Also known as: Subway (King Ravine Trail), Subway
The Subway is a 220-yard optional spur at the floor of King Ravine, branching off the main King Ravine Trail between the flanks of Mt. Adams and Mt. Madison. Despite covering less than a tenth of a mile, it consistently catches hikers off guard: passages that look manageable from the outside demand full-body contortions inside, and the deep voids between house-sized boulders can swallow an adult whole. A bypass route runs parallel for those who prefer not to commit.
The scramble moves down and through a series of talus chambers, requiring crawls, sideways squeezes, downclimbs, and moments of dangling from narrow ledges. The final cave tends to be the most difficult, though none of them are easy. Blazes mark the route but can be hard to spot; losing the line means backing up and hunting for the next painted arrow. Ice lingers in the deepest chambers well into summer and may persist year-round, making footing treacherous even on warm days.
The Subway earns its place among the Terrifying 25 not through elevation gain or exposure but through pure terrain puzzle-solving under physical constraint. Tall hikers face particular difficulty. Because falls into boulder crevices can cause serious injury with no easy rescue access, it is worth going with a partner. Groups should assess their size and risk tolerance before committing; the bypass is a legitimate choice, not a shortcut. The King Ravine Trail proper continues to the headwall after both options rejoin above the cave section.
