Rainy Mine Route Information

Rainy Mine

Map Annotations:

• (A) - A shot of the Taylor Gate, from the parking area.
  
• (B) - Looking up the Quartz Creek road, as it starts to climb.
  
• (C) - The cutoff road to the Rainy Mine (UTM: 609097mE 5269465mN).
  
• (D) - The view from the old foundation down to the mine dump (UTM: 608873mE 5269421mN).

Microsoft TerraServer shows the general Rainy Mine area which can be seen below the switchbacks of the Quartz Creek road. Presumably the mine dump area is the light colored area visible near the creek.

Driving:
Drive I-90 east past North Bend for 1 mile and take exit 34, which is the old Edgewick Road exit. Turn left under the freeway, and continue past the truck stop area to a right turn on the Middle Fork road. Drive this rough and potholed road 15 miles past the Middle Fork trailhead, past the small concrete bridge which crosses the Taylor River, to a fork in the road. The left fork continues 1/4 mile or so to the Taylor River trailhead No. 1002, elevation 1,200 feet. Room for plenty of cars here. Driving time: approximately 45 minutes.

Hiking:
Cross the bridge at the Taylor Gate and continue up the road for about 1/2 mile (10 minutes or so). Take the left fork in the road, which is in better condition than the road the continues up the Taylor river. This road winds up another 3/4 mile in the pleasant woods until or so until the road deteriorates slightly and angles steeply up the side of the hill.

The road now is straight - in another 1/2 mile at about 1900', the cutoff road to the Rainy Mine can be spotted on the left. Keep a sharp lookout for it, or the large rusty cable that sticks out into the road above it. A rock cairn might be present as well (allow total 1 hour to here). Work your way down the old roadbed, which after a while descends down a small creek which has washed out the area. At this point you should be able to see the mine area on the left.