Iron Horse State Park

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Iron Horse State Park

IUCN Category V - Protected Landscape / Seascape

The Mine Creek Trestle in Iron Horse State Park near Snoqualmie Pass

The Mine Creek Trestle in Iron Horse State Park near Snoqualmie Pass

location Kittitas County in Washington (USA)
surface 652 ha
Geographical location 46 ° 54 ′  N , 120 ° 12 ′  W Coordinates: 46 ° 54 ′ 18 "  N , 120 ° 11 ′ 40"  W
Iron Horse State Park (Washington)
Iron Horse State Park
administration Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Bridge over the Yakima River on the BNSF Railway on Lake Easton
Cross-country skiing on the Iron Horse State Park Trail

The Iron Horse State Park , part of the Washington State Park System is a 1,612 acres (652 ha) of large State Park in the Cascade Range and the Yakima River Valley between Cedar Falls in the west and the Columbia River to the east.

The park is related to a rail trail that crosses the Snoqualmie Pass . The trail runs on the former route of the Milwaukee Road secured by a special right-of-way . Most of that right of way between Cedar Falls and the Idaho border was acquired by the state on a waiver in the wake of the 1977 railroad bankruptcy. As part of the company's reorganization, the railroad closed its lines west of Miles City, Montana, in 1980, and shut down operations in Washington. The state acquired the land in the early 1980s and eventually converted the right of way west of the Columbia River into a 110 mi (177 km) trail for hiking , mountain biking, and horseback riding . Known as the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail , the trail continues beyond Iron Horse State Park to the Idaho border. Iron Horse State Park contains most of the upgraded portions of the trail.

In Cedar Falls, on the western border of Iron Horse State Park, the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail is linked to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail of the King County Regional Trail System. The Snoqualmie Valley Trail was built on a section of the previous branch line of the Milwaukee Road from Cedar Falls to Everett.

tourism

Like most rail trail projects, the Iron Horse is popular with hikers and cyclists. There are many entry points across Washington, most of which have modern amenities, extensive parking, and a handful of campgrounds too. The trail mostly runs through forests, along lakes and waterfalls and crosses the watershed right at the Snoqualmie Tunnel . The park is easily accessible from Interstate 90 .

Iron Horse State Park is popular for its beauty and history, although it is less well known than other nearby areas such as the Alpine Lakes Wilderness or Snoqualmie Falls .

The Park Trail continues through the town of South Cle Elum , where the Milwaukee Road train station and the remains of the depot have been preserved. These buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). There is a small museum in the train station. In Kittitas , the trail passes the train station there and one of the branches on Milwaukee Road. This station is also listed in the NRHP. In addition to these buildings, other infrastructure facilities such as tunnels and bridges have been preserved.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Trails . Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  2. ^ Iron Horse State Park . Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  3. ↑ Snoqualmie Valley Trail . In: King County Regional Trail System . Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Parks and Recreation Division. September 19, 2005. Archived from the original on October 1, 2006. Retrieved on April 21, 2006.
  4. ↑ Washington State Tour Planning and Bicycling Maps (Web and PDF) In: Collection of maps and resources . WSDOT. 2006. Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2007.

swell

  • History of the Greenway Landscape . In: Mountains to Sound Greenway: About the Greenway . 2006. Retrieved April 21, 2006.
  • Prater, Yvonne (1981). Snoqualmie Pass: From Indian Trail to Interstate . Seattle: The Mountaineers. ISBN 0-89886-015-6 .
  • Snoqualmie Valley Trail . In: King County Regional Trail System . Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Parks and Recreation Division. September 19, 2005. Archived from the original on October 19, 2000. Retrieved on April 21, 2006.
  • David Wilma: Northern Pacific Railroad Establishes Tenino as a rail junction in 1872 . In: HistoryLink.org essay 5090 . January 22, 2003. Retrieved April 21, 2006.
    Wilma referenced Gordon R. Newell, So Fair A Dwelling Place: A History of Olympia and Thurston County, Washington (Olympia: The Olympia News Publishing Co., 1950), p. 27.

Web links