Entry No. 55 — the Seattle file — filed under: history

Iron Goat Trail / Wellington Ghost Town

This gentle railroad-grade trail follows the abandoned Great Northern route over Stevens Pass to the ghost-town site of Wellington, where in 1910 an avalanche swept two trains off the mountain and killed 96 people, the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history. What remains is genuinely eerie: the dark, eroding mouth of an old tunnel and the long, curving concrete pillars of a collapsing snowshed receding into the forest. There's no townsite left, just ruins, ferns, and the weight of what happened here.

The move: Hike the easy grade out to the Wellington snowshed ruins and read the avalanche history plaques together where the trains were lost.

📍 Before you go Trail is snow-free roughly late spring through fall; check WTA conditions. A Northwest Forest Pass may be needed at the trailhead.

• 📍 Stevens Pass (near Skykomish), WA
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Old Cascade Highway, Iron Goat Trailhead, near Scenic, WA

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24