Crossing the Cascade Mountains on the Historic Naches Wagon Trail

lgrt

Adventurer
Although not the easiest route it does remove about 100 miles of blacktop. Anyone considering an adventure that includes crossing Washington States Cascades Mountains should add the Natches Wagon Trail to their route. Off road adventure, history and spectacular scenery make this a great route when moving between western and eastern Washington. Just avoid that one little section that gave us so much trouble. See for yourself what we mean.




More off road adventure exploring Washington's Cascade mountains fun
 
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SmoothLC

Explorer
Great video! You certainly brought that trail home for us. And great photoshop with that bird. It almost looked real. lol
 

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
Great video.
Not to much damage with just that taillight.

I did that run with some others when I had my '91 4Runner.
No lockers, street tires, running boards, I was scared poopless :D

Had a hard time in there slippin' and a slidin' over tree roots.
A few of us opted to not take the trial back, and we ended up on some blacktop that hooked up with 410 over by Whistling Jacks.

Liked the narration on your video too!
 

lgrt

Adventurer
Great video.
Not to much damage with just that taillight.

I did that run with some others when I had my '91 4Runner.
No lockers, street tires, running boards, I was scared poopless :D

Had a hard time in there slippin' and a slidin' over tree roots.
A few of us opted to not take the trial back, and we ended up on some blacktop that hooked up with 410 over by Whistling Jacks.

Liked the narration on your video too!

Corey thank you for the kind words... You're right that when the trail gets wet some of those roots can get slippery and add a pucker factor. Whistling Jacks for breakfast is a worthy detour :) One of our favorite ways to enjoy the area is to take the wagon trail over (West to East) then spend a day or two exploring the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest area. Tons of logging roads and two tracks and you can put together a forest road route back to Greenwater from where the wagon trail hits FR1913 which takes you to 19 and over to 410 (route back FR1913--> 784---> FR7036---> FR7030---> FR7000). That is our usual route and why we'd never been on that last little, oh so tight, short section past FR1913 . If you don't like the wagon trail lots of ways to get over there... Stop at the ranger station in Enumclaw and pick up a map of the area (Natches Ranger District North and South).

The area on the east side is great for dispersed camping and is pretty easy to find a place all to yourself.

This was from a trip a year or so back doing exactly that... Young Turk and Little Day stole the show :)
 

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
Another great video!
Thanks for the roads, I have probably been on some of those, but did not know it.
I also like to go up 70 all the way, and over the top and drop down onto 410 that way on the East side.
You pass a lot of spur roads that are great for camping.

When I head up to Greenwater though, I mainly just camp up on 73 on the right side.
A lot of the places I use to camp at along 70 and on the left side by the river have been ruined my homeless.
Years ago Plumb Creek logging started to trench the nice sites you could drive into and park right by the rivers.
They trenched it so people would have to park further out and carry their stuff in.

I started seeing garbage showing up in my favorite sites that I use to be able to back my tent trailer into by a creek or river when my kids were small, then the next year they trenched the sites, such a shame.
So for now, FS road 73 this side of Chinook offers some better camping where I take the FJ so I can get right next to a water source.

Now I have the itch to take a drive up there before too long.
 

unkamonkey

Explorer
It looked like a great trip with fun people. I loved the Hula girl on the dash. I have my guard Zebra on the dash of my Mitsu Fuso.
 

VanIsle_Greg

I think I need a bigger truck!
As soon as I saw your rigs I knew I had seen them before. 2015 at the NWOR, last day you two were heading out in the AM.



Great video.
 

lgrt

Adventurer
Another great video!
Thanks for the roads, I have probably been on some of those, but did not know it.

I thought I'd seen a bunch of pictures and reports from you about that area... They were one of the reasons we started exploring that area. You're right about it how it sucks when the best camp sites become a mess and .gov seems to think the fix for everything with a big backhoe.

Hope to see you there some day.
 

Corey

OverCamping Specialist
I thought I'd seen a bunch of pictures and reports from you about that area... They were one of the reasons we started exploring that area. You're right about it how it sucks when the best camp sites become a mess and .gov seems to think the fix for everything with a big backhoe.

Hope to see you there some day.
Greenwater is my favorite place to explore.
I have been going there since the mid 80s, and I have barely seen all of it.
So many fun old roads to turn down too, and some of them you have to turn around as they dead end.
But sometimes a magical camping site is at the end of one of those spur roads

Yes, may run intro you sometime up there.
I wold like to get up there in the snow later this year, and for sure next spring to tack out some new camping spots.
 
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Awesome Trip! I love that area!

We have done that trail a couple times and usually do the first couple sections on the east side before heading up into the other trails in the area. Always a blast!
 

lgrt

Adventurer
I loved the Hula girl on the dash. I have my guard Zebra on the dash of my Mitsu Fuso.
Hula Betty has been with us on trips from the very beginning... Love to see a pic of your guard Zebra. I like to see all the personal touches people do with their trucks to make them a home away from home.
 

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