Quartz Creek
Quartz Creek Trail is a 11.4 miles trail in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3 to 4, developed to highly developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking. It enters Henry M. Jackson Wilderness and Wild Sky Wilderness.
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 end | 47.5661, -121.5301 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 47.5844, -121.5541 · 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 is recorded as 4 segments.
The trail
| Length | 11.4 miles |
| Trail class | 3, developed; 4, highly developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 12-20 percent |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches |
| Motor vehicles | Closed to all motorized use year-round |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 1050, 1263 |
| Forest | Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (unit 0605) |
| States | Washington |
| Detail published | management 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
| Hiking | Allowed year-round |
| Horse and pack stock | Allowed year-round |
| Mountain biking | Allowed 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.
Wilderness
- Henry M. Jackson Wilderness WildernessFS · about 39% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
- Wild Sky Wilderness WildernessFS · about 2% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
No season published Wilderness regulations apply | 0 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. The recreation page link goes to the Forest Service site, which may redirect to the forest's recreation index.
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
- WildfireKing
16 mi from the trail midpoint · 3,298 acres · 0% contained
- WildfireThree Queens
18 mi from the trail midpoint · 9,558 acres · 23% contained
- WildfireGoat
25 mi from the trail midpoint · 815 acres · 41% contained
- WildfireWest Fork
44 mi from the trail midpoint · 310 acres · 16% contained
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Historic places nearby
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Quartz Creek Trail?
11.4 miles, the sum of the 4 segments the Forest Service records under this name in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Quartz Creek Trail?
hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Where does the Quartz Creek Trail start?
The line begins at 47.5661, -121.5301 and ends at 47.5844, -121.5541. The nearest recorded trailhead is North Fork Skykomish Trailhead, 0 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?
Yes. It enters Henry M. Jackson Wilderness and Wild Sky Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Where can I camp near the Quartz Creek Trail?
Middle Fork Campground (1.1 mi), Troublesome Creek Campground (4.8 mi) and San Juan Campground (4.9 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.
Source: Campsite Atlas
How developed is the Quartz Creek Trail?
Trail class 3 to 4, which the Forest Service describes as developed to highly 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?
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Forest Service unit 0605. The trail is in Washington.
Is there a fire near the Quartz Creek Trail?
4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-17, the nearest King at 16 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 4 segments named QUARTZ CREEK 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 September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.