Date:  Thursday, October 30, 2008

Contact: Jeff Adamson, North Central Region Communications Manager, Wenatchee, (509) 667-2815, (509) 669-8778 Cell. E-mail: adamsoj@wsdot.wa.gov

WENATCHEE – The Iron Goat Interpretive Site, six miles west of the US 2 Stevens Pass summit is closing for the winter on Monday, November 3rd. Last year, it closed on November 1st and reopened on May 29th. The site opened for the first time in mid October of 2006 and was closed by winter weather three weeks later.

The only electricity on site is a solar system to power illumination at the rest room facilities. Snow and winter temperatures don’t allow operation of the rest rooms or the solar system. There are wintertime public rest room facilities available at the Stevens Pass summit.

Declining night time temperatures closed the RV dump station and outside water service at the US 2 Nason Creek Rest Area, east of Stevens Pass two weeks ago.

The Iron Goat Trail is located on old, abandoned Great Northern Railroad right of way and is divided into two sections; an upper grade and lower grade. There are two other trailheads along this nine-mile section at Martin Creek and at Wellington that remain open to the public.

WSDOT, Volunteers for Outdoor Washington (VOW), the U.S. Forest Service, the Stevens Pass Greenway and King County worked together to design the site at the intersection of the Old Cascade Highway (Milepost 58.3). WSDOT was the lead agency, building the interpretive site, trailhead, parking lot, rest room facilities, and placement of a historic Great Northern Railway caboose. The project constructed a new connecting trail to the wheelchair accessible, Scenic-segment of the Iron Goat Trail, and a one-mile hiker trail to Windy Point Overlook. Visit the Iron Goat web site at www.irongoat.org/

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