Gold Mine Trail WA
March 29th, 2026
Hi, we're the Mountain Goats, and today I (Terrence) did the Gold Mine Trail Loop near Everson, Washington. Joining me on this adventure were my two friends Rory and Erika. The "trailhead," more of a dead end, is actually located on private land. The trail starts at the dead-end heading East, passing a picturesque barn to the right. After steeply ascending a field, the trail dips into the forest as you begin heading southeast. Just under a mile in, we crossed one of the forks of Sweet Creek before reaching a split in the trail marked by a sign. To the left is the "Cabin" and to the right is the "Mine"; we continued left, making the final push to the Sumas Mountain Outpost.
Love the moss on the sign
The Log Cabin was built in 1891 by a local settler and would later be used by the Mount Baker Mining Company, which was abandoned due to the general unproductivity of the local mines. It was recently renovated in 2010. Today, there's an outhouse and a firepit nearby, and the cabin itself is decorated with a wreath. We ate a quick snack on some logs surrounding the fire pit.
The Cabin with Sumas Mountain looming behind
The cabin's interior is rugged. A rickety ladder gives you access to the attic, but I'd be nervous about sleeping up there because of the visible nails and unstable wood. Sumas Mountain towers above, its forested summit, visible from far below. From the Cabin, the trail meets with an old forest road, quickly veering off, and continuing as a more traditional trail. The trail splits again: left being the Ridge Trail, which takes you towards Sumas Mountain and Lost Lake; we went right, taking the Cabin Loop trail.
Once off the forest road, we reentered the forest, starting the descent back down to the car. At around 1000 feet, we came to a sign pointing to a mine. A woman kindly informed us that there were 3 mines along the trail: the aforementioned mine was "Mine 1"; "Mine 2" was long buried; and the trail to "Mine 3" had been washed out. Mine 1, located 100 feet from the main trail, stood next to Swift Creek. It was little more than a hole in the ground; however, this section of the creek was exceptionally pretty.
One of the caves
Erika crossing the creek; this section was lush and beautiful
After visiting Mine 1, we continued our descent and reached the car just under 2 hours after leaving it. I found this hike quite lovely. Sumas Cabin was charming, and the area definitely warrants a revisit. As always, Happy Hiking and Stay Safe.
Final stats: 4 miles, 900 feet of elevation gain.
