You've heard about Washington's many haunted hotels, haunted theaters, and creepy ghost towns. But did you know we also have a few haunted trails in Washington? Sometimes when tragedy strikes, some eerie evidence can get left behind. Of course, we aren’t sure if the six-mile Iron Goat Trail is haunted, but it’s definitely creepy. And once you hear about the horrifying events that occurred here, you’ll understand why. Let's take a peek at some Iron Goat Trail photos. The hike is in Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, near Skykomish.
The Iron Goat Trail is located in the Central Cascades.
The trail itself is fairly easy to navigate, so if you're capable of walking six miles, the hike shouldn't be much of a problem... assuming, of course, that you're brave enough to check out a haunted trail in Washington!
This is a gentle nature walk along the old Great Northern Railroad grade built in 1893.
At that time, it was considered the best-engineered of all the transcontinental railroads.
To enjoy this hike, you'll simply start out at the Martin Creek trailhead and follow the signs.
You'll see other signs explaining the stories of the people that built the railway, making this a great trail for history buffs.
But as beautiful as this area is, it has an extremely sinister history.
This is actually the site of the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history, the Wellington Avalanche, and one of the worst tragedies to ever happen in the Pacific Northwest.
In February of 1910, this area was hit with a treacherous blizzard that lasted for nine days. At one point, a foot of snow was falling nearly every hour, with a whopping 11 feet falling in one day.
During this blizzard, two trains were trapped at the Wellington Depot, an old train station on what is now the Iron Goat Trail in the now-ghost town of Wellington.
In the wee hours of March 1, the snow was replaced with rain and wind. Lightning struck just after 1:00 a.m., breaking a big slab of snow loose.
A huge mass of snow half a mile long fell toward Wellington, and an avalanche crashed into the railroad depot, sending the sleeping train passengers 150 feet downhill and into the Tye River Valley. Ninety-six people died, and the 23 survivors were pulled from the wreckage by railroad employees who were able to get into the area and help. The weather made further rescue almost impossible.
Some people claim that if you hike the Iron Goat Trail, you can hear screams and other sounds inside the trail tunnel. A few have even spotted full-on apparitions.
While these spooky happenings are definitely few and far between, it's something you might want to consider before hiking this trail.
But don't worry, if you travel the trail with plenty of daylight left you should be safe from any specters that haunt the area. Let's go on a hike on the Iron Goat Trail to see these fascinating ruins in this video from The Hungry Hiker:
If you are craving more outings such as the Iron Goat Trail haunted hike, there are plenty more to be found. Have you discovered any other haunted trails in Washington that give you a few stomach flutters? Tell us all about them in the comment.
Whether they are known for their myths or their beauty, take a peek at some of the many hikes on AllTrails Plus so you can get all the details you need before you hit the trail!
Were you aware that America's deadliest avalanche happened right here in Washington?
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/washington/deadly-history-stevens-pass-wa/
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