Hike Monte Cristo - Washington's Remote Ghost Town

This is Part 1 of 2 posts about my Monte Cristo ghost town and Silver Lake trip, in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest area of Washington state. It's essentially two hikes in one, so I'm splitting into two posts: this one on the Monte Cristo Ghost Town, and one (coming soon!) about Silver Lake (which is just a few steep miles past Monte Cristo).

Some of the old mining houses in Monte Cristo, a remote ghost town near Granite Falls, Washington located in a valley next to the Sauk River, surrounded by immense alpine peaks.

Fast Facts on the Monte Cristo Hike

You'll park at the Barlow Pass trailhead, which gets very crowded, as it is the jumping off point for many incredible hikes and climbs. Here are the logistics to plan your trip:

• Start at the Barlow Pass trailhead (Google Maps pin here) - it's about 5 hours from Portland, and 2 hours from Seattle. Arrive early, as it will be extremely crowded.

• National Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass is required for parking in lots (not sure about street parking... we forgot ours so we parked on the street and were not ticketed)

• The hike to Monte Cristo is about 9 miles roundtrip, with 650 feet elevation gain.

• There is a river crossing that could be difficult for some people and pets. It was one of the more uncomfortable river crossings I've experienced, but not dangerous.

• Do not drink any water here! The former mining operations have contaminated the water with heavy metals, and standard filtering/boiling/chemical treatment doesn't remove the toxins.

• AllTrails Link here

• Washington Trails Association Link here

• US Forest Service Link here

Arriving at the Trailhead and Nearby Campgrounds

We drove up from Portland on the evening of Friday, July 3. In hindsight, I feel silly that we didn't consider 4th of July crowds, but it was so much worse than we expected. There are many campgrounds and dispersed camping spots nearby, but every single one was taken up by 8 pm. We drove around for a little over an hour and finally found a somewhat decent dispersed camp spot quite far from the trailhead. Cars were passing by looking for spots until past 1 am, and I felt so bad for those who couldn't find one.

The only somewhat-nearby campsite, that was entirely on a slant. We ended up spilling an entire bottle of bug spray because Stitch chewed through his leash and ran around, knocking over everything. It was a rough time but at least we had a place to sleep.

Don't be like us! Arrive earlier, or hike on a weekday if possible. Nearby campgrounds are all managed by the US Forest Service and must be reserved on Recreation.gov. I've linked the reservation page for the two nearest campgrounds below. Each has some first come, first serve sites and some reservable sites.

• Coal Creek Campground

• Bedal Campground

A few of the campgrounds that come up on Google Maps are closed, so do your research first, but there are many more USFS sites on Mountain Loop highway east of Granite Falls before the trailhead. There are also many dispersed camping sites along the Highway.

Barlow Pass Trailhead is the gateway to many popular hikes and climbs, so it also fills up quickly. We had a late start and found a spot on the road, but be prepared to park pretty far away. Remember your NW Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass!

Here's a picture of the map at the trailhead. Many other hikers and climbers will veer right to Gothic Basin, but you'll stay to the left to get to Monte Cristo (or beyond...read more next week) Considering you have to cross a literal river, you won't miss it. Just be sure to keep left at the fork!

On the day I visited, it seemed like most people were climbing Gothic Basin. Despite the chaos at the trailhead, the trail to Monte Cristo and Silver Lake was very empty.

The First Few Miles

The hike to Monte Cristo might be long, but it's so easy! We saw people biking and trail running. The majority of the hike is on Monte Cristo Road, so it is wide and gently graded. The Sauk River will be on your left.

The trail follows a former railroad so it is very gently graded and easy to follow.

Remember to stay left at the first fork! Taking the right fork will bring you to Gothic Basin, another very popular hike. About a mile in, you'll see an outhouse (it looked horrific, just pee in the woods). To the right of the outhouse is the second fork that also crosses over to the Gothic Basin trail. At this point, you'll cross the Sauk River via a log jam. The river crossing is infamous and scares a lot of people away, but it wasn't that bad.

The log jam wasn't too bad to cross, but watch your footing. Our dog misjudged the stability of a log and took an unintentional swim. Luckily he loves water but it spooked him a bit.

The trail continues past the river crossing, still mostly flat. You'll pass a sign for the "Weden House" that marks the old headquarters for the mining company, but there's no remnants of the house.

Abandoned Sites Along the Trail

Keep your eye to the right of the trail as you hike - you'll begin to see ruins of old cabins. You haven't reached the official ghost town yet, but I actually found these more interesting because you can see inside the buildings. I found a newspaper dated 1991, so it was occupied at least until then. Who knows what happened after?

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  The first abandoned cabin on the trail

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  I found a newspaper dated 1991

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  The disarray inside

Shortly after this first cabin, we found what looked like old foundations for houses, some old cars, and a larger cabin. These looked to be newer than the 1991 cabin, and had signs saying "no trespassing" so we stayed outside. I don't know the history behind this settlement - maybe it was a "suburb" of Monte Cristo? The larger cabin has definitely had recent activity. An ATV was parked out front, but nature had already started to reclaim it.

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  The door to the newer structure - with Tibetan prayer flags and an open Bible

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  Several cars were becoming one with nature along the trail

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  The cabin/house with somewhat recent signs of life

I'd be very interested in learning more about the history of these structures! How did the cars get here? Who owns this dilapidated house? Did they intend to renovate and modernize, then give up?

The Ghost Town of Monte Cristo

Shortly after the last ruins, after hiking around 4 miles, you have reached Monte Cristo! There is a charming hand drawn map of the townsite, with a warning not to remove any artifacts of the historical site.

To the left of the townsite is the modern campground. This is a popular base camp for many longer hikes and climbs.

The townsite itself was a little smaller and more barren than I expected. All of the buildings are closed, so unfortunately you can't explore inside (which is why I actually enjoyed the ruins along the trail more than the town itself).

I enjoyed seeing the remnants of the Monte Cristo lodge, the old railway turntable, and random artifacts scattered in the valley. The town is nestled among giant peaks and is very beautiful. Several picnic tables make for perfect lunch spots. Also, the railway turntable actually works! I felt like I was in Mulan pushing it around (it's quite heavy).

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  The remnants of Monte Cristo Lodge

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  One of the old houses surrounded by gorgeous peaks

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  The turntable that still works!

If you walk through the Monte Cristo site, you'll see a sign for Poodle Dog Pass. We continued through the Pass to reach Silver Lake. It was absolutely incredible, but the trail is quite steep and rocky! I will post more about Silver Lake next week and update with the link here. The trip to Silver Lake and back was maybe 12 miles with a lot more elevation gain packed in to the final 2 miles past the townsite.

We did not continue to Twin Lakes because we were both exhausted and running out of daylight, but everything in this region is stunning and I'd love to come back for more.

The sign for Poodle Dog Pass and the alpine lakes is towards the end of the historic ghost town. If you choose to continue, it is straight UP from here!

Monte Cristo itself is a wonderful destination, so if you turn around here, your hike will be about 8-9 miles depending on how many of the ruins you explored. It is quite easy due to the gently graded railroad trail, and makes for a good hike with children. There's plenty of incredible views even without continuing to the alpine lakes.

The first building you'll see in Monte Cristo, by the old railroad turntable.

Wrap Up and Brief History of Monte Cristo

Thanks for reading, and I hope my intel helped you plan your trip! Please consider subscribing to my newsletter to stay updated with future trip reports.

Before you go, I did some quick research on the history of Monte Cristo. I find that learning about a place before I visit helps me to appreciate it more.

Mining activity first began in the Monte Cristo area in 1889. For a few years, miners would hike in, but in 1891, a wagon road was constructed. By 1893, over 200 mining claims were staked in the area. Even John D. Rockefeller and Donald Trumps' grandfather (yuck) invested (of course he operated a brothel - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree).

Soon the railroad was constructed, but in 1896, a flood destroyed much infrastructure. By the early 1900s, most miners had left. The roads were still open to vehicles until they flooded in 1980. Shockingly, the lodge remained in business until it burned down in 1983.

The Monte Cristo Preservation Association saved the site in the 1980s and still takes care of it today. The website listed for them on the trailhead sign is now defunct and takes you to a Polish online gaming site, but it appears the group is still active on Facebook.

I honestly didn't expect this tiny ghost town to have a connection to our current administration... but small world I guess. Stay tuned for my next post on Silver Lake to watch me get stuck crossing a downed tree under my absurdly heavy day pack!

I promise the tree is taller than it looks in the photo and I'm not just pathetic.