Washington · Trail 159

Terminator

Terminator Trail is a 4.6-mile trail in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking and horse and pack stock.

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 end45.9998° N, 121.8480° W · Directions ↗
Other end46.0097° N, 121.9017° 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

Length4.6 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 numbers159
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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Terminator Trail30°40°50°60°70°January: 14.46 inches of precipitation, 18.5 inches of snowFebruary: 11.29 inches of precipitation, 8.5 inches of snowMarch: 9.78 inches of precipitation, 5.0 inches of snowApril: 6.14 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowMay: 3.34 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 2.18 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 0.46 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 0.77 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.81 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 8.05 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowNovember: 13.78 inches of precipitation, 3.1 inches of snowDecember: 15.84 inches of precipitation, 19.4 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 33.4°F averageFebruary: 36.0°F averageMarch: 40.4°F averageApril: 46.0°F averageMay: 53.6°F averageJune: 58.6°F averageJuly: 65.2°F averageAugust: 65.4°F averageSeptember: 58.9°F averageOctober: 48.7°F averageNovember: 39.6°F averageDecember: 33.3°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Carson Fish Hatchery, 10 miles from the trail midpoint at 1,134 feet, station USC00451160 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 89 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 55 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 2,000 feet lower than the trail midpoint, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round
Horse and pack stockAllowed 05/01 to 10/31 (month/day)

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: McClellan Meadows-Lower
No season published
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
    South Park Rx

    27 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Prescribed
    Tracy Hill Rx

    29 mi from the trail midpoint · 71 acres

  • Prescribed
    Top Of The World Rx

    29 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Wildfire
    Clark Road

    40 mi from the trail midpoint · 27 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 Terminator Trail?

The Forest Service records 4.6 miles under this name in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Terminator Trail?

Hiking and horse and pack stock 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 Terminator Trail start?

The line begins at 45.9998° N, 121.8480° W and ends at 46.0097° N, 121.9017° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Trailhead: McClellan Meadows-Lower, 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 Terminator 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 Terminator Trail?

Horse Camp: Falls Creek (2.3 mi) and Paradise Creek Campground (3.6 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 2 with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Terminator 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 Terminator Trail?

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

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Terminator 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 Terminator Trail?

The interagency feed shows 4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-10-25, the nearest South Park Rx at 27 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named Terminator 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 October 25, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.