Getting there:Take Deer Creek Road about a mile to 1968'.
Trail report: Walk the abandoned logging road to the right (shown on the USGS Silverton 7.5' map). This road is in good shape for walking, but not easily bike ridden due to many berms. The road switchbacks three times. Continue on the road to about 2940' (2.4 miles). A berm blocks the road, where beyond the road is very overgrown. Look for an overgrown road to the right marked with a flag. Follow this road to a stream crossing at 3200', where a trail continues on the opposite side. This trail can be difficult to follow but continues up to the Double Eagles mine and a nice waterfall at 3650'.
For more great scenery rarely visited, go away from the mine around the cliffs and some brush to more open forest, heading up to Devil's Lake. Climbers and High Lakers are probably the only people who enjoy the views of Devil's Lake, which has a couple nice campsites.
Surveyor: S. Fox, 1999, 2000
Trail report: Look for the "Marble Pass" sign on the side of the Mountain Loop Highway about a mile before Silverton. Go upstream a short ways to wade across (late summer or fall is easy, high water times dangerous). Look for an alder tree where Ma rble Creek drains into the Stillaguamish River. It's hard to see, so bring the USGS 7.5' Silverton map. Note: the trail can also be followed from Silverton, but requires crossing private property. The surveyors were chastised by local residents for this act, and now wade the river instead! Besides, this route involves a horrible bushwack.
Bushwack up Marble Creek for a ways, then start angling left slightly and climbing. In only a few hundred yards the brush gets much better. It's difficult to describe the route in words, but hopefully you will intersect the trail 1000-1500' vertical from the river. The trail switchbacks very nicely with excellent grade but numerous pesky blowdowns. Several sections are lost in forest. One particularly nice section finds an amazing route past cliffs (was the trail blasted out?). Cross Marble Creek and do a mighty slide alder bushwack until you see Marble Pass. The trail can be found again here. At the pass you will find some interesting artifacts from the mining era. The trail should descend to the 45 mine, but the surveyors ran out of time trying to climb Marble Peak (class 4 from this side).
As is the case with many abandoned trails, it is easier to follow descending. If you are lucky you will find ribbons marking the route nearly all the way to Silverton (where thou shalt not tread unless thou hast permission from the owners). You will see the old trail bridges over a few creeks, nearly rotten but still visible!
References: 100 Hikes. "Monte Cristo Area" by Harry Majors. Snoqualmie National Forest Map, May 1917. Mt. Baker National Forest Map, 1935. USGS Stillaguamish Quadrangle (30'), May 1901, reprinted Sept 1915.
Surveyor: S.Fox, 1999
Trail report: The path heads through recently cut brush to a fork of the Stilly river. It disappears in the river bed about 1/2 mile upstream. Nearby is the old mine, uphill and hard to find.
References: Beckey. Surveyor: S. Fox, 2001
Getting there: Hike through the Monte Cristo ghost town site, past the assay office site and school site to 76 creek. Here is a dilapidated bridge. Two routes (supposedly) go upstream. The surveyors followed the side nearest the townsite. It can be followed quite a ways, past some mines, when it finally gets lost in brush. The route continues up to Wilman's Pass (Pearsall Pass), the spot where Joseph Pearsall discovered the mineral evidence across 76 Gulch and started the incredible story of Monte Cristo.
References: "Monte Cristo Area", Majors and McClollum. "Monte Cristo", Woodhouse. Hikers/Climbers Map of the Monte Cristo Area by Fred Beckey and Gary Rands, 1977.
Surveyor: S.Fox, 1998
Surveyor: S.Fox 1998
Trail report: Follow the Goat lake/Elliot Creek trail for several miles. The trail meets the logging road and then follows the old puncheon road. When the trail starts switchbacking and gets steep, you know it's too much for horses to pull wagons. So start looking for old puncheon and follow it. One of these crosses Elliot Creek (safe in late summer or fall if you can find a nice log). Poke around and you'll find the old roadbed in great condition on the other side. It wanders up, switchbacking at a grade suitable for horse drawn carriage. You'll see old remnants of the buildings of the Penn Mining Co. Enjoy but don't disburb please! The old road crosses the creek again and you are back on the trail, with only a few scratches on your legs to prove you were on the historic route.
References: Discovering Washington's Historic Mines. Monte Cristo. Both written by P. Woodhouse.
Surveyor: S.Fox 1999