Several years ago, I was invited to hike to a ghost town an hour east of Everett called Monte Cristo. That ended up being such a beautiful and taxing hike that I’ve fallen in love with the hike to Monte Cristo. It was beautiful as we hiked through the woods, across the river, and along what used to be a railway line all the way up to this abandoned town. But it was taxing, because I had gotten a desk job a few years earlier and was getting pretty out of shape.

On paper, Monte Cristo isn’t that hard of a hike, it’s 8 miles round trip with only 800’ of elevation gain. It’s so flat that many families hike in with their kiddos in strollers or walking alongside them. There’s a meadow in town with picnic benches nearby and many people hike in for lunch, explore the town, and head back out.

There are two challenges in the hike. One is the distance, if you work a desk job like I do, eight miles (around 3 hours) of hiking is a bit of time. And you may need to stop every so often and take in the breathtaking views of the steeply sloped mountains and flowing river below. 

The second challenge is the river crossing as each year the river reshapes the valley a bit. Just a few years ago, the river crossing involved walking along one log so long and wide it easily covered the whole of the river. Now that log has broken in two and the path to get across is a little less clear depending on the depth of the river. The river also has been eating away at the shores and widening and winding in a different way each year. This is one of the fun parts of the hike as this beginning portion is a little different every time I go. And it’s one of the many reasons I hike this trail every year!

The town itself has several intact buildings, a working train turntable (everyone loves jumping down in the pit and giving it a push!), and if you hike up the mountain a bit you can come to what used to be main street and see the collapsing remains of some old houses along with several more empty plots where homes used to be.

As I’ve become more active in recent years, I like to travel back to Monte Cristo as it helps me remember just how out of shape I was, and rewards me with such an idyllic hike.

If you’re into the spooky scene, Monte Cristo is a great place to go for Halloween. While you can’t camp in town, there are camp sites just before you get to town complete with pit toilets. Just remember to pack extra water, as the river water here is contaminated from all the mining the town used to do. A big cleanup project has been done to help fix that issue, but it’ll still take time for the water to be drinkable.

So pack up an overnight bag, grab some friends, and head up the trail to this mountainous ghost town. Swap some scary stories and enjoy one of the most beautiful hikes around!

Monte Cristo Ghost Town

James works for a local Everett-based company and enjoys board games, hiking, and food. You can find him playing Kubb at a local park or getting lost in the woods.