Now here is an idea TrailBear likes - a shuttle bus between Rattlesnake Lake trailhead and Hyak.
That means that you can start at the top, do the tunnel, then head downhill to Rattlesnake Lake. The summer schedule is service on Friday - Sunday and holidays. He wants to give this a try in 2012 with his new trike.

From the brochure at the Hyak trailhead...

"Agate Pass Transportation and Washington State Parks again offer Bus Up 90 service along the popular John Wayne Pioneer Trail between Rattlesnake Lake and Hyak trailheads..."

WEBSITE...



"Snoqualmie Shuttle Fall Schedule is now in effect!

Washington's John Wayne Pioneer Trail and Snoqualmie Tunnel are both still open, and we're still shuttling hikers and bikers up to Hyak. You can once again experience the tunnel and trail now that they've reopened after a three year closure! Service will continue until the tunnel closes for the season, or at least until the weather gets too bad, too often.

Plan now to take the shuttle and trail to enjoy spectacular FALL FOLIAGE in the Cascade Range! For an awesome description of the ride through the tunnel, and then on down the trail, visit http://www.mysnovalley.com/?page_id=21

Hike or bike down the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, but save time, fuel, and hassles. Take the Bus-Up! Make your reservations now for 2011 Fall shuttle service between Cedar Falls and Hyak Trailheads.

Fall 2011 Shuttle Schedule:

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, (Labor day, till further notice):
Upbound, Leave Cedar Falls Trailhead at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 1:00 PM.
Downbound*, Leave Hyak Trailhead at 10:00 AM, 12:00 NN, and 2:00 PM.

* Downbound walk-up service is not assured. While it may be available, it is always best to make reservations!

Fares: $22 per person each way, with discounts for military, children under 15, and family groups of 5 or more. Pre-paid reservations are highly recommended, but walk-ups will be accommodated on a space-available basis.

Our online reservation system is not yet operational, however you can make pre-paid reservations by phone, between 9 AM and 5 PM, using your Visa or Mastercard, by calling 1-877-BUS UP 90. (That's 1-877-287-8790.) Each trip can accommodate 21 passengers and bicycles. Additional shuttle services for hikers may also be available."


Ride/bus on!

TrailBear
Do they take trikes? It folds up.

This section of the Iron Horse Trail from South Cle Elum Depot to Tunnel 47, one of the two closed Thorp tunnels, does not see much bicycle or hiking traffic while the tunnel closure continues. Tunnel 50 (Snoqualmie Pass) fortunately has been reopened in July 2011 but is usually closed for several months every winter, starting in November. It is not known if and when Tunnels 46 and 47 will be repaired and re-opened so that we can travel all the way to Ellensburg without having to use a detour.

All trail sections west of Cle Elum have received multiple descriptions posted by other trail users on this TrailLink website, but the section east of Cle Elum has not received much attention. Actually, the section along the Yakima River is so scenic, that it was even included as a hike in "100 Hikes in the Alpine Lakes", 1st Ed. (1985), page 184. I have supplemented this trail report with GPS coordinates and photos in the hope that RTC staff can use them later to add geocoded info to the trail description. The photo number in upper left hand corner is keyed to numbers in [brackets] in this report. I hope that my photos will display in the numbered sequence and not randomly interspersed with the other photos already posted.

A Discover Pass is required to park at the South Cle Elum Depot. Sightseeing at the Depot is worthwhile and has already been described in detail in a posting on this web site by ToolBear on September, 3, 2010.

Going east, the first four miles of trail surface are quite loose gravel, a little more strenuous to ride on than the remaining 8 miles where maintenance trucks have packed the gravel for easier riding. Several culverts under the trail have recently been replaced and those heavy construction trucks helped to pack the trail bed. Actually, for the last part of the 4-mile loose gravel stretch, a road (Lower Peoh Point Rd.) parallels the trail with several driveway connections crossing the trail, and one is tempted to leave the trail and opt for smooth asphalt pavement (as long as you find a connection to lead you back to the trail where the trail and paved road diverge). Starting at the Depot (mile 0, N47.18387, W120.95373, elev. 1932), the trail crosses two streets (6th Street and South Cle Elum Way, but no white stripes on the street mark the trail crossings) and several driveways and at 2.9 mi. comes to a crossing with River Ranch Lane road and the start of detour instructions** [1] [2] (N47.17656, W120.89542, elev. 1900) before the (now dead-ended) trail continues under the freeway I-90. There is a yellow sign with a bicycle and an arrow pointing right and 14.5 MILES (presumably the length of the detour). From here Lower Peoh Point Rd. on the south continues to parallel the trail until you come to a gate [3] at 4.3 mi., N47.16742, W120.86567, el. 1900. (Someone suggested to cheating and parking at this gate and riding from there - there is no designated parking and don't block the gate! There is no designated parking at this location). While up to here the scenery left and right of the trail was not too enticing (pastures and isolated ranch houses), the scenery becomes more dramatic at mile point 5 where the Yakima River and its confluence with the Teanaway River come into view. At 5.3 mi. is the first of three picnic areas with a picnic table [4] N47.16735, W120.84793, el.1860.43. From here on the trail stays mostly within view of the river and sometimes old Highway 10 on the other side of the river. At 6.25 mi. is the second picnic area, Turkey Gulch [5] N47.16489, W120.82948, el.1866. At 7.3 mi. is the third picnic area, Ponderosa [6] N47.15821, W120.81028, el. 1844. At 8.1 mi. the overflow water from an irrigation ditch comes cascading down a steep hillside [7] and spills into the river N47.14769, W120.80868, el. 1813. It looks like a waterslide in an amusement park but it is a bit too steep for my taste and instead of landing in a pool it funnels through a narrow pipe, deadly for sure. Along the trail is an old dilapidated shack [8] and two cattle gates. At 12.5 mi. the trail ends (for now) at Tunnel 47 [9] N47.12250, W120.73223, el.1759. Even at low water, there are no easy bypasses past Tunnel 47 on the river side since the river has carved out a steep cliff [10] and going steeply overland crosses private property. The cement lining on the walls and ceiling of the tunnel is crumbling [11]. There is not much elevation loss between the Depot and here (-180 ft.) and riding back up is easy. It is unfortunate that at no point the trail provides an easy access to the river, presumably because Washington State Parks owns only a narrow strip of land and all land left and right of the old RR grade is still private land. In the future, Washington State Parks should look into acquiring some of the chord-shaped pieces of land between the trail and the river that otherwise have no established access road.

---------------
** Just for those who did not read the detour instructions at
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Iron%20Horse
here is a repeat of what is posted on that web site and at the trailside where the detour starts:

Tunnel 46 and 47 detour directions are as follows:

Eastbound travelers will find a map and detour signs three miles east of Cle Elum.
Follow the yellow bicycle signs with orange flags south off the JWPT.
Westbound travelers from Thorp will find the same detour signs east of Taneum Road; this route is south of the JWPT.
From the west, the detour starts at River Ranch Lane. Travel south to Lower Peoh Point Rd.
Travel east approximately 150 feet to Watson Cutoff Rd.
Turn south on Watson Cutoff Rd to Upper Peoh Point Rd.
Travel east four miles on Upper Peoh Point.
When the road turns to Thorp Prairie Rd., travel east on Thorp Prairie Rd 13 miles to E Taneum Rd.
Then travel northeast on E Taneum Rd. for two miles to the trail crossing.

To me, it's a thigh burner on the way up, but oh so heavenly on the way down. Gorgeous views. Quiet and not at all crowded. "Normal" (somewhat) bathrooms and picnic tables make it nice.

We were two of the first bicycle riders since the re-opening of the tunnel to ride the shuttle bus up and ride through the tunnel and back down on the Iron Horse Trail. The tunnel has undergone major improvements with the drain ditches on both sides now covered by boards and fiber cloth to keep the silt out of the water. The washout on the east portal has been repaired and the road rebuilt. The road surface in the tunnel has received a new layer of crushed rock and is graded completely smooth. If you ride through the tunnel, dress warmly and waterproof since it always drips from the ceiling. Entering the tunnel is like entering a refrigerator. Temperature in the tunnel is 38-40 F. After exiting the tunnel and starting to ride downhill, we saw five bear scats on the trail but only within 3-4 miles of the tunnel exit and none of the animals was to be seen. This is a scenic ride and there are lots of flowers blooming on the rocks at the trailside at this time of the year. There are several picnic tables, two campgrounds, three outhouses and two portable toilets between Hyak and Cedar Falls. This will soon be as popular as the Hiawatha tunnels in Idaho-Montana, except the Iron Horse trail surface is in better condition.

Dear bicycling friends: GOOD NEWS!
I just received note that the shuttle between Rattlesnake Lake (=Cedar Falls) and Hyak will resume on July 1, 2011.
Go and look at the web site
http://www.busup90.com
Welcome to Bus-Up 90 !
Snoqualmie Shuttle Service to Resume in July 2011
GOOD NEWS!!!
The John Wayne Pioneer Trail and Snoqualmie Tunnel will officially reopen July 5, 2011,with a big celebration and trail ride. It's all part of the 40th Anniversary of the Mountain to Sound Greenway, and Bus-Up 90 is very proud to be an official part of it. We're now accepting reservations for shuttle service between Cedar Falls and Hyak Trailheads.
2011 Inaugural Shuttle Schedule: (Starting July 1)
Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays:
Upbound, Leave Cedar Falls Trailhead at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM.
Downbound, Leave Hyak Trailhead at 10:00 AM, 12:00 NN, 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.
Fares will be $22 per person each way, with discounts for military, children under 12, and family groups of 4 or more. Pre-paid reservations are highly recommended, but walk ups will be accommodated on a space-available basis.
Our online reservation system is not yet operational, however you can make pre-paid reservations by phone, between 9 AM and 5 PM, using your Visa or Mastercard, by calling 1-877-BUS UP 90. (That's 1-877-287-8790.) Each trip can accommodate 21 passengers and bicycles. Additional shuttle services for hikers may also be available.

We rode this trail (on mountain bikes with BoB trailers) starting in Seattle by by riding the Burke-Gilman Trail to the Sammish River Trail to the Tolt Pipeline Trail to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. The 1st day was 70 miles to the Alice Creek backcountry campground. The 2nd day went as far as Cle Elum, and the 3rd day went to Wanupum State Park on the Columbia. We then crossed the Columbia on the I-90 bridge at Vantage WA (VERY DANGEROUS) and continued on the John Wayne Trail.

I would have given this trail a higher rating but, because of tunnel closures, there are some long detours required. The 1st is a steep, miserable climb up to Snoqualmie Pass on I-90: there is a wide shoulder but it is busy and noisy and climbs 800' in about 2 miles. You can rejoin the trail at Hyak for a few miles but you get sent back to I-90 near Cabin Creek and ride it all the way to Lake Easton State Park. The trail, when you can get on it is good, mostly gravel. Also, after you leave the Snoqualmie Pass area there are no places to camp except at Wanupum State Park. The condition of the trail itself is excellent but the detours could use better signs.

From Rattlesnake Lake you climb steadily to the closed tunnel at Snoqualmie pass. There are 2 nice state park campsites about 8-9 miles up from the trail start. Right before the tunnel there is an old power road which drops yopu down to I-90 right before it climbs up to Snoqualmie Pass. (You'll know it is the right road if it goes right by a cell tower.) After rejoining the trail at Hyak you'll ride by 2 more campsited along Kecheelus Lake before you get detoured again.

After Cle Elum, more signs try to direct you to another long road ride (but not on I-90 this time) but the tunnels are open so don't take the detour. This section is along the Yakima river and is probably the prettiest section of the ride, well worth a day trip.

The next detour is after Ellensburg at Kittitas around a derelict trestle. This is about 3 miles with some climbing but the roads are lightly traveled. This end at the Yakima Army Base (Army West) where you self register to ride across. (Just the idea of riding through a military firing range is too cool.) The trail on the west side of the Boylston Tunnel on the base is very soft with lots of horse traffic so the riding is slow. The tunnel itself is open although the army has recently put in some concrete barriers to keep vehicles out. East of the tunnel you begin a fantastic 15 mile descent to the Columbia River. The trail is still soft but usually not as bad as on the west side because of fewer horses. (It is soft and steep enough that climbing uo east to west would be agonizingly slow.) No water is available in this section except for one place near the eastern end of the trail.

Camping at Wanupum State Park was decent but expensive ($28 - no hiker/biker sites.)

Good trail for bikes as long as you've got fat tires. The gravel is relatively well packed and the grade never exceeds 2.5% (iirc). Scenic and well worth the time. The biggest problem the trails faces at this time is that there are several tunnels closed due to their deteriorating condition.
My wife and I took the Rattlesnake Lake to Snoqualmie pass route the first time and it was a great ride. It's about 18 miles one way from Rattlesnake to the tunnel with about a 1600ft elevation gain. There was a wash out about a quarter mile from the tunnel, so if you decide to negotiate the small creek, you'll have traveled as far as you can and you'll see the old tunnel. Two and a half miles long, you don't see the other end :)
Our next trip was from the other side of the tunnel which is the Hyak area. Traveling from Hyak to Easton is about a 16 mile trip one way with a slight elevation drop (about 800ft). Scenic, with a couple detours for closed tunnels, but a good ride.
From Easton to Cle Elum, is about 14 miles one way and relatively flat. Here the trail starts to follow somewhat closely to the freeway, so there is a little more civilization to deal with. On a good note, the Yakima river starts to make itself seen.
Due to two tunnels out, we haven't done the Cle Elum to Thorp portion of the ride yet. The detour is mostly country roads, dealing with traffic with little to no shoulders to avoid speeding autos.
Thorp to Kitittas is the next section and that ride takes you through the city of Ellensburg. It's about 15.5 miles one way and it crosses the Yakima river and takes you along farmer's fields. Again, relatively flat. While not as scenic, it is still a charming ride. I recommend getting an early start as the winds can blow steadily later in the day and you'll find your pleasant little ride turn into a slog as the dust will make looking into the wind a pain.
The last leg my wife and I want to do is the ride from Kitittas to Army East as it's called. I wouldn't want to break this into two trips so we'll try this in one shot. It's about 29 miles from Kitittas to Columbia river. Our plan is to over-night at the state park near Vantage at the end of the ride and have two cars so we don't have to retrace our steps. It's a decent climb the first half of the ride, 11 miles with a 900ft gain, but then it looks like a decent drop after that as you descend into the Columbia river basin (about 2000ft).
I can't speak to the trail condition of that last section of the trail, but the rest of the trail is in good shape. Gravel bed with fairly nice trail heads as I have outlined above. The exception is Kitittas which didn't have working water or bathrooms.
Do bring your hydration packs, do bring your bike tools and spare tubes or patch kits. Do bring a picnic lunch, there are many spots to have a very nice picnic. If you wish to brave the tunnels, bring your lights, it's really dark in there! I personally like breaking the trip into short rides so that you can do each step in a day. My wife and I are in decent shape and we found these were big enough bites for us. If you're in better condition, you can tackle two sections at a time or more.

More info: http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Iron%20Horse

TRAILBEAR AT THE DEPOT – South Cle Elum Depot, Trailhead & Rail Yard Trail

09.03.2010

This is worth a look.

You could have a nice family outing at the South Cle Elum Depot and combine the history trail with out and back rides up and or down the trail. Hit the depot on the right day and the restaurant is open.

< http://www.milwelectric.org/>

< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago,_Milwaukee,_St._Paul_and_Pacific_Railroad:_South_Cle_Elum_Yard>

South Cle Elum is one of the more interesting trailheads on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. Not because of the superb facilities. The trailhead itself consists of a large gravel parking lot, one vault toilet (wooden) and an information kiosk. The sense of “deluxe” is not overwhelming.

What does South Cle Elum have?

A whole division point worth of facilities. It has the original passenger depot, a substation that once converted 100,000 ACV into 3000 DCV current for the trains, the remains of shops, turn table, round house and other facilities found in an engine terminal rail yard with company bungalows for staff. In short, it has history on the hoof and a rather nice walking history trail to take you through it. This is very much worth the walk.

From here it is 11+ miles up the JWPT to Easton Trailhead. The ride to Easton looks interesting for the first five miles as there are two bridges. The rest is miles along the freeway – boring.

The 18+ miles down to Thorp Trailhead look boring for the first five miles (fields, etc.), then you reach the river. Remember that the Thorp Tunnels are closed before you arrive at Thorp. It does make getting around awkward.

The ride along the river down to the first tunnel looks worthwhile. For those who, like the TrailBear, wish to Cut to the Chase – there appears to be an access point at 47.167032 x -120.864556 on the Lower Peoh Point Rd., about a half mile short of where the trail embraces the river.

Park the bike, try the Rail Yard Trail and explore the Milwaukee Road at South Cle Elum. Start at the Depot, built in 1909, and go from there. Have a nice walk. Photos of some of the information signs and remains are posted in the trail pix.

Ride on!

TrailBear
Wandering across the rail yard at South Cle Elum

TRAILBEAR’S FACILITIES SURVEY – John Wayne Pioneer Trail Access from Rattlesnake Lake to Easton

8.12.2010

Start on Interstate 90 in Seattle or thereabouts and head east for Snoqualmie Pass. Here are the trailheads and access points in order, west to east for the bits that folks actually ride. (Ridership east of Easton does drop off.) The information is based on the TrailBear actually going to these places by van with camera and GPS in hand. Paste the GPS coordinates into Google Earth to see where things are located.


EXIT 32, RATTLESNAKE LAKE RECREATION AREA, IRON HORSE STATE PARK, 47.432299 -121.766859

Take Exit 32 onto 436th Ave SE and head uphill to the Rattlesnake Lake Recreation Area. The lake is situated in a pass in the mountains where three ridges meet. It’s also where three rail lines meet. Coming down from the pass is the old Milwaukee Road, now the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in Iron Horse State Park. The Road splits at the lake. One branch – the Snoqualmie Valley Trail - goes north and downhill into the Snoqualmie Valley and (with one gap) continues up to Duvall.

The other branch goes southwest down the valley of the Cedar River to Renton on Lake Washington. This branch is not developed into a trail at the upper end. You have to go down to Landsburg Rd. trailhead, some 11+ miles away to reach the upper end of the Cedar River Trail.

When you enter the rec area the right hand road leads down to the lake – where the kids are partying. You take the left turn and climb uphill to the trailhead at the Iron Horse State Park.
It’s a nice trailhead – paved parking, two deluxe vault toilets, information kiosks, tables, benches and the ends of both the Snoqualmie Valley Trail and the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. Get on the trail and start climbing towards the tunnel (closed).


EXIT 38, OLLALIE TRAILHEAD, 47.441651 -121.671788

In about 600’ after you exit onto Homestead Valley Rd., (Ollalie State Park), your turn on the right appears. The sign says something like: Ollalie State Park – Homestead Valley Trailhead. Not a mention of the JWT. It is the first gravel road on your right on Homestead Valley Rd. As you enter the parking area, notice the gated gravel road to the left. You take this 0.37 steeply uphill to join the JWT.

The trailhead features a vault toilet and a large gravel parking area. The exit is limited to getting off going east and getting on going west. There is another partial exit at the upper end of Ollalie State Park.


EXIT 38, THE GARCIA GATES ACCESS PARKING, 47.424089 -121.621227

Instead of a steep uphill hike or pedal, why not just drive up to the trail? Exit as for the Ollalie Trailhead. Drive up Homestead Valley Rd. past the park. Where it turns to the freeway on-ramp, there is a gravel road to the right: 9020. In one mile, with some steep pitches, it will cross the JWT at the Garcia Gates Crossing. There is access parking for six or more cars on either side.

The other half of Exit 38 is up the road at the eastern end of Ollalie State Park. You can get on I-90 east bound and off I-90 west bound from here.


EXIT 42 TINKHAM RD, McCELLAN BUTTE TRAILHEAD, 47.411999 -121.588650

Take Exit 42, Tinkham Rd. toward the Tinkham Campground. Shortly after you pass the WSDOT facility and the fancy creekside home on the curve, the next gravel road to the right is yours. No trailhead sign there. Head uphill to the McCellan Butte Trailhead. You can hike the bike up the trail to reach the JWT, but who would wish to? TrailBear, he would be parked at Garcia Gates and avoid the hike.


EXIT 47, DENNY CREEK CAMPGROUND, ANNETTE LAKE TRAILHEAD, 47.392554 -121.474514

Exit the freeway and turn right to head for the Annette Lake Trailhead, etc. The road Ts into the Tinkham Rd. Turn left. On 0.4 miles there is a large blacktopped parking lot with one of those obso chocolate brown (inside and out – like a cave) vault toilets. You can take your bike 0.8 miles uphill to the JWT, but no further up the Annette Lake Trail. This trailhead gets you close to the West Portal, the exemplar snow shed and the Hansen Creek Trestle.


EXIT 54, HYAK TRAILHEAD, 47.391396 -121.392360

Take Exit 54 on the eastern side of the Snoqualmie Summit ski area. Turn right onto Rt. 906 for a short distance, then left onto Hyak Dr. E. / Rd. 2219 and head towards the WSDOT facility gate. The road turns right here. Do so, then take the next right toward the ski slope. Shortly you will be in a large paved parking area with picnic tables around the edges and a very nice restroom in the center.

The restroom features six cabin style loos with power and two of them have showers. In summer no fee is charged at this trailhead. Come winter it is a Sno Park and you pay, but you can ski the JWT.


EXIT 54, LAKE KEECHELUS TRAILHEAD, 47.384386 -121.389856

If you want to pay a day use fee, or have a Golden Age or other accepted passport, you can try the USFS Lake Keechelus Trailhead. Rewind to where you turned at the WSDOT gate. Where you turned right to Hyak, now carry on ahead down 2219. The trailhead is about 0.7 miles further on. There is a vault toilet, info kiosk, picnic table and paved parking. If you take the road to the end, you wind up at the Lake Keechelus Boat Launch – which works better when the water level is up in the lake.


EXIT 71, EASTON TRAILHEAD, 47.230746 -121.171445

Take Exit 71 into Easton. Turn right at the bottom of the off ramp and onto Cabin Creek Rd. Follow it across Railroad St., across the active RR tracks, thence to where it crosses the JWPT. Turn left onto the JWPT and go 0.3 miles to a large graveled parking lot adjacent to the trail.

This is the Easton Trailhead. It has tables, water, vault toilets, info kiosks and lots of parking. There were directional signs to the trailhead back in 2008. They may still be there. Note: the trailhead is NOT in Lake Easton State Park – up the road a bit. Camping is there.


Ride on!

TrailBear
Looking for just the right trailhead

TRAILBEAR FINDS THREE TRESTLES IN THREE MILES – John Wayne Trail from Twin Falls to Alice Creek

8.12.2010

TrailBear is scouting how to visit the best parts of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail and leave the miles and miles of woods for those who want to ride miles and miles of wood. He figures he has done enough miles of woods to declare: BTDT and where can I buy the T shirt? He wants to pare things down so he just gets the goodies. Forget the broccoli; he wants the ice cream!

There is ice cream up this trail. There are three trestles within a range of three miles from the Twin Falls Trailhead. That is a very good miles-to-attractions ratio. Trestle #4, Hansen Creek, is miles further on. Ride three miles out and play tourist at 75% of the trestles on the west side of the pass? Sounds like a deal. Begin the ride at…


TWIN FALLS TRAILHEAD, 0.0 MILES, N47.44176 W121.67197

Now here is a handy trailhead just off Exit 38 (SE Homestead Valley Rd., Twin Falls State Park) on I-90. As you exit the freeway from Seattle and cross the river, it is the first gravel road to the right. The sign says something like: Ollalie State Park – Homestead Valley Trailhead.

Thursday morning the place was empty, then a few cars by lunch. On Friday morning, while Der Bear was alone, having breakfast in the sunshine, comes a Leviathan class bus. Out pour the tots and their wranglers. Climbing summer camp. Plan on the place being a zoo on good summer weekends.

Tucked on a slope above the bottom of the park is a large gravel parking lot with a vault toilet and info kiosk. Not much info on the JWT. There is a better map down in the picnic area.
As you enter the parking area, note the gated gravel road to the left. You take it uphill 0.37 steep miles to the…


TRAIL JUNCTION, 0.37 MI, N47.44198 W121.67633

You are now on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in the Iron Horse State Park. Go right to the big trailhead at Rattlesnake Lake. Go left to the closed tunnel at Snoqualmie Pass and points in between. Bear goes left to the …


DECEPTION CRAGS CLIMBING AREA, MI, N47.43773 W121.66378

Washington is rather lacking in good and accessible rock climbing areas. The Milwaukee Road had to blow the cliffs to hang the road bed on a ledge in this section. Someone got a Bright Idea and used the cliffs as a practice rock climbing area. That works. The rock looks decent.

It’s about a mile walk from the trailhead (which is freeway close) and most of the routes have permanent hardware and anchors. There are porta potties here and there. Could use a few picnic tables or benches. Benches would be nice – facing the rock so you can watch the show. There are nice views up and down the pass from here.

It must be a nice place to practice. TB wonders: Where was this when he was at the U-W, ages ago? Probably the Road was still active and hostile to people on the track.

The trailbed thus far is homogeneous hardpack and gravel. No large rocks in evidence; give it a B rating.


CHANGE CREEK TRESTLE, 1.09 MI, N47.43733 W121.66349

Pedal along under the cliffs for a short distance and here is the Change Creek Trestle. Not a bad looking job. It’s a classic Milwaukee Road steel trestle. You can see a lot of these on the Route of the Hiawatha over in Idaho. That is one fun ride. Take the family. Buy the shuttle ticket back to the top. This one has a climbing area right at the end of the trestle. Look right and notice the anchors. There is a trail under the trestle to the bottom of this climb.

For about 600 miles on the Western Extension the Milwaukee Road was electrical powered by 3,000 volt DC current in one overhead wire. They had converter stations every X miles to convert the AC to DC. Only one of the overhead frames used to support phone wires and the power cable is still there, but the brackets below the bridge deck are intact.


HALL CREEK TRESTLE, 1.46 MI, N47.43361 W121.65832

Change Creek Trestle was rather short. This one at Hall Creek has a bit more going for it. Admire but stay tuned for the best of the lot …


MINE CREEK TRESTLE, 2.78 MI, N47.42552 W121.63546

Now this is a trestle! Long, curving, about 0.1 miles long and it looks like it has a full set of overhead power frames. TB counts seven frames and still has fingers left. Three of the timber bolt-on phone wire arms still remain.

This is rather close to what you would have seen when the Road was operational. They had a Cleverness for the bridge decking: prefab concrete trays. Place edge to edge on the girders. Secure. Fill with ballast and add cross ties and rails. Your bridge deck was one long pan filled with gravel. Worked just fine.

TrailBear planned to turn around here: “Three Miles – Three Trestles”. A nice little ride; rather uphill, but that makes for rather downhill later. But no! TB always wonders what is around the next bend. The park map showed an Alice Creek Camp not too far ahead. Or, not too far as you figure on a map covering 70 miles. The Details get a bit lost. TrailLink could add another outhouse to the map. Onward! Alice Creek or Bust!


GARCIA, 3.34 MI, N47.42397 W121.62164

OK, Garcia what? Here is the sign out in the tullies. TB does not see enough room for a siding. What was Garcia and what did they do there? This will take some research.
At the library, working up the field notes, TB’s topo map shows a siding uphill of the trail and a bit further on. Does that make it Garcia Siding? Take a look for the exit points off the roadbed.


ACCESS PARKING - THE GARCIA GATES, 3.60 MI, N47.42397 W121.62164

Here is access parking for about a dozen cars where the trail crosses Garcia Rd. (gravel). The trail is gated and signed in both directions from here. Look to see if there is a siding up the hill. TB just rode on to the milage sign a bit further east.

Forest Rd 9020, down at the bottom of the grade and close aboard Exit 38 is the Garcia Rd. It has some steep pitches, but TB and the van were able to get up it at twilight to confirm the route. One mile from the freeway and you are parking on the trail. This tip is not in the park brochure.


TRAIL JUNCTION – McCELLAN BUTTE TRAIL, 5.50 MI, N47.41220 W121.59591

Here the trail to McCellan Butte (a death march but good views) crosses the JWT. This is another way to access the JWT. Park at the Butte trailhead and walk the bike up to there. TB thinks driving up Garcia Rd. and parking there sounds better than Hike A Bike.

Now where is that pesky campsite? Did Der Bear see a roof in the distance, under a power line, across the drainage of Alice Creek? Pedal on and see.


ALICE CREEK TRAIL CAMP, 5.87 MI, N47.40992 W121.59165

At last! Alice Creek Camp. There is the vault toilet painted a gay orange with red trim. It anchors the camp. TB vaguely recalls these to be the Milwaukee Road colors. He should have checked to see if the siding and batten detail is wood or faux concrete. The loo is a prefab concrete unit. This is one of the deluxe models.

There are three picnic tables here and each table has three tent platforms associated with it. Water is the question, and on the way down, TB saw a side trail on the left leading down into the Alice Creek drainage. Probably that is the water access. Do filter it – or – Beaver Fever.

Alice Creek is crossed by a humongous embankment. We are told these were cheaper than trestles. They often use hydraulic jets to sluice down the fill. The railroads must have been the biggest earth movers in the county. How many thousand cubic yards of fill went into this one embankment out in the tullies?


HEADING BACK - DOWNHILL ALL THE WAY AND MOVING FASTER

This is the end of the line for the day. TB eats two bear bars, gets a glamour shot of the Gutterbunny, and then heads downhill for a change. This is nice. The altitude difference between Twin Falls and Alice Creek is 616’. This translates into: Hardly pedaling and doing 12+ mph on a high friction surface.

Just beyond the Hall Creek Trestle he spots two climbers climbing and squeals to a stop for some human interest shots. The lead is being lowered down the face. It looks like he put up a route with assorted anchors and slings. Now, with a top rope, he is free to try it again and push things a bit. The math is better than when leading: Ten feet above last anchor = twenty feet down before the belayer goes to work.

But enough of that. TrailBear is headed back for lunch, so best not get between him and his food. The descent of the road out of the trailhead to the junction is interesting. Love those hydraulic brakes. They will stop a bear. TB eases down the climb: Steep with loose gravel. He has no desire for a Yard Sale within view of the van. He survives to unfold the Sloth Chair and devour a ham & cheese.


TRIP NOTES …

This was a fun ride. Certainly an uphill grade. It felt like 3-4%. The elevation graph on the GPS showed an alarming incline at points beyond the trestles. However, the attractions are in close and well worth the short ride.

Scenery = A. Trestles, climbers, views up and down the pass. Lots to see.
Facilities = B. You are well provided with porta potty pit stops on this route. Bring water.
Trailbed = B – C-. It is a one lane gravel road. From the trailhead to the Crags it’s a B trail: Uniform small gravel. This seems to be about as good as it gets on “soft surface” (at least until they discover something called “road base” – which comes with fines and compacts right well for a smoother surface.) Beyond the three trestles you see larger rock (6” minus) in the mix: C. Beyond Garcia you have the larger rock plus unfilled potholes: C-

Hansen Creek Trestle is about 2.3 miles out of the Annette Lake trail crossing. You can stage at the Asahel Curtis Trailhead and bike uphill 0.8 miles to the junction. Turn right and you are soon on the only snow shed left. This is one they put up out of material from the demolition. But why here? Why not over on the lake where people could reach it easier?

Turn left and you can go to the tunnel. The trail notes say the trail is out 1.x miles west of the West Portal, but TB talked to a rider on 8.12.10 that had just come down from there and he reported no problem reaching the tunnel. However, the work around for him was a half hour on I-90 climbing up to the pass. Beats the Denny Creek Rd. option.

If you could get uphill to the nest of roads in the ski area, you could ride down to exit at Silver Fur, Hyak or Cold Creek. It is worth looking for a route. There is a power line right of way heading uphill for 0.4 miles and they usually have some sort of access track.

CAMPING – Tinkham CG. Four miles up the road at the Tinkham Rd. exit. Lots of choices during the week, but almost every site was booked for the weekend. Thick woods. Whoever did the sites did a fine job on the pull in design. Plenty of room and sloped correctly.

Ride on!

TrailBear

Eating his ice cream and eschewing his broccoli.

One of the best trails in the best bicycling states (Washington) is broken into pieces. The powers-that-be have closed the tunnels due to a slight chance that a rock could hit someone in the tunnels. This breaks a cross-state state park/trail into in and out pieces. What would be wrong about signs stating that there was a chance of falling rock and proceed at own risk? I would promise not to sue, and take the 1-in-a-million chance!

On one trip I rode from Cedar Falls to Hayak round trip and it was a very nice ride. The tunnel just before Hayak was an experience I will not forget. I held my bike light in my hand while riding through the tunnel so that I could get a good view of all the walkers. This proved to be a bad idea since the movement of the flashlight, the tunnel vision and the sounds of the people all combined to bring on a serious case of motion sickness. On the return trip a cliped the light to the handlebar and this proved to be much easier on the stomache. Now a 2% grade doesn't sound like much but it sure adds up. Most of this section of trail was hardpacked and provided for easy peddling. From South Cle Elum to Thorpe is a whole different story. This section of trail is full of loose rock and will wear you out quick. The Yakima river and getting away from the interstate provides for some quite sceanery but it is certainly a workout. Its interesting that this use to be an electric rail line. You can still see some of the old substations and overhead power poles along the route.

"My family and I ride the Iron Horse several times each summer. Typically we will leave a car at Cedar Falls (near North Bend) or Easton and start from the summit at Hyak. This makes for a gradual downhill ride and is easier for the kids. A twenty mile trail ride is possible by 9+ year olds, which is quite an achievement and a lot of fun for all. Just remember to bring a tire repair kit!"

" In the summer of 2003, my late husband and I enjoyed mountain biking from the trailhead near North Bend for about 7 miles on this trail, then head back. This was one of his happiest times, enjoying the view and riding across the trestles. He died in Oct of 2003, so this trail holds special memories. My family and I really enjoyed this trail.

Cathy"

"Last weekend I finally decided to venture out to the western portion of this trail. By far, this is one of the coolest treks that I have taken. The 40+ mile round trip from North Bend across the Cascade Mountains and through the Snoqualmie Tunnel is phenomenal. For the most part, the trail was in very good shape, save a couple of trestles which had too much ballast on them. Restrooms are plentiful along the route, but not water fountains. The western origin, Rattlesnake Lake, merits a hike in & of itself to its butte.

About the tunnel: I've read reviews of folks walking or cycling through the darkness with no lights. While not recommended personally, it does make it much more sensational (but I had both of my lights turned on for the entire length). I had a couple of close run-ins with folks who were walking in big groups. I would recommend gloves; you do feel chilly, especially if you're starting at the tunnel. Water did fall on me, but nothing of significance.

So my vote: I can't wait to do this portion again. The scenery is incredible."

"I biked on the Iron Horse Trail from USFS Rd.54 to Easton,Wa.on May 25,2005.

The length of the ride was approx. 10 miles. The trail was in excellent condition,with only a few mud puddles near the entrances to the tunnels.

For the railfan, the real scenery is at the Easton end of the trail. From Easton, go west approx. 2 miles to where the trail and the rails are only 30 or so feet apart. Lots of rail action, 2 high trail trestles over the BNSF Stampede Pass Line.

P.S. I may have dropped a 35mm.film canister at the trailhead parking lot at Rd.54. If found,please e-mail me. I also found a pair of bifocals in a black case at the East end of the first tunnel. I left them there.

I met two bikers pulling bike trailers going Westbound and one hiker who had hiked down to the first tunnel and was returning to his car at Rd.54. All in all, a great ride."

"My partner and I did part of this trail in early May (2004) and enjoyed it. We went from Rattlesnake Lake on the western end up through the Snoqualmie Tunnel and back. I took a road bike and put 30mm wide tires on it and the ride was doable, a mountain bike would have been a lot better and more comfortable. Some of the longer trestles on this section have the original ballast and that was difficult riding so we walked our bikes across most of those trestles.

The day we went we had a few showers but like they say: ""There is no such thing as inappropriate cycling weather only inappropriate cycling clothing""

The tunnel was fun. At 2 1/4 miles it is dark but you can just see a light at the other end but take a light. We started walking our bikes through and soon people passed us riding in the opposite direction, the rider on the front bike did not have a light but the second one did and this provided just enough light to ride. We decided to try it and it worked. The surface in the tunnel was better than the trail so riding was good. Did I mention the tunnel was long, it took almost half an hour to ride through!

The second day I planned to ride from Hyak, near the east portal of the Snoqualmie Tunnel to Easton or Cle Elum. This is a good spot to talk about the importance of having up-to-date trail information. I was relying on two guide books The Official Rails-to-Trail Conservancy Guidebook for Washington and Oregon (published in 2001) and Washington’s Rail-Trails (2nd edition published 2002). Both of these books say that the bridge over the Yakima River is out and DO NOT try and cross the old bridge. Both books gave information on where to leave the trail and make your way on back roads to Easton to avoid the bridge. Each book had you leave the trail at a different spot. Well, I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer and I looked at each spot and felt that if I went off the trail on these dirt roads (the trail was a freeway compared to the detour they described) and was uncomfortable enough to get back on the trail and press on to the bridge. When I got there the trail was blocked, there is a new bridge being built and it was almost complete, to my eye anyway. I think that this bridge will be open in the very near future so find someone to ask before starting out on this section. Luckily I had a cell phone and found that I could call my partner and she met me almost back where I had started.

We enjoyed the trail and look forward to going back and doing more of the eastern portion.

Happy riding.

-Marcia Scanlon & Phil Grinton"

"Rather than take the path most traveled through the long tunnel west at Hyak, we turned east and rode past Lake Keechelus to Easton. We found one tunnel not on any maps we had, and a couple of short, newly contructed bridges over the Yakima R. and Cabin Creek. The track is hard packed gravel, but there are some soft spots. Several small waterfalls and rock formations are featured, as well as great lake and river views. The trestle is gone at Lake Easton, so you will need to use the 1.6 m. bypass trail to Lake Easton State Park. A mile East or so further you can regain the track eastbound at Easton, if desired. This was a pleasant uncrowded 17 mile ride. I'd rate it 3 stars out of 5."

"We have biked different sections on different days as well as skied some: from the Snoqualmie pass tunnel to Easton, from Easton to South Cle Elum, from South Cle Elum to Thorp.

1. Tunnel to South Cle Elum: This is a beautiful 26+ mile ride in the summer behind the lake and on down to Easton through the trees. Usually the wind blows west through the pass, so on a hot day it will be cooler with the air moving across the water. The ground is fairly hard packed (although watch for someone adding gravel), and we were able to make some pretty fast time up and back. The tunnel is a blast. CARRY LIGHT AND WARM CLOTHES- a 2.3 mile hole in the rock is going to be DARK and COLD!

2. Easton to South Cle Elum is a reasonably graveled stretch of about 12 miles, mostly through alternating forest and horse pasture. No spetacular views here, but it is pleasent. Serveral trestles over the Yakima and pretty river sections.

3. South Cle Elum to Thorp is approx 18 miles with more gravel than I would have liked, which makes this a workout even going downhill. However, this is probably the most scenic of all the sections we've been on. You are riding the transition between eastern cascade forest to sagebrush, and go through some rather remote sections of the Yakima canyon. Wildlife is VERY common- watch for deer in the damp meadows off the side. There are two tunnels towards Thorp, one of which will require lights.
CLOSE ALL GATES. There are ranchers in this area- you don't want to be the inadvertant cause of a cow/car incident."

"Correction to my comments of 8/22. The Forest Service road that provides access to the trail is about a mile east (not west) of Olallie State Park. This is several miles east of North Bend, on the south side of Interstate 90. The trail does not actually pass through the city of North Bend."

"This trail (at least the western portion of it) is also known as the ""John Wayne Trail."" I rode a mountain bike from about 12 miles west of the Snoqualmie Pass tunnel to Cle Elum, about 30 miles east of the tunnel.

The overall trail is crushed rock with two travelled paths of well compacted fine crushed rock that are negotiable with a road bike; however, there are occasional areas of larger, looser rock that make a mountain bike preferable.
West of Snoqualmie Pass, the trail runs several hundred feet above Interstate 90 and about a mile away from it. It generally runs through mature (though not virgin) forest and over many small cascading creeks. However, power transmission lines and traffic noise from I-90 detract from the aesthetics. Road access to the trail in this area is not well marked and is limited to a Forest Service road about a mile west of Ollalie State Park. Improved directions to the trail would be warranted, since this part of the trail is the most scenic and also the closest to the Seattle area.
Going through the tunnel requires a flashlight because the tunnel is not perfectly straight -- meaning that you can't see the light at the end of it, and it is totally dark. There are reflectors on the sides of the tunnel that help cyclists who have lights to navigate it.

East of Snoqualmie Pass, the trees become smaller and the power lines larger and more intrusive. The trail parallels Lake Keechelus for a few miles, but the lake is not very attractive in summer because it is drawn down for irrigation water supply, exposing large areas of shoreline that are barren except for tree stumps. There are a few scenic spots where the trail gets away from I-90 and crosses or runs parallel to the Yakima River, but those spots are relatively infrequent. The trail detours through Lake Easton State Park -- around Lake Easton -- and through the town of Easton. There should be a sign near the Easton Post Office directing people back to the trail, but one is lacking.
Washington State generally has some of the best scenery in the U.S., but I would have to say that the best of it does not occur along the Iron Horse Trail."

I rode this trail on the start of my Bike tour it was great! mostly hard pack gravel easy level grade. I had problems finding it in northbend it was not signed well. so I asked around and found the trail head after a fairly steep climb up a hill but I highly recomend this trail.