It was a perfect day for a hike. About 40 minutes away from where we are staying they found the Iron Goat Train Trail. This trail follows the abandoned route of the Great Northern Railway’s original line over the Cascades. It was a beautiful, easy four mile hike, a walk through railroad history. There were several small waterfalls along the way and the trail went up to the opening of several tunnels cut through the mountain.They explored the tunnels and walked the path that the train followed. There were collapsed timers along the route that once protected the tracks from the snow.
The railroad was built in 1893 by 800 worker, many of them Japanese immigrants who laid the tracks across the Cascades through Steven’s Pass. In 1910 the tracks were abandoned due a catastrophic avalanche which killed 96 people. In 1929 a new tunnel bypassed the area and provided a safer route over Steven’s Pass.
This is our last night here at Cascades RV Resort, tomorrow we move on to Leavenworth for some schnitzel and pretzels.
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