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Silver Lake - Monte Cristo

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway
48.0271, -121.4440 Map & Directions
Length
13.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
3,791 feet
Highest Point
4,405 feet
Calculated Difficulty About Calculated Difficulty
Hard
Silver Lake and Silvertip Peak. Photo by Jay De Rocher. Full-size image
  • Established campsites
  • Lakes
  • Mountain views
  • Ridges/passes
  • Rivers
  • Waterfalls
  • Wildflowers/Meadows

Parking Pass/Entry Fee

Northwest Forest Pass
Saved to My Backpack

Visit the remains of an old mining town in a basin surrounded by high peaks. Climb to Silver Lake nestled under the steep side of Silvertip Peak with good camping and good views of surrounding peaks. Continue reading

Rating
4.44 out of 5

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Hiking Silver Lake - Monte Cristo

Hike the old road from Barlow Pass to Monte Cristo. Cross the big log over the Sauk River at the site of the bridge washout at about the one mile point. From here, the road up to Monte Cristo and the nearby campground with six sites is an easy three mile walk with good views of the peaks across and further up the valley as you go.

Just past the turnoff for the campsite, continue up the road and cross the Sauk River on a footbridge and enter the town site. Cross the big clearing by the railroad turntable and find the trail to Poodle Dog Pass and Silver Lake and Twin Lakes on the other side. After almost 2 miles of steady switchbacks on steep, rocky trail, reach Poodle Dog Pass.

Your destination is a quarter mile beyond the pass. The trail descends to the lake near the outlet. Take a right turn at a sign post for a privy and follow the trail down past camp sites to the lake shore at the outlet. More camp sites on the other side the outlet and the actual location of the privy.

Toilet Information

  • Toilet at trailhead

More information about toilets

Wheelchair Accessibility

A short section (about a mile) of the trail to the Monte Cristo townsite is on flat, dirt road bed. The trail can be spongy in dry weather, and may pose a problem for chairs with narrower wheels. Accessing the trail from the parking area requires crossing the very active Mountain Loop Highway — it is paved, but traffic moves quickly on this road. Having a spotter may be necessary to cross safely. Hikers must also round a gate. Most chairs will be unable to access this road, but those with other mobility aids may be able to walk this one-mile river walk with nice views of the surrounding peaks.

Hike Description Written by
Anna Roth, WTA Correspondent

Silver Lake - Monte Cristo

Map & Directions

Trailhead
Co-ordinates: 48.0271, -121.4440 Open in Google Maps

Before You Go

See weather forecast

Parking Pass/Entry Fee

Northwest Forest Pass

WTA Pro Tip: Save a copy of our directions before you leave! App-based driving directions aren't always accurate and data connections may be unreliable as you drive to the trailhead.

Getting There

Drive east on Hwy 92 from Everett to Granite Falls. Proceed through town and turn left on the Mountain Loop Highway. Continue past the ranger station at Verlot and continue another thirty minutes to Barlow Pass where Hwy 20 turns to gravel. The gated road to Monte Cristo is on the right.

More Hike Details

Trailhead

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

Poodle Dog Pass-Silver Lake-Twin Lakes Trail (#708)

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Darrington Ranger District

Guidebooks & Maps

100 Hikes in Washington's Glacier Peak Region

Ira Spring and Harvey Manning

The Mountaineers Books

Buy the Green Trails Monte Cristo No. 143 map

Buy the Green Trails Sloan Peak No. 111 map

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Silver Lake - Monte Cristo

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