Mount Spokane State Park - Mount Kit Carson Loop Road

Beginning in 1909, Spokane park visionary Francis Cook constructed a road to his Paradise Camp that included the upper portion of the Mount Kit Carson Loop Road. The road is no longer open to visitor vehicles, and its easy grade as it climbs the 6.5 miles to the Cook's Cabin Heritage Area make it a good option for group and family hikes or bike rides. With a trailhead at either end, it's easy to hike a portion of the full route or arrange a point-to-point hike with a shuttle vehicle.

The Lower Mount Kit Carson Loop Road trailhead begins from the hairpin turn at 3920 feet. The trail crosses portions of Burping Brook shortly inside the gated access. Visitors will find picnic tables tucked beneath giant cedars in three locations within the first mile, making short hikes and relaxing picnic dinners an inviting option. Just past the one-mile mark, the snowshoe hut at Smith Gap offers visitors a chance to get out of the elements year-round. The hut was constructed though generous grants and numerous private donations. Please practice pack-it-in, pack-it-out when utilizing this park resource.

Beyond Smith Gap visitors will notice the forest beginning to change as the trail continues to climb and enters a drier portion of the park. The cedars are replaced by lodge pole pine in this section of the forest. Once visitors reach the Day Mountain Road intersection, located approximately a quarter mile beyond Smith Gap, they've joined the old Cook auto route. A stone wall near this intersection is all that remains from a 1932 monument, set up at a location where overheated vehicles needed to stop while their drivers added water.

As the trail contours around the backside of Mount Kit Carson there are more views to the west and north. At approximately the 4 mile mark, the trail enters an area of private in-holding that was logged; soon thereafter the forest increases in density again. At around the 5 mile mark, visitors can see the west side of Mount Spokane for the first time. At 6 miles, the Civilian Conservation Corps Heritage Area is accessible via a short spur trail. A CCC camp during the Great Depression, this area was later used as the park headquarters. The rebuilt cabin in this location is a popular snowshoe and snowmobile warming hut during the winter. In the summer, visitors can choose the cabin or the outside picnic tables, depending on the weather. From here it's only a half mile to the Upper Mount Kit Carson Loop Road trailhead.

Note that the Upper Mount Kit Carson Loop Road trailhead is not accessible by vehicle during the winter months. It is possible to hike here utilizing other connector trails within the park.