Robe Canyon Trail

When the backers of the Everett & Monte Cristo Railway wanted to attract East coast investors to finance their mining and logging railroad, they described the South Fork Stillaguamish river as "a pleasant little trout stream", which it is during the late summer. But from mid fall through late spring, rain and snowmelt combine to turn the river into a raging torrent that rearranges the landscape every year. The railway was difficult to build, and very costly to repair after the annual floods wiped out tracks, trestles and tunnels.

The railway eventually failed, as did the mining town of Monte Cristo, but it managed to hang on through WWII as a light rail line taking people to the resort at Big Four as well as fishermen to various spots along the river; fishing, hiking and camping are still popular in this valley, but are now accessed by road that is (mostly) removed from natures wrath. A hike on this trail will show you the power of the river and the futility of trying to build permanent infrastructure on ever changing terrain.

A 15 minute east of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway, the trail begins with a 200' drop to the site of the former town of Robe (the town still exists, but was relocated uphill and 2 miles east; be sure to stop at the Mountain View Inn for great home cooked meals and big-as-your-head burgers). The trail then joins the river for a little over a mile, passing through tunnels 5 and 6, where the hillside has washed out. The other tunnels have collapsed and the trail doesn't extend to them, although they are part of the Robe Canyon Historical Park, which includes the Lime Kiln Trail, which is reached by another road from Granite Falls on the river's south side.

The rail bed is still evident. In some places you can still see wooden ties that were embedded in concrete that was used to stabilize some sections of trail. In other spots, the hillside has given way and you have to scramble over boulders and glacial till to proceed. Full disclosure: signs have been put in place by very sensible people warning that the trail is closed at the first landslide, and only foolhardy scofflaws will proceed at their own risk, so before you go tell your next of kin not to bother suing the county. You were warned.

The safest time to see the trail is in the summer, when the weather is dry and the soil isn't saturated. The coolest time to see it is on a wet, stormy day when the river is raging, giving context to the ravaged railway.