Washington · Trail 763

Cow Heaven

Cow Heaven Trail is a 6.4-mile trail in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end48.5446° N, 121.4486° W · Directions ↗
Other end48.5507° N, 121.4628° W · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.

The trail

Length6.4 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade12-20 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers763
ForestMt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (unit 0605)
StatesWashington
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Cow Heaven Trail30°40°50°60°70°January: 12.84 inches of precipitationFebruary: 8.06 inches of precipitationMarch: 8.74 inches of precipitationApril: 5.45 inches of precipitationMay: 3.53 inches of precipitationJune: 2.87 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.58 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.74 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.99 inches of precipitationOctober: 9.20 inches of precipitationNovember: 13.72 inches of precipitationDecember: 11.28 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.2°F averageFebruary: 39.2°F averageMarch: 42.7°F averageApril: 48.4°F averageMay: 55.0°F averageJune: 59.2°F averageJuly: 64.4°F averageAugust: 64.8°F averageSeptember: 59.1°F averageOctober: 49.4°F averageNovember: 41.3°F averageDecember: 36.5°F average0 in5 in10 in15 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Darrington 21 NNE, 1 mile from the trail midpoint at 407 feet, station USW00004223 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 83 inches a year.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.

Trails nearby

Camping nearby

No federal campground is recorded within five miles of the trail. Dispersed camping is allowed on most National Forest land outside posted closures. The forest office has the current rules.

Fire nearby

  • Wildfire
    Sisi

    32 mi from the trail midpoint · 4,816 acres · 40% contained

  • Wildfire
    Gamma Creek

    32 mi from the trail midpoint · 29 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.

Explore

Guidebooks for Washington

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Backpacking Washington
    Douglas Lorain, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon and Washington
    Andy Selters, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Waterfalls in Washington
    Sawyer Scheer, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Washington's Fire Lookouts
    Amber Casali, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hikes in the Washington Region Part C
    Larry Broadwell and William Needham, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Cow Heaven Trail?

The Forest Service records 6.4 miles under this name in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Cow Heaven Trail?

Hiking is allowed. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Cow Heaven Trail start?

The line begins at 48.5446° N, 121.4486° W and ends at 48.5507° N, 121.4628° W. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Cow Heaven Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Cow Heaven Trail?

No federal campground is recorded within five miles of the trail. The camping section covers dispersed camping, which most National Forest land allows.

Source: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest official page

How developed is the Cow Heaven Trail?

Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Cow Heaven Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Cow Heaven Trail?

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Forest Service unit 0605. The trail is in Washington.

Source: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Cow Heaven Trail?

The interagency feed shows 2 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Sisi at 32 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named Cow Heaven in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0605. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.