Explore the best rated trails in Mount Vernon, WA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Pigeon Creek Trail and Larrabee Trail. With more than 30 trails covering 267 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The North Creek Trail links the cities of Bothell, Mill Creek and Everett, as well as the communities in between. The trail also provides access to the Sammamish River Trail, which connects to the...
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The Everson section of the Bay to Baker Trail runs for more than 1.5 miles from the unincorporated community of Strandell to Everson's downtown along an abandoned rail corridor. The trail is adjacent...
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The Interurban Trail between Seattle and Everett stitches together a dense residential and commercial patchwork that the original electric railway helped to grow in the early part of the 20th century....
Guemes Channel Trail will link downtown Anacortes, the Tommy Thompson Trail, and the San Juan Ferry. Both trails offer shoreline routes along old rail corridors. The Guemes Channel Trail is...
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Spectacular views across Bellingham Bay to the San Juan Islands and beyond reward visitors of this Interurban Trail. All they have to do is find a clearing along the wooded path that runs a fairly...
History lures visitors to the Snohomish County Centennial Trail. Trail users are reminded of old-time river and railroad settlements in the historically preserved storefronts and homes in Snohomish...
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The Railroad Trail through east Bellingham runs for more than 3 miles between the city's Bloedel Donovan Park and Memorial Park, providing an off-road alternative to the cross-town route of Alabama...
The Port Townsend waterfront marks the eastern endpoint of the Olympic Discovery Trail, which will one day stretch 126 miles from Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean. This section of trail is named in...
The Padilla Bay Shore Trail offers a paved route of just over 2 miles atop a dike along the Padilla Bay in Northwest Washington. Adventurers will enjoy the scenic natural setting only about 70 miles...
When complete, the Sound to Olympics Trail will extend across Kitsap County to link two Washington State regional trail systems: the Mountains to Sound Greenway to the Olypmic Discovery...
The State Route 20 Arboreta Trail—also known as the Highway 20 Trail—was developed in the 1970s after a donation of the right-of-way to the City of Burlington by a private citizen. The trail, which is...
The South Bay Trail is a tourist's dream and a sweet summer spot for locals. The small city of Bellingham, 20 miles from the Canadian border, lies between 10,781-foot Mount Baker and Bellingham Bay...
The Pigeon Creek Trail runs along an operating port terminal and users of the trail are are protected from the secured industrial terminal by a fence, which runs along side the trail. You will...
The Lowell Riverfront Trail is a multi-use trail located within Rotary Park. The paved trail travels from the park entrance to the north end following the Snohomish River. You can encounter numerous...
Though relatively short at 3.3 miles, the Tommy Thompson Trail stands tall in the ferry port of Anacortes for its notable 2,000-foot-long paved trestle spanning picturesque Fidalgo Bay. Enjoyed...
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The Bellingham segment of the Bay to Baker Trail runs for 1.4 miles along an abandoned railroad right-of-way between Little Squalicum Park on Bellingham Bay and Northwest Avenue. The trail is sand and...
The section of the Olympic Discovery Trail sandwiched between Sequim Bay and the Elwha River is considered the trail system's crown jewel. Bounded by a sparkling tidal estuary in the east and a...
The 22.5-mile Cascade Trail—boasting 12 benches, 23 trestles, and two bridges made from repurposed railcars—-follows the Skagit River as it parallels State Route 20 into the Cascade foothills of...
The Kulshan Creek Trail links Mount Vernon's downtown area with commercial and residential areas. Use the trail to access schools, parks, natural areas and community gardens. The Kulshan Trail runs...
True to its name, the Cross Kirkland Corridor traverses the city for nearly six miles, connecting eight neighborhoods, four major business districts, more than a dozen parks, and several public...
The Interurban Trail between Seattle and Everett stitches together a dense residential and commercial patchwork that the original electric railway helped to grow in the early part of the 20th century....
The Port Townsend waterfront marks the eastern endpoint of the Olympic Discovery Trail, which will one day stretch 126 miles from Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean. This section of trail is named in...
History lures visitors to the Snohomish County Centennial Trail. Trail users are reminded of old-time river and railroad settlements in the historically preserved storefronts and homes in Snohomish...
The Everson section of the Bay to Baker Trail runs for more than 1.5 miles from the unincorporated community of Strandell to Everson's downtown along an abandoned rail corridor. The trail is adjacent...
Though relatively short at 3.3 miles, the Tommy Thompson Trail stands tall in the ferry port of Anacortes for its notable 2,000-foot-long paved trestle spanning picturesque Fidalgo Bay. Enjoyed...
The State Route 20 Arboreta Trail—also known as the Highway 20 Trail—was developed in the 1970s after a donation of the right-of-way to the City of Burlington by a private citizen. The trail, which is...
Spectacular views across Bellingham Bay to the San Juan Islands and beyond reward visitors of this Interurban Trail. All they have to do is find a clearing along the wooded path that runs a fairly...
The North Creek Trail links the cities of Bothell, Mill Creek and Everett, as well as the communities in between. The trail also provides access to the Sammamish River Trail, which connects to the...
Located in the Cascade foothills near the town of Gold Bar, the Wallace Falls Railway Trail (Railroad Grade) climbs 2.5 miles to meet a separate, 1.5-mile riverside ascent to Wallace Falls. The...
When complete, the Sound to Olympics Trail will extend across Kitsap County to link two Washington State regional trail systems: the Mountains to Sound Greenway to the Olypmic Discovery...
The 22.5-mile Cascade Trail—boasting 12 benches, 23 trestles, and two bridges made from repurposed railcars—-follows the Skagit River as it parallels State Route 20 into the Cascade foothills of...
The Lowell Riverfront Trail is a multi-use trail located within Rotary Park. The paved trail travels from the park entrance to the north end following the Snohomish River. You can encounter numerous...
Spanning nearly 19 miles between Seattle and Bothell, the Burke-Gilman Trail is as much a thoroughfare for commuting to work and the University of Washington as it is a staple for social recreation...
The Kulshan Creek Trail links Mount Vernon's downtown area with commercial and residential areas. Use the trail to access schools, parks, natural areas and community gardens. The Kulshan Trail runs...
The Squires Lake Trail offers a short, but scenic, route along a former railroad grade about 13 miles south of Bellingham, the largest city in Whatcom County. The surface is dirt and gravel, but the...
The South Bay Trail is a tourist's dream and a sweet summer spot for locals. The small city of Bellingham, 20 miles from the Canadian border, lies between 10,781-foot Mount Baker and Bellingham Bay...
The Larrabee Trail in the Fairhaven suburb of Bellingham runs for 1 easy mile over rolling terrain. The trail meanders along Lower Padden Creek from the Port of Bellingham Marine Park by the water...
The Snoqualmie Valley Trail rolls from verdant dairy land in the north to a clear blue mountain lake in the south. Along the way, travelers are treated to numerous trestle crossings, historic towns,...
The Railroad Trail through east Bellingham runs for more than 3 miles between the city's Bloedel Donovan Park and Memorial Park, providing an off-road alternative to the cross-town route of Alabama...
The Tolt Pipeline Trail serves as a major connection between Duvall, Washington, and the Sammamish River in Bothell. The trail follows a water pipeline right-of-way and is not recommended for all...
True to its name, the Cross Kirkland Corridor traverses the city for nearly six miles, connecting eight neighborhoods, four major business districts, more than a dozen parks, and several public...
Though relatively short at 3.3 miles, the Tommy Thompson Trail stands tall in the ferry port of Anacortes for its notable 2,000-foot-long paved trestle spanning picturesque Fidalgo Bay. Enjoyed...
The Padilla Bay Shore Trail offers a paved route of just over 2 miles atop a dike along the Padilla Bay in Northwest Washington. Adventurers will enjoy the scenic natural setting only about 70 miles...
The Hertz Trail (also known as the North Lake Whatcom Trail) follows the eastern shoreline of Washington's fourth largest freshwater lake. The relatively flat, fine-gravel pathway traces the former...
Spanning nearly 19 miles between Seattle and Bothell, the Burke-Gilman Trail is as much a thoroughfare for commuting to work and the University of Washington as it is a staple for social recreation...
The Larrabee Trail in the Fairhaven suburb of Bellingham runs for 1 easy mile over rolling terrain. The trail meanders along Lower Padden Creek from the Port of Bellingham Marine Park by the water...
The Snoqualmie Valley Trail rolls from verdant dairy land in the north to a clear blue mountain lake in the south. Along the way, travelers are treated to numerous trestle crossings, historic towns,...
The Squires Lake Trail offers a short, but scenic, route along a former railroad grade about 13 miles south of Bellingham, the largest city in Whatcom County. The surface is dirt and gravel, but the...
The Pigeon Creek Trail runs along an operating port terminal and users of the trail are are protected from the secured industrial terminal by a fence, which runs along side the trail. You will...
The Sammamish River Trail rolls along smoothly through a wide, scenic greenway that's home to riverside parks and farms, as well as a growing wine industry. The trail is the center link of the Seattle...
The Bellingham segment of the Bay to Baker Trail runs for 1.4 miles along an abandoned railroad right-of-way between Little Squalicum Park on Bellingham Bay and Northwest Avenue. The trail is sand and...
The Everson section of the Bay to Baker Trail runs for more than 1.5 miles from the unincorporated community of Strandell to Everson's downtown along an abandoned rail corridor. The trail is adjacent...
The State Route 20 Arboreta Trail—also known as the Highway 20 Trail—was developed in the 1970s after a donation of the right-of-way to the City of Burlington by a private citizen. The trail, which is...
The Interurban Trail between Seattle and Everett stitches together a dense residential and commercial patchwork that the original electric railway helped to grow in the early part of the 20th century....
The section of the Olympic Discovery Trail sandwiched between Sequim Bay and the Elwha River is considered the trail system's crown jewel. Bounded by a sparkling tidal estuary in the east and a...
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The Maple Falls to Glacier segment of the Bay to Baker Trail traces the route of the former Bellingham Bay Railroad between two small Washington towns not far from the Canadian border. The trail...
Guemes Channel Trail will link downtown Anacortes, the Tommy Thompson Trail, and the San Juan Ferry. Both trails offer shoreline routes along old rail corridors. The Guemes Channel Trail is...
Two sections of the Whitehorse Trail, which runs along a former Burlington Northern rail line, are currently open for use. The eastern end of the trail spans nearly 7 miles between Darrington and the...
History lures visitors to the Snohomish County Centennial Trail. Trail users are reminded of old-time river and railroad settlements in the historically preserved storefronts and homes in Snohomish...
When complete, the Sound to Olympics Trail will extend across Kitsap County to link two Washington State regional trail systems: the Mountains to Sound Greenway to the Olypmic Discovery...
I give 5 stars to what has been completed. It is definitely an urban trail, but I love that it stops by parks along the way. It is so much nicer to be able to have a trail to not only take walks but to travel between areas to shop. I look forward to its continued development. I hope that all the cities involved do a better job of keeping pedestrians in mind as they plan for the future.
Late October 2019 Started in Bellingham on the South Bay trail to Fairhaven which connects easily to the Interurban Trail, about 9 miles total each way... very nice ride with fantastic views of Bellingham Bay and some of the San Jaun islands. Most of the trail is flat and well packed but you do have to descend into and climb out of a couple of gorges where there were once rail bridges now long gone. Historic Fairhaven is a beautiful spot for lunch, lots of options. Will definitely do this one again!
I ride this trail twice a week from Everett to work in Mountlake Terrace and mostly love it. The areas in which you actually ride on the trail are wonderful. That means the sections from about Lynnwood Park & Ride thru Everett. I often am alone on those sections of trail, and I love to look over at stopped traffic on I-5 and feel smugly secure that I'm getting to work faster and with better exercise than those people.
The negatives of this trail are as people described: it starts and stops and sometimes there are sketchy people. There are several streets in which the trail stops and the rider has to cross streets -- 128th Street, 164th Street, approaching the back side of Alderwood Mall, and most of Mountlake Terrace including 220th Street. Those aspects of the trail are frustrating because they break the riding flow and make bikes feel like second class transportation. I especially hate the uphill/downhill approaching the mall, as it required riding on the road up a hill. It's a shame the city of Lynnwood couldn't widen that bridge to allow for bikes. Near 128th Street, the trail ends at an apartment complex and you have to ride through an area congested with kids in the afternoons, requiring weaving through people. Then on the other side of 128th, towards Everett, there are occasionally sketchy people who you can just bike away from.
Despite these frustrations, I love my Interurban Trail and am happy to ride it frequently. It's been improved over the years, especially thru Lynnwood, and riding it is a great way to start and finish the day.
The trail was fantastic. The road noise from construction going on the street above was very scary for me and my dogs. We parked at Blyth Park, well maintained park area and easy access to the trail. It was a HOT day and it was nice to find a place where the dogs could jump in the water and kool off.
Nice trail a little bumpy in places and overgrown with grass. The Darrington end starts by the airport and is near the IGA. The trail runs behind the Bluegrass festival grounds which gives great views of Whitehorse mountain. There is a wash out in one section near the river. It’s ok for bikes to ride by, or walk past. The trail is in the woods or in people’s back yards to Fortson Mill. The old mill is off in the woods and there is a parking lot. I went another mile west until there was a bridge marked closed. I had previously tried from the Centennial end, but the landslide still was blocking the trail. Hopefully more will open soon.
1. People use this trail as their daily commute.
2. Very well maintained.
3. Not much bumps but there are quite few.
4. You can turn off your mind and just bike on this trail.
Late Summer 2018
TrailBear was not exactly “silent, upon a peak in Darien” when he parked at the twin bridges site (Rt. 530 & RR bridges) on the Whitehorse Trail (48°15'58.29"N x 122° 0'44.53"W).
“OMG, blacktop!” A few yards over, the trail surface was gleaming blacktop. Blacktop! Bear loves blacktop on his trails. Smooth riding. No ruts. Yes! We can do this! The trike came out and TB went spinning over the bridge and down the newly surfaced trail bed.
Smooth, fresh blacktop and dried leaves crunching under the tires. Looking closer, he wondered if he was one of the first riders on this stretch. There were only three tire tracks behind him. All evenly spaced. Might be him.
Was there some association with the construction crew he passed a few miles east where the trail crosses Rt 530 again… They were laying down more blacktop, heading east towards Darrington. Got a ways to go. Encourage them. They expected to be done with the trail project back in 2016. Perhaps 2020 might be the year. A bear can dream.
Regardless, the twin bridges is a lovely spot on the trail. You have a nice railroad bridge, a river with a long view, a beach for the kids and views. Locals are found recreating themselves here all summer.
Go west down the blacktop a bit and there is the Rt. 530 trail crossing – under construction. Wonder how they will do this. The Snohomish Centennial has a ped-controlled stop light at one crossing. This crossing is on a curve to make it sporting.
He managed to pedal across – but he waited and waited for a lull. Those fully loaded logging trucks doing 60 mph suggested caution. No sign of paving continuing west towards Trafton Trailhead. Back in 2016 when he checked out the Trafton Trailhead, he noticed they had laid a serious compacted gravel base heading east from Trafton, so there might be hope that was going to be a blacktop base.
@@@ MAP CHECK … The Whitehorse Trail project map – check it out
Here is the county project map. Currently, it is the best that you can easily put your hands on.
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/3693/Whitehorse-Regional-Trail
TB really hopes that the map note with a date of 2106 was a typo. You can see that they are doing this and that here and there. They have Phases. Must be a challenge to find all the funding for all the projects that add up to a completed trail.
The finished trail, combined with the excellent Snohomish Centennial Trail that runs from the Snohomish River north through Arlington to the Skagit County border will make this an even more attractive destination for riders.
The old right of way extends north along Rt. 9 in Skagit County and south into King County where it is the Burke-Gilman Trail. There are said to be plans to join the Snohomish to the B-G. Come that day, you can start at the Golden Gardens on Puget Sound and ride up to the Skagit line or cut over to Darrington.
@@@ FORTSON MILL TRAILHEAD … Welcome Wagon not in evidence (48°16'25.43"N 121°43'53.57"W)
TrailBear had such high hopes that morning. He would park at the Fortson Mill Trailhead and take a round trip east to Darrington and back. After all, the official map said this was the only open portion.
His hopes faded when he drove in … to the gate, hefty and well-locked. An official and rather annoyed sign proclaimed that “This Gate is Locked due to illegal dumping.” (Guys, if you are going to do caps, do caps for every word. More stylish.) Among the prohibited items were Alcoholic Beverages and Motor Vehicles. Not the place to party on a Friday night. At least the county hopes so. The gate says so.
Reading that ‘Foot traffic is allowed into the park” he hoofed it down the road to find a vast, empty parking lot in the woods. Great place to dump that old washer or have a kegger on Friday night. No signage.
More wandering about turned up the Fortson mill – now concrete walls with artistic graffiti, a dam and empty log pond and not much more. The trail is due north about 93 yards from the non-parking lot, over the slope and down.
@@@ DARRINGTON TRAIL HEAD … End of the trail (48°15'32.10"N 121°36'16.33"W)
Well, try the official open portion from the other end. Off to Darrington and the trail end on Railroad Ave. Pedal off down the trail and past the Three Rivers Mill. The trail here is gravel, and TrailBear was soon bored. Scrubby, cut over woods, no views, bumping over roots. Boring!
Stop, about face, pedal back. The reality is that from Fortson to Darrington, the Whitehorse is a woods ride. No bridges, no river, no views. TB has ridden the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes and other scenic trails, so he is spoiled rotten and feels Entitled.
He wants scenic trails with endless unfolding vistas – an endless Instagram Heaven – not a bunch of scrubby woods. (And, while you’re at it – a rest room every five miles.)
He loaded up and headed back west to his happy discovery of real, fresh blacktop, a bridge and vistas at the twin bridges: “OMG, blacktop!” One happy TrailBear.
This is a beautiful trail. I had a free afternoon on a business trip to Seattle. Terrible traffic to get out of Seattle, but worth it to add this trail to my list. I wish I’d had more time. Had to cut my mileage short because I kept stopping for photos.
I'm leaving two stars because of the huge challenge it was to get from Everett to Seattle today, I like challenges but you may not and after attempting this trail you may even leave zero stars. You CAN NOT do the ride with out a map on your phone first off. Little to no signs leave you guessing and searching. The biggest thing today is the street closure around the Alderwood Mall area in Lynwood. If you're determined like I was today to get to Seattle, plan on taking 164th to 36th to 184th. Maple Rd and even Ash Rd underpass are closed - Till November. WTF. Interurban trail is years away from being user friendly.
This is a lovely paved trail that hugs the shoreline along Guemes Channel where large ferries regularly ply the waters between Anacortes and the San Juan Islands. The views are outstanding and the trail is accessible year round. Make a right turn off Highway 20 directly through the San Juan Passage housing development downhill to reach trailhead parking area along the water. The trail goes east about 1.2 miles toward the city of Anacortes with plans for eventual completion all the way to city center. This same parking area also serves the Ship Harbor Trail which runs westward toward the WA State ferry terminal. If you get the yen to go to Guemes Island there is a small Skagit County ferry that makes regular 5-minute crossings from downtown Anacortes.
Great trail, however do due tree roots there are some rough sections
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