Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Skykomish Ranger District

District at a Glance

The Skykomish Ranger District is an area of spectacular beauty with more than 150 mountain lakes, high rocky peaks, alpine meadows, snowfields, old-growth forests, and hundreds of miles of clear rushing streams and rivers boasting some of Washington's best whitewater rafting. The Ranger District encompasses 316,522 acres of National Forest System land with 140 miles of trails. The District is also home to more than 112,000 acres of wilderness, 13,179 acres of the Mount Index Scenic Area, and 13,000 acres of the Stevens Pass Historic District and ski area.

Unique and Special Places

Discover the Stevens Pass Historic District

The Stevens Pass Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. This 13,000-acre area included the accessible Iron Goat Trail, which is a significant part of Pacific Northwest history. The trail follows an old Great Northern Railway line displaying remarkable engineering feats of the 1900s. Interpretive signs along the trail will help to carry your imagination from the past to the present.

Deception Falls Nature Trail and Picnic Area is also an important historic place. This inviting area comes equipped with a covered picnic shelter, tables, and restroom facilities, all of which are accessible. The roar of water can be heard as you pass through the woods to an opening with a view of the rushing Deception Creek. Stone cobble walls border the edge, with an extraordinary steel arch bridge spanning the creek. In the spring, when water levels are high, you can expect to be dampened by the spray.

Looking for something a little more rugged? Enjoy the beauty of a high alpine lake along the 7-mile roundtrip Lake Serene Trail. This trail which is located off of Highway 2 in the Mt. Index Scenic Area, climbs through a second-growth forest, with a side-trip to the edge of majestic Bridal Veil Falls. At the trail's end, the skyscraping wall of Mt. Index shoot up in the cirque forming the lake.

Pacific Crest Trail

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail stretches from Canada to Mexico. Fifty-three miles of the trail passes right through the Skykomish Ranger District, from Meander Meadow to Deception Pass, and into the adjacent Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

Horsing Around

There are almost 100 miles of stock trail within the Skykomish Ranger District, mainly in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness Area. This includes over 50 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Horses aren't the only pack animals you'll see in the forest; don't be surprised if you come across an occasional llama or goat, both are welcome on stock trails. Llamas and horses even volunteer in trail maintenance, accommodating the restriction of motorized equipment in the designated wilderness areas. Both were instrumental in bringing food and provisions to Student Conservation Association Urban Youth Corps Volunteers, laboring in a weeklong work party on the Quarz Creek Trail. Horses were an invaluable resource, as they hauled in heavy timber used to make puncheon repairs on the North Fork Skykomish River Trail.

These mountain trails range from well-maintained ridge trails, such as West Cady, to rougher, steeper, and narrower trails recommended only for experience horses and riders.

If you're planning on visiting the popular West Cady Ridge Trail with stock, remember the last 1.5 miles of the road is not recommended for stock trailers or low clearance vehicles. Park at the West Cady Trailhead, and hike the last 1.5 miles to the North Fork Skykomish River Trailhead.