Along the former railbed of the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul-Pacific Railroad in Washington State is the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. It’s a light gravel pathway that offers travel for hikers, bicyclists, and cross-country skiers.

The 100-mile portion from Cedar Falls (near North Bend) to the Columbia River near Vantage is managed as Iron Horse State Park.

The trail was created in the 1980s when Washington State Parks acquired the abandoned Milwaukee Road corridor. In its heyday, the Milwaukee Road was a vital trade link between Seattle and the Midwest and was the worlds first electric rail line. This article specifically documents the section of trail between exit 38 East of North bend to exit 54 at Hyak on the Eastside of Snoqualmie Pass.

With the tracks removed and the area turned into a state park, some people call the trail the John Wayne Trail, while others call the entire trail the Iron Horse Trail or even the John Wayne Trail in Iron Horse State Park.

The trail is most often used by mountain bikes. It’s an easy ride that runs along the freeway about 300 feet above, to avoid the noise of the trucks.

If you look at a map there are two Exits 38: Exit 38 west and Exit 38 east, about two miles apart and connected by a side road. You can access the trail from either exit.

The river down below is called the Snoqualmie River. The trail itself is approximately 16.5 miles to Hyak and rises steadily from exit 38 to an elevation of approximately 2500 feet.

At the top, the trail enters Snoqualmie Tunnel (a 2-mile long tunnel). This is located at Snoqualmie Pass, the lowest point in these mountains to cross over. Because of the snowfall here the builders of the railroad decided to make a tunnel through the mountain at this point.

NOTE: The ride through the tunnel can be extremely DARK. At two miles in length, the far end is just a small pinpoint of light. Be sure to have a good light and where a jacket. The tunnel is very dark, wet and cool inside. As for the trail its self, the gravel path is level and smooth making for an easy ride. Also, the tunnel is usually closed from November 1 to May 1.

After you leave the East end of the tunnel at Hyak, its time to backtrack to the trailhead. The return to the trailhead is all downhill making for a quick and easy ride (the whole trip is approximately 33 miles, round-trip).

Another option is to drop off a car at each end and then just ride one way or start at the East end of Snoqualmie Tunnel and ride downhill one-way.

For directions and current conditions check out the Washington State Parks website at http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Iron Horse