Forum Index > Trail Talk > Mountain Loop Highway: Where to set the Boundries?
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Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis



Joined: 01 Nov 2007
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Josh Journey
a.k.a Josh Lewis
PostWed Aug 01, 2012 11:27 pm 
I own this page called the "Mountain Loop Highway" which I want to fix up. But before I get to that I need to get a consensus on what the actual boundary would be. Is it the "Mountain Loop Highway" and highway 530 though Darrington to Arlington which completes the loop and everything inside it? Or is it just the places accessible from the road labeled "Mountain Loop Highway"? Literally speaking it's from Granite Falls to Darrington, but perhaps I should be so literal with this subject... or perhaps I should. Opinions would be very much appreciated.

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Hulksmash
Cleaning up.



Joined: 20 Apr 2008
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Location: Arlington
Hulksmash
Cleaning up.
PostThu Aug 02, 2012 12:35 am 
Yep part of the Mountain Loop is SR530 Arlington to Darrington. Think of it this way....how many names does Hwy 99 have. rolleyes.gif

"Bears couldn't care less about us....we smell bad and don't taste too good. Bugs on the other hand see us as vending machines." - WetDog Albuterol! it's the 11th essential
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks



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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
PostThu Aug 02, 2012 2:30 am 
I see why you want to nail down the boundaries. You've got shots of peaks as far away as Glacier. And I don't think you'd get much agreement on this statement - "The Mountain Loop Highway is a well kept secret among the locals of Washington State". Ever check out the Monte Cristo or Dickerman trail heads on a weekend? Lake 22? Heather Lake? Mobbed.

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Hulksmash
Cleaning up.



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Hulksmash
Cleaning up.
PostThu Aug 02, 2012 8:54 am 
Yea Lake 22, Heather Lake, and Monte Cristo are the three ring circus of the area. Ironically even when the circus is overflowing there are trails minutes away hardly visited.

"Bears couldn't care less about us....we smell bad and don't taste too good. Bugs on the other hand see us as vending machines." - WetDog Albuterol! it's the 11th essential
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aywolfpac
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aywolfpac
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PostThu Aug 02, 2012 9:34 am 
It ain't a loop without the Darrington-Arlington section.

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Magellan
Brutally Handsome



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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
PostThu Aug 02, 2012 9:58 am 
Arlington to Granite Falls.

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Foist
Sultan of Sweat



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Foist
Sultan of Sweat
PostThu Aug 02, 2012 10:36 am 
aywolfpac wrote:
It ain't a loop without the Darrington-Arlington section.
It ain't a loop without I-5 (or Rt. 9) either -- are you going to include that? wink.gif

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Riverside Laker
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Riverside Laker
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PostThu Aug 02, 2012 11:49 am 
Do you close the loop using Hwy 9 or I-5?

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Kim Brown
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Kim Brown
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PostThu Aug 02, 2012 11:52 am 
It's more of a Twinkie shape. The Mountain Twinkie.

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome



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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
PostThu Aug 02, 2012 12:13 pm 
Is it the Sauk or the Stillaguamish that is the cream filling?

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daffish
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PostThu Aug 02, 2012 12:21 pm 
Yes, Hwy 530 is part of the MLH. When I created my book Rambling and Scrambling around the Mountain Loop Hwy, I too, had to set some boundaries. Basically, I used the watershed that drained into the north and south branches of the Stillaguamish River and portions of the Sauk River down to Darrington. The west end was problematic. Exactly where you choose to end the definitions for your purposes will include or exclude many minor peaks and areas.

"Be moderate in everything, including moderation" Horace Porter
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Mike Collins
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PostThu Aug 02, 2012 12:22 pm 
You should have the perimeter be the drainages that flow toward the highway loop described. Hall Peak and Big Four are Mtn Loop peaks but both lie outside of the actual enclosed loop. Likewise I think White Chuck should be considered a Mtn Loop peak although it lies to the north of the loop.

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Foist
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Foist
Sultan of Sweat
PostThu Aug 02, 2012 12:24 pm 
Wouldn't it make more sense to it by whether you drive the Mountain Loop to access the shortest route to the peaks? Seems more practical then doing it by "drainages," but then again I'm not a climber. Of course, it might come out to about the same thing.

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hiker1
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PostFri Aug 03, 2012 2:42 pm 
FWIW, MLH is registered on the National Scenic Byways Program at http://www.bywaysonline.org/inventory/byways/55512
Quote:
The Mountain Loop Scenic Byway loops through the Mt. Baker- Snoqualmie National Forest and provides access to three wilderness areas and hundreds of miles of hiking trails. Quick Facts Length of Byway: 27.0 miles / 43.5 km Time to allow: About 40 minutes
Does not state full route, but the length indicates it's probably Granite Falls to Barlow Pass, approx. ------ And there is a separate page on MLH on the MBSNF site at http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mbs/recreation/scenicdrivinginfo/recarea/?recid=17712&actid=105 which says it is 55 miles, Granite Falls to Darrington. Maps on the page and at http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/stelprdb5158097.gif

falling leaves / hide the path / so quietly ~John Bailey, "Autumn," a haiku year, 2001, as posted on oldgreypoet.com
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rhughes
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rhughes
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PostFri Aug 03, 2012 2:59 pm 
Like Flow and Dave, I needed to define the Mountain Loop area for my book North Cascades Beautiful. I believe that there are a number of honest ways to define the area. This is how I wrote it:
Quote:
Call it the Mountain Loop, the Mountain Loop Highway, or the Mountain Loop Scenic Byway. It’s the partly paved, partly dirt road that runs east from Granite Falls about 30 miles to Barlow Pass, turns north for 20 windy miles to Darrington, then west to Arlington, about another 30 miles.

rhughes Painter Author of North Cascades Beautiful: An Artist's View Author of 100 Beautiful Views of Glacier National Park RoyEHughes.com
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