Iron Goat Trail Hike: first Cascade Tunnel

The western portal of the first Cascade Tunnel is at the east end of the Iron Goat Trail. The 2.6 mile long tunnel was completed in 1900 and used by the Great Northern Railway until 1929. The company had decided in the mid-1920s to build a new tunnel at a lower elevation to avoid the harsh winter snow. The western portal of the second Cascade Tunnel is shown below, as seen from the Iron Goat Trail. It was completed in 1929 and is 7.8 miles long.