Naches Wagon Trail

The Naches Wagon Trail crosses the Cascade crest at Naches Pass on the boundary between the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests. The route is made up of two Forest Service trails: Trail 1175 on the west half and Trail 684, often called the Naches Pass Jeep Trail, on the east half, meeting near Forest Road 7030. Our record listed 35 miles, which overstates it. Trail 1175 is roughly 5.7 miles one way, and the combined historic crossing is considerably shorter than 35 miles, though the forest road approaches on either end add real driving time. The history is what sets it apart. The route follows the 1853 crossing of the Longmire wagon train, the first party of immigrants to bring wagons over the Cascades to Puget Sound, and the most notorious section is the steep descent where the settlers lowered wagons on ropes. You still drive that pitch. Government Meadows and the Camp Urich cabin sit near the crest and make a natural stopping point. The trail is rated hard and earns it, with off-camber sidehills, roots, and a long steep grade that is much worse when wet. The west half is officially open to wheeled vehicles from July 15 to November 15 and is closed the rest of the year, so the window is short. Travel now runs in both directions rather than only east to west as the wagons went. A Northwest Forest Pass is required for parking at the trailheads. Run this one with at least one other vehicle, recovery gear, and a plan for getting turned around if you meet an oncoming rig on a narrow section. Enumclaw on the west side and Naches on the east are the nearest towns with fuel and services.