This 37,842-acre mountainous conservation area protects outstanding examples of native plant communities and other ecological features, such as subalpine meadows, wetlands, and lakes. Six plant species rare to Washington state occur within these habitats. The site is also large enough to provide important habitat for threatened and endangered wide-ranging wildlife such as Pacific fisher, grizzly bear, and gray wolf. The NRCA protects the middle and high elevations around the Spada Lake basin, which captures warm moist air as it moves inland from Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean to create one of the wettest areas in the North Cascade Mountains. High precipitation and cool temperatures cause subalpine plant communities to occur at unusually low elevations in this region. 

In September 2018, DNR and the Morning Star Trails Planning Committee completed the Morning Star Trails Plan, the guiding document for safe and sustainable low-impact recreation in the area for the next 15 years. The agency evaluated existing trails in the area to determine to traditional and cultural use, renovation and potential expansion, and desired hiking, backcountry camping, and scenic viewpoint opportunities. The result is a plan that emphasizes restoring environmentally sensitive areas and redeveloping existing popular trails.

 

You can learn more about our collaborative trails planning effort for the Morning Star Natural Resources Conservation Area and other recreation planning projects here.

 

Gothic Basin is a glacially-influenced landscape located below the east face of Gothic Peak and the south face of Del Campo Peak. It includes Foggy Lake, a 19 acre glacial lake that forms the headwaters of Weden Creek. Gothic Basin was once known only to climbers ascending nearby peaks, and the site was not part of DNR’s portfolio of managed landscapes within Morning Star NRCA. The basin has become very popular with hikers and campers in recent years, and dispersed impacts to this subalpine area required that DNR add Gothic Basin to the list of formally managed sites within the NRCA. A backcountry toilet has been installed near the basin and site design related to trails and camp sites is underway (likely 2019 through 2022). Users can expect to see new signs, active trail work, campsite designation and restoration of inappropriately located former campsites, as well as recovery areas for currently braided trail networks in this fragile subalpine habitat. While camping is allowed in Gothic Basin, campfires are prohibited in order to protect fragile habitats. 

 

Directions: The 3.3 mile trail to Gothic Basin, known as Weden Creek Trail, begins at Barlow Pass on the Mountain Loop Highway. The hike is challenging, starting at about 2,300-feet elevation and climbing steeply to about 5,000-feet elevation; and the old informally constructed trail includes bedrock scrambles and hazardous stream crossings where dangerous snow bridges can persist well into summer. From Granite Falls at the intersection of SR-92 and Mountain Loop Highway, follow Mountain Loop Highway for approximately 30.5 miles to Barlow Pass. Parking is on left, and the trailhead is on south side of Mountain Loop Highway (across from parking).