levelness (which considers hills and side slope -- mostly for manual chairs).  As always, these descriptions are limited by my less-than-perfect memory and by Blogger's strange formatting results.  

Seattle

Trail:  Interlaken Park

Location: Capitol Hill/Montlake, Seattle

Distance: .4 m each way

Surface: Paved road

Smoothness: Smooth road

Levelness: Minimal hills, but some side slope

View: Trees

Trailhead: One end is at E Interlaken Blvd & 19th Ave E.  One end is at E Interlaken Blvd & 21st Ave E.

Other: There is no parking lot nor facilities.  The neighborhood has winding roads, making the park difficult to find.

Salish Sea

Trail: Padilla Bay Shore Trail

Location: 72 m north of Seattle on coast

Distance: 2.25 m each way

Surface: Hard- packed gravel

Smoothness: Excellent when dry

Levelness: Flat

View: Estuary with birds, Salish Sea with islands, and oil refinery.

Trailhead: South Trailhead has parking lot with (accessible) Honey Bucket and wheelchair-accessible ATV-guard

Other: Breadfarm and Farm to Market Bakery in nearby Bow and Edison

Trail: Sand Dunes Trail 

Location: Deception Pass State Park, North-west  Whidbey Island

Distance: 1.2 m loop

Surface: Paved

Smoothness: Mostly good; one section wind-swept with a little sand; one section with 2 large upswells in pavement from roots (can be circumvented)

Levelness: Flat

View: Salish Sea with islands, beach with dunes and driftwood, stand of (big) trees

Trailhead: West Beach has a large paved parking lot with disabled parking and restrooms.

Other: Trail passes Cranberry Lake with beach, picnic tables  (1 accessible), restrooms, and concessions

Snoqualmie

Trail: Camp Brown

Location: Middle Fork Snoqualmie River (past Mailbox Peak)

Distance: .45 m loop

Surface: Hard-packed dirt

Smoothness: Good in good weather

Levelness: Flat, except for hills at beginning and end

View: Trees, Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, mountains

Trailhead: Paved parking lot with disabled parking and accessible outhouses.

Other: Picnic tables and areas (many accessible) with views

 

Mountain Loop Highway

Trail: Old Sauk River Trail

Location: 5.4 m from Darrington T-intersection on Hwy 530 

Distance: 1 m loop

Surface: Hard-packed dirt    

Smoothness: Good (in good weather)

Levelness: Minimal hills

View: Forest, Sauk River

Trailhead: Medium-packed gravel parking lots with accessible outhouse and picnic tables. 

Trail: Big Four Ice Caves

Location: About 25 m past Granite Falls on Hwy 530

Distance: about .8 m popsicle loop from picnic parking lot to bridge (boardwalk) and then 1/2 way back to dirt trail leading to second parking lot, and then on paved trail between parking lots

Surface: Boardwalk, paved, hard-packed gravel and dirt

Smoothness: Good

Levelness: Mostly flat

View: Mountain, forest, bog, river

Trailhead: Two entrances with paved parking lots (with disabled parking spaces and accessible outhouses) connected by paved trail. One entrance has picnic tables with mountain views; one is in forest

Other: Trail continuing up to ice caves is steep and has steps.

 

Trail: Monte Cristo

Location: Barlow Pass, 31 m east of Granite Falls on Hwy 530. 

Distance: 1.6 m there and back (turn-around when trail takes short but steep downhill)

Surface: Hard-packed dirt

Smoothness: Good

Levelness: Flat

View: Woods, river, mountains, berries, bears

Trailhead: Locked gate requires key from Snohomish County Dept of Public Works

Other: turn back when trail takes short but steep downhill at .8 m; otherwise, trail becomes narrow, steep, and overgrown, eventually running into river

Highway 2

Trail: Erinswood

Location: Index, WA

Distance: .6 m loop (+.2 m each way to get there)

Surface: Hard-packed dirt

Smoothness: Good, once on ADA trail

Levelness: Mostly flat (a few small hills)

View: Trees (especially cedars and big leaf maples), fungi, ferns

Trailhead: Small, medium-packed gravel parking lot with no facilities at Heybrook Ridge County Park on Index-Galena Road off of Hwy 2.

Other: As of fall 2020, the loop was being built to be fully ADA accessible.  There-and-back from/to parking lot was a narrow path, overgrown on the sides.

Trail: Iron Goat Trail

Location: FR 6710 (sharp left at junction with Old Cascade Hwy), which is found at Milepost 55 on Hwy 2, near Stevens Pass  

Distance: 3 m one-way ADA (part of 6 m loop)

Surface: Mostly hard-packed dirt; some boardwalk and bridge with boards

Smoothness: Excellent

Levelness: Railroad grade, but best if manual chair  goes downhill direction only (arrange to shuttle); minimal side slope

View: Trees, railroad tunnels & bridges, mushrooms,  mountains

Trailhead: Martin Creek trailhead (high point of ADA trail) has gravel parking lot, with disabled parking, accessible outhouse and non-accessible picnic tables

Other: Former Railroad; has interpretive signs 

North Cascades

Trail: Rainy Lake Trail

Location: Rainy Pass (Exit 158) on Hwy 120

Distance: 1 mile each way

Surface: Paved

Smoothness: Excellent

Levelness: Steep, significant hills; side slope toward down-hill side

View: Through forest to overlook of lake and surrounding peaks (distant larches visible in Oct)

Trailhead: Paved parking lot at Rainy Pass (Exit 158), with disabled parking spots, picnic tables and outhouses

Other: This section of the road is closed in winter till the snow melts

Trail: Black Pine Lake Trail

Location: West of Twisp, WA, down County Rd 9114 (Twisp River Rd) for 10m, then FS Rd 43 for 8 m

Distance: .5 m each way

Surface: Paved

Smoothness: Excellent

Levelness: Very good

View: Black Pine Lake, rosehips, ponderosa pines

Trailhead: Trail begins at boat-launch at Black Pine Lake Campground -- a large, paved lot, with disabled parking spots, wheelchair-accessible picnic tables, an accessible outhouse, and an accessible pier

Other:  Lake offers swimming, fishing, and non-motorized boating.  Campground has accessible drive-up spots above lake and 1 accessible "walk-in" spot at lake level.

For more accessible hikes in WA and on West Coast, see earlier blog posts:

http://www.wheelchairwandering.com/2017/05/accessible-trails-in-washington-state.html

http://www.wheelchairwandering.com/2018/08/wrapping-up-my-compilation-of.html

http://www.wheelchairwandering.com/2020/09/suggestions-for-accessible-hikes-in-wa.html

https://www.wheelchairwandering.com/2020/11/nc.html

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