Page 15 - Demo

15Northern State ghost town Near the logging town of Sedro-Woolley, Northern State Mental Hospital was once Washington State%u2019s largest facility for people with mental illness, designed to act as a working farm and therapeutic colony for the mentally ill. The hospital operated until the mid-1970s. Now part of the Northern State Recreation Area, an extensive trail system passes the hospital%u2019s standing, empty and neglected structures, including barns, a cannery and a cemetery surrounded by grassland and snowcapped mountains.Monte Cristo ghost town Fearless hikers ready for a challenging eight-mile trip might head to this ghost town, which features interpretive signs and abandoned mines along steep hillsides. In the late 1800s, miners extracted lead, gold, and silver ore from the area, with claims and homesteaders competing for treasure. But by 1930, the town was mostly abandoned to the elements. Located in the Western Cascades in Snohomish County, the trail follows the original path taken by miners in and out of the camp. Recent cleanup efforts and sprucing up by dedicated volunteers with the Monte Cristo Preservation Association make the hike more pleasant. Monte Cristo is in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and about 78 miles northeast of Seattle. You%u2019ll access it via the Old Monte Cristo Townsite Trail. A campground is nearby, but the nearest towns with lodging are Darrington (23 miles north) and Granite Falls (30 miles west). Other Washington ghost townsNot far from Seattle, you can take a long, muddy hike toward remnants of the coal mining ghost town of Melmont. Read current trip reports to get the most recent information. Near Mount Rainier, another hike heads up to Franklin Ghost Town. This town, formerly home to around 1,000 people, became the site of one of Washington State%u2019s worst mining disasters. Not much remains of Govan near the Grand Coulee Dam %u2014 except an exceptionally photogenic schoolhouse, welldocumented in local media. Discover more Washington destinations