I’m helping a couple people get ready to hike Mailbox Peak in early September so we went down to Carbonado Washington to take a stroll through Melmont Ghost Town.
This is a 5-6 mile out and back path along an old abandoned coal town from the early 1900’s. There are some remnants of some of the buildings. They look like they are made with local stones. The town of Carbonado was a stop for the railway as they transported coal. The town was busy for awhile, boasting a school and post office, however it was short lived and has been abandoned for nearly a century.
At times you will see individuals with metal detectors working in the fields looking for old artifacts. Last time I was there a couple guys had located old plates and cooking items. On the West Coast we have not been good about preserving our history. Many town like this exist with little information known about the history. That’s really unfortunate as there are great stories about perseverance and settlers that will be lost.
This is a nice flat trail that boasts an old steel bridge that reminds me a lot of deception pass bridge. It’s so impressive to think about workers building that by hand. The nuts and bolts on it alone are impressive.
It was a nice day weather wise, so we were able to walk down to the Carbonado river and relax while we ate some lunch.
Next week I’ll be taking them on a longer hike with some elevation!
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