Washington · Trail 5

Quartz Creek

Quartz Creek Trail is a 9.7-mile trail in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Gifford Pinchot 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 end46.1826° N, 121.8491° W · Directions ↗
Other end46.2687° N, 121.7513° 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

Length9.7 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 numbers5
ForestGifford Pinchot National Forest (unit 0603)
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.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed 06/01 to 09/30 (month/day)
Horse and pack stockAllowed
Mountain bikingAllowed 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

Trailhead: Upper Falls/Quartz Creek
No season published · listed closed
under 0.1 mi

Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.

Trails nearby

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Spud Piles Rx - North

    6 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Prescribed
    Crazy Piles Rx - South

    12 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Prescribed
    Moe Pile Rx - North

    16 mi from the trail midpoint · 32 acres

  • Prescribed
    Red Top Piles Rx - South

    19 mi from the trail midpoint · 42 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 Quartz Creek Trail?

The Forest Service records 9.7 miles under this name in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Quartz Creek Trail?

Hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking are allowed. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round. Some uses are seasonal. The allowed uses section lists the dates.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Quartz Creek Trail start?

The line begins at 46.1826° N, 121.8491° W and ends at 46.2687° N, 121.7513° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Trailhead: Upper Falls/Quartz Creek, under 0.1 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Quartz Creek 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 Quartz Creek Trail?

Lewis River Hc Gifford Pinchot NF (0.1 mi), Lower Falls Campground (2.3 mi) and Campground: Twin Falls (4.9 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 3 with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Quartz Creek 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 Quartz Creek Trail?

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

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Quartz Creek Trail?

Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Forest Service unit 0603. The trail is in Washington.

Source: Gifford Pinchot National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Quartz Creek Trail?

The interagency feed shows 4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Spud Piles Rx - North at 6 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named Quartz Creek in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0603. 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.