GMU 448 Stillaguamish
The Stillaguamish working forest — the district's most walk-in-accessible DIY blacktail unit behind a maze of timber gates
WDFW Region 4 — North Puget Sound (District 13) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
1,116
sq mi
Public land
45%
approx.
Elevation
50–6,854
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
GMU 448 (Stillaguamish) fills the Stillaguamish River drainage of eastern Snohomish County, running from the farm-edge foothills above Granite Falls and Arlington up into the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest around Mt. Pilchuck, Three Fingers and the Boulder River Wilderness. This is a classic western-Washington working-forest unit: a checkerboard of private industrial timberland, WDNR state forest and national forest laced with gated logging roads. Blacktail deer are the bread-and-butter hunt and are widely distributed — 1,003 general-season hunters posted a 17% success rate for 166 deer in 2024, making it the most productive walk-in DIY blacktail unit of the three North Cascades foothill GMUs. Elk are only sporadic transients here; there is no established herd. Black bear are common in the clearcuts, and cougar follow the deer.
Terrain
Rises from the Stillaguamish valley floor near Arlington and Granite Falls (roughly 50-500 ft) through steep timbered foothills into glaciated North Cascades peaks — Mt. Pilchuck (5,340 ft), Three Fingers (6,854 ft) and Whitehorse Mountain country along the eastern and northern edges. Steep, wet, brushy, and heavily roaded in the private-timber lowlands; alpine and wilderness up high.
Cover: Dense westside Douglas-fir and western hemlock working forest with a patchwork of regenerating clearcuts, alder-choked riparian bottoms and salmonberry/devil's-club understory. Regrowth cuts and road edges provide the browse and berry crop that concentrate deer and bear; subalpine parks and huckleberry fields up high.
Landmarks: Stillaguamish River (North and South Forks) · Mt. Pilchuck (5,340 ft) · Three Fingers (6,854 ft) · Boulder River Wilderness · Sultan Basin / Spada Lake · Menzel Lake area · Granite Falls
Access
WDFW frames access here as workable but earned. Much of the eastern unit is Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF (Darrington RD 360-436-1155; Skykomish RD 360-677-2414) with vehicle access on USFS roads, though many roads are decommissioned or unmaintained — check status first. WDNR Northwest Region (360-856-3500) manages much of the rest; most DNR roads are gated and require a Discover Pass. Several private industrial timberland owners hold the lower unit — the Snohomish County lands formerly owned by Weyerhaeuser were sold to Hampton Lumber in 2021 (check Hampton's website for current access rules). Many timber roads are closed to motor vehicles but allow free walk-in or bike-in; gates open in the morning may be locked by evening during active logging. Parking at gates is very limited — never block a gate or drive past an open one unless you know it stays open. Obey all 'No Parking' signs; landowners will tow.
Managers: USFS Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, WDNR (Northwest Region), Hampton Lumber, Private industrial timber, Private
Access points: Menzel Lake Road / P-5000 Road gate (parking + walk-in to DNR and private forest, 4.6 mi south of Alder Place in Granite Falls) · Sultan Basin Road walk-in (south end, mixed public/private, watch no-shooting signs) · Mountain Loop Highway (USFS corridor into the national forest) · Granite Falls / Verlot USFS access · Darrington Ranger District roads (north)
Species notes
Blacktail Deer
common opportunityThe primary hunt and the reason to come. Blacktail are widely spread through the Stillaguamish working forest; 1,003 general-season hunters took 166 deer at a 17% success rate in 2024 — the best walk-in DIY blacktail numbers of the three North Cascades foothill units. Bucks are where the food and cover meet: regenerating clearcuts, road-edge browse, and thick timber pockets behind locked gates that get little foot traffic.
- →Get behind the gates — walk or bike past locked timber and DNR gates to reach cuts that see almost no pressure
- →Glass 5-to-15-year regenerating clearcuts and their brushy edges at first and last light
- →Still-hunt the dark timber and alder bottoms between cuts during midday
- →Scout early and learn one drainage well; WDFW stresses that hunters who scout and learn the ground kill more deer here
- →Rut in early-to-mid November pulls bucks into the open along cut and field margins
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bear are common and tied to the clearcuts and berry crop more than to any single year's harvest. In 2024, 466 hunters took 41 bears (9% success) in GMU 448 — high effort, modest success. Access behind gates to younger clearcuts that grow grass, forbs and berries is the key.
- →Glass green regenerating clearcuts and grassy road edges early-season mornings and evenings
- →Hunt higher alpine and subalpine huckleberry fields in late summer for spot-and-stalk opportunities
- →Cover ground on a bike behind gates to reach unpressured cuts
- →Remember the statewide requirement to submit a premolar tooth after a successful fall hunt
Cougar
common opportunityCougar follow the blacktail herds throughout the unit and are almost always taken opportunistically by hunters after other game. GMU 448 runs under a cougar harvest cap (10 cougars / 16% for 2025) that can close the unit mid-season.
- →Hunt where deer concentrate — cougar density tracks their primary prey
- →Predator calling can be productive
- →Verify the unit is still open before a late-season hunt via the cougar hotline (1-866-364-4868, press 2) — the cap can close it
- →Dogs may not be used to pursue cougar statewide
Roosevelt Elk
transient lowThere is no established elk herd in GMU 448. Individual elk and small bands drift in from the North Cascades (Nooksack) herd to the north and North Bend groups to the south; a few range the Highway 2 corridor between Baring and Grotto at the south end, sometimes as far west as Sultan. Forty-six hunters reported hunting elk here in 2024 with zero harvest; the last elk taken in the unit was in 2018.
- →Treat elk as a long-shot bycatch of a deer hunt, not a target
- →If committed, scout the north end near the Sauk Prairie edge and the Highway 2 south end where transients cross
- →General bull opportunity is 3-point-minimum, bull-only, but realistic odds are very low
Pro tips
- →This is a legs-and-bike unit — the hunters who ride or walk miles past locked gates into unpressured cuts consistently out-produce road hunters
- →Learn one drainage cold rather than running the whole unit; WDFW explicitly credits scouting and local knowledge for success here
- →Pull up SCOPI on your phone to keep straight which gate is DNR (Discover Pass, walk-in OK) versus private timber (check Hampton Lumber rules) versus posted no-trespass
- →Park legally and never block a gate — active-logging gates that are open at dawn can be locked by dusk, and landowners tow
- →Carry a Discover Pass for DNR access and a current Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF road/trail map — many forest roads are decommissioned
Watch out for
- !Timber gates lock without warning during active logging — you can be walled in if you drive past an open one
- !Very limited legal parking at most access gates; 'No Parking' signs are enforced with towing on private ground
- !Firearm-restricted and no-shooting areas exist around developed valley ground (Sultan Basin, county ordinance zones) — check the Snohomish County map and page 80 of the regulations
- !Many USFS roads are decommissioned or washed out; don't trust old maps for vehicle access
- !Elevated wildfire risk in dry falls can trigger sudden public-land and industrial-timberland closures
Logistics
Granite Falls and Arlington are the practical staging towns for fuel, groceries and lodging, with Darrington serving the north end and Sultan the south. The Mountain Loop Highway is the main paved artery into the national forest; dispersed and developed camping is available on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF near Verlot. Use the Snohomish County SCOPI parcel viewer to sort public from private before you hunt. Cell coverage fades quickly off the valley floor.
Nearest towns: Granite Falls, Arlington, Darrington, Sultan, Everett
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Washington sources:
Research sources: WDFW 2025 District 13 Hunting Prospects (Snohomish, Island, San Juan) · WDFW Game Management Units · Snohomish County SCOPI parcel viewer · Hampton Lumber recreational access
FAQ
- How big is GMU 448 in Washington?
- GMU 448 (Stillaguamish) covers about 1,116 square miles, ranging from roughly 50 to 6,854 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in GMU 448?
- Approximately 45% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, WDNR (Northwest Region), Hampton Lumber, Private industrial timber, Private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for GMU 448?
- Blacktail Deer, Black Bear, Cougar, Roosevelt Elk. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Washington agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put GMU 448 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.