Total Ascent: 100ft
Highest Point: 1360ft
Total Distance: 2.5 miles
Location: N 47° 1.8360, W 122° 1.9980
Required Permit: None
Difficulty: Easy
As we continue hiking Washington’s mountains and forests, we often find ourselves running into pieces of the past. The state is riddled with crumbling buildings, abandoned towns, and former railroad hubs. Recently, we decided adding a few more ghost towns to the blog would be fun and so we packed up and headed out to the town of Melmont to see what we could find.If you’re looking for a short stroll through Washington’s history, Melmont is a good choice. Other than the short drop down to the railroad grade, which could be tricky for some very young hikers, the trip out to the town site is very easy.
At the same time, there is not much in the way of serious hiking. You can extend your hike a bit to push down to the river, but other than that, we are not sure there is much more to see. We recommend this hike for those interested in ghost towns or those looking for a quick winter adventure.There's a lot more to Melmont Townsite, and you can learn all about it in our book, Hiking Through History Washington. You'll find a trail map, route descriptions, history, and more
for this and many more hikes throughout the State. Help support hikingwithmybrother.com and the work we do by picking up a copy! To get there, take I-5 South to I-405. From I-405 take SR 167 south toward Auburn. In 20 miles take the SR 410 Exit toward Sumner/Yakima. Follow SR 410 for 12 miles to SR 165. Take a right and continue on SR 165 for about 10 miles through Carbonado to the Fairfax Bridge. A small gravel turnout on the far side of the bridge provides parking. Hike back across the bridge and head toward the rock wall. Hop the guardrail to find a rough path down to the railroad grade. -Nathan
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8 Comments:
Thanks for the tip on this. It was a great way to spend a cold rainy day with the family. Didn't see a (living) soul all day. ;)
Btw, Wilkeson is a very interesting town - informative historical marker, cool old buildings, friendly folks. Makes a nice stop along the way.
Very cool. Glad you had a good trip! If you've got some pics to share, post a link on facebook, or on the blog! We'd love to see them!
I'm so glad I found your site. I've been following it for a while, but we finally did one of your hikes today...this one. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was snowing, so our photos didn't turn out great, but we still had a wonderful time.
You can check our hike out here: http://alaskagirlatheart.com/2012/03/17/hiking-to-melmont-ghost-town/
I can't wait to try some more hikes.
Thanks!
Hi Pam, Fantastic trip report! I think the snow makes your shots more eery, and I'm actually a little jealous I didn't get to shoot in those conditions. Well done on getting out there.
Went there today (6/9/2012). Not much to see in the way of ruins as it's pretty much cleared out. The scurry down the bank to find the trail wasn't too bad. We have a 3 1/2 year old, and after a bit of coaxing and some amazing help from my wife, we made it out all right. The trail is in good condition - just muddy. There are Inches of mud at times. It was a fun morning hike, and we plan to visit Fairfax in the future.
Hi Ian, Glad you were able to make it out there with your family to check out a bit of history. Just FYI, we listed Fairfax as moderate because it involves a lot more bushwhacking, as there isn't much in the way of defined trails once you walk to the bottom of the road. :)
Hey this place looks great! Do you know who owns it?
Mason -
Melmont is on Pierce County land. The county also owns the old railroad right of way.
Hope that helps,
N
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