Lookout and Trail Maintenance • Lime Kiln Trail

Description: The Lime Kiln trail is officially open. The one-way distance to the end of the trail is about 3.6 miles. From the trailhead to the river is about one and a half miles. From there to the Lime Kiln is just over a mile, and then it is about a mile from the kiln to the end of the trail, where the river takes a sharp bend to the south.

Directions: Drive to Granite Falls (map) and go all of the way through town to the end by the High School. Instead of turning left to go on the Mountain Loop Hwy, turn right on S. Alder Avenue and go south until you get to a Tee and turn left on E. Pioneer Street which becomes Menzel Lake Road (signs says it goes to Lake Rossinger, [Old Anderson Road]). Turn left on Waite Mill Road. After the school bus turn around, stay left on gravel road that climbs uphill. You will come to a fork where both roads have signs that say Private Road. Just a few dozen yards before that on the left is white metal gate giving entry to a 20 car parking area at the trailhead. .
The parking entry is signed.

Route: The trail is well signed. Note restrictions.

Reference: None.

Maps: USGS Granite Falls, 1989, Green Trails Granite Falls. A hiker supplied a GPS-tracking but is certain that he did not start at the correct place (the track was made prior to the completion of the trail)..

A progression of USGS and USFS maps show the historical development around the lookout. Colors have been used to highlight select, man-made features of interest. Blue = items spanning the years. Lime green = items missing in later years. Red = items appearing in later years. Brown = trails or railroads that become roads (after a fashion). The coloring is by no means comprehensive.

A USFS Mt.Baker-Snoqualamie National Forestmap of 1962 shows a trail appears to go to some building near the kiln but doesn't seem to be close to the current trail.

The USGS Stilaguamish, 30', 1899 map has trails all over the place going to cabins? Note the older spelling of Stillaguamish. The Northern Pacific Railroad, Monte Cristo spur can be seen in the valley. Pilchuck was a fork in the road along Purdy Creek. The city of Granite Falls was not quite as big as it is now.

The USGS Stillaguamish, 30', 1946 map is not much different than the 1899 map.

By 1956, everyone in those cabins must have moved to Granite Falls, as the city is bigger and the cabins are gone in the USGS Granite Falls, 15', 1956 map. Wayside mine on the north side of Iron Mountain seems to become an open pit quarry by 1989. In none of the historical maps is the location of the Lime Kiln apparent.

History: Not surprisingly, the Lime Kiln "trail" was established by operators of a lime kiln a long time ago. Don't disturb the artifacts.

Images: Lime Kiln Photos

Activity: LOTM worked on this long-abandoned trial on National Trails Day, 2001. See photos of the work.