Trout Creek
Central CascadesBest Year-round
A low-elevation creekside walk near Index with a spur to the historic Sunset Mine.
About This Trail
Trout Creek Trail follows its namesake stream through dense west-side forest near Index on the Index-Galena Road. The forest service road to the trailhead is closed to vehicles, adding approximately 1 mile of road walking each way to the hike. The trail itself is short and low-elevation, gaining only 500 feet over 1.5 miles of actual trail through second-growth forest with some older trees.
A spur trail leads to the historic Sunset Mine site, a remnant of the Monte Cristo mining era. The creek provides a pleasant backdrop but the destination is modest. The low elevation (1,400 feet high point) and dense forest make this a year-round option and a reasonable rainy-day hike near Stevens Pass.
Parking is limited to a couple of pullouts where the forest road meets the Index-Galena Road. Northwest Forest Pass required. The trail sees very little traffic and is more of a local exploration than a destination hike.
Seasonal Highlights
Astronomy
Trail Conditions
“Despite the 12/12/25 notice the road is open.”
Last report: Jan 24, 2026
Scorecard
Very rarely visited. Often the only car at the trailhead.
Getting There
Couple of pullouts where the forest road meets Index-Galena Road. Limited space. Forest road itself is closed to vehicles.
Recent Reports
Despite the 12/12/25 notice the road is open. Such a beautiful day, too bad we had to go with option 5 hoping to find some views.
Hiked 3 miles RT from the FS road turn off from the Index-Galena Road. The forest service road is closed, there are a couple places to park and we were the only car.
We started our hike around 11 with the that of rain in the forecast. Our plan was to hike past the sunset mine sub trail and explore some of the trail above.
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