Summer vacation is on the wane, but time remains to get children into the great outdoors.
Head for the woods.
For a fun day trip, drive U.S. 2 up to Stevens Pass and work your way back to Index. Most places mentioned here can be visited without a Forest Pass or a state Discover Pass, but if you have them, bring ‘em.
Stevens Pass during the late summer has a different vibe than it does in the winter when snowboarders and skiers are everywhere (at least in good snow years).
On weekends through some time in October, one is likely to see mountain bikers heading up on chair lifts and then flying down the mountain on trails with names such as Golden Spike, Rock Crusher and Slingshot Wookie.
Mountain bikes have been plying the ski area during the summer for about five years. The Stevens Pass bike park was the first in the state to offer lift access to mountain bikers.
For $12, you can ride the Stevens Pass Resort lifts in the summer just for the intimate view of Cowboy Mountain and spectacular views of the North Cascades.
While there, be sure to read the interpretive display about the ski lodge placed by the Tulalip Tribes. The display panels recount tribal history in the mountains. Along with the panels is a large cedar carving by tribal member Jason Gobin that features two mountain goats and the sun above them. The pass was a summer gathering place, and treaty rights enable the Tulalip people to hunt and gather in the mountain areas.
Stevens Pass in the summer also is a place where you might run into people hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. In fact, most of these hikers make a stop at Stevens and are happy to tell their tales.
Ask where the trail is and take a short walk. (In the winter, the Forest Service offers a guided snowshoe walk along the trail.) You’ll be able to say you’ve been on the pathway that stretches from Canada to Mexico.
Not everyone goes the distance.
Hugh Crawford, 58, a literature professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, recently hiked the crest trail from Snoqualmie Pass to the Canadian border with his son Bennett, 20, a student at Lafayette College. At the pass, they recounted their hiking experiences before heading down to the historic Cascadia Inn in Skykomish for a one-night break with a shower, a good meal and a bed.
As you travel back down the highway and continue through the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, stop at the Iron Goat Trail information station and trailhead. Climb on the 1920s caboose, read about the Wellington Disaster, the worst avalanche train accident in U.S. history, and learn about the tall trestle bridges workers built to get the train through the mountains. Part of the trail is wheelchair (and stroller) accessible, so take a walk on the old path of the Great Northern Railway.
Just a few more miles back down the highway, stop at Deception Falls.
This beautiful Forest Service picnic area and trail is easy on kids and older folks, but exciting for all. Even in this drought year, it’s amazing how much water is still coming off the mountains.
The next stop should be Skykomish, where today, Aug. 15, you can listen to a free concert by various bands from 2 p.m. to midnight in the park. Cross the bridge from the highway and take a walk around town.
If you go on a weekend, be sure to ride free on the Great Northern &Cascade Railroad’s little (7.5-inch gauge) steam locomotives stationed at the original Skykomish railroad depot at 101 N. Fifth St. Operated from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. by volunteers, the railway and museum offer a glimpse into the time when Skykomish was a railroad hub.
At the town’s historical museum, see Robert Norton’s bottle collection, glass that he surely pulled from the pits below old outhouses.
Traveling west again on U.S. 2, consider a stop in Baring for a walk along the Barclay Creek Trail, located across from the general store. It’s easy and the views of the north face of Baring Mountain are good.
In Index, with its view of the Mount Index, you can visit the Mt. Index Brewery and Distillery, right off the highway, or drive a short distance into this pretty, historic mining town.
Settled in the 1890s along the beautiful north fork of the Skykomish, the town has a nice museum and a huge saw blade displayed in Doolittle Park. The annual Index Arts Festival (usually the first weekend in August) is located there.
Index also is a hub for outdoor recreation, including rafting and kayaking with the Outdoor Adventure Center, across from the park.
A group of 500-foot granite cliffs, in an old granite rock quarry called the Index Wall, are located nearby. Ask about the conditions if you are a rock climber, or just get directions to watch other people, some who travel from around the world to climb up these steep rock faces.
It’s good to get out into the woods.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
Tourist in your own town
Today, we feature the burgs of the upper Skykomish River valley. In September, we’ll take a look at Sky Valley from Sultan to Gold Bar, including Wallace Falls State Park. In each of our local cities, we feature tourist attractions often overlooked by the people who live in this region. Have you been a Tourist in Your Own Town? This is the 20th in a series of monthly explorations of our hometowns. For other Tourist in Your Own Town stories and for links to more information and photos about Index and Skykomish and each town we’ve covered, go to www.heraldnet.com/tourist.
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