Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in West Lake Stevens, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Suburban sprawl gives way to deep forest and rural farm lots as this rail-trail follows an uphill grade from Issaquah to the outskirts of Preston. The Issaquah–Preston Trail is among a group of trails...
The paved Preston-Snoqualmie Trail meanders through the lushly wooded Snoqualmie Valley, connecting the communities of Preston and Snoqualmie which lie east of Seattle. The main trail leaves the...
The Green River Trail currently stretches nearly 20 miles through the industrial heart of the Green River Valley from the southern suburbs of Seattle to Kent, connecting to a number of neighborhoods...
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The Cedar River Trail follows the old Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad corridor on a straight, flat shot out of the sprawling Seattle metro area and into the rural...
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 Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
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 Soos Creek Trail travels through heavily wooded forest on a north-south route spanning the eastern edge of the Seattle suburb of Kent. Following the path of its namesake creek, the trail begins...
Snoqualimie's half-mile, paved trail runs parallel to railroad tracks and SR 202 through downtown. The scenic trail provides a nice break for a short walk or ride. The city's trail also meets...
The Soos Creek Trail travels through heavily wooded forest on a north-south route spanning the eastern edge of the Seattle suburb of Kent. Following the path of its namesake creek, the trail begins...
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...
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...
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 East Lake Sammamish Trail is an important link in the Mountains to Sound Greenway, a 1.5 million–acre landscape stretching from Seattle to Central Washington. Its origins hail from the Seattle,...
The Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail is an extension of the Cedar River Trail, which heads south from Witte Road where the two trails intersect. The Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail passes through Lake...
Suburban sprawl gives way to deep forest and rural farm lots as this rail-trail follows an uphill grade from Issaquah to the outskirts of Preston. The Issaquah–Preston Trail is among a group of trails...
The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Trail is open to hikers and horseback riders. The trail can be difficult to navigate in places, since other trails link with it (some unmaintained). There are a few...
Snoqualimie's half-mile, paved trail runs parallel to railroad tracks and SR 202 through downtown. The scenic trail provides a nice break for a short walk or ride. The city's trail also meets...
The Cedar River Trail follows the old Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad corridor on a straight, flat shot out of the sprawling Seattle metro area and into the rural...
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, is one of the longest rail-trail conversions in the United States. The trail passes through remote and...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
From Mt. Baker-Snoqualamie National Forest: The first 1.5 miles of the trail follows an old railroad grade, then enters Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Once crossing the river at milepost 5.0, the trail...
The Green River Trail currently stretches nearly 20 miles through the industrial heart of the Green River Valley from the southern suburbs of Seattle to Kent, connecting to a number of neighborhoods...
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...
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 paved Preston-Snoqualmie Trail meanders through the lushly wooded Snoqualmie Valley, connecting the communities of Preston and Snoqualmie which lie east of Seattle. The main trail leaves the...
The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Trail is open to hikers and horseback riders. The trail can be difficult to navigate in places, since other trails link with it (some unmaintained). There are a few...
Snoqualimie's half-mile, paved trail runs parallel to railroad tracks and SR 202 through downtown. The scenic trail provides a nice break for a short walk or ride. The city's trail also meets...
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,...
From Mt. Baker-Snoqualamie National Forest: The first 1.5 miles of the trail follows an old railroad grade, then enters Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Once crossing the river at milepost 5.0, the trail...
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...
The paved Preston-Snoqualmie Trail meanders through the lushly wooded Snoqualmie Valley, connecting the communities of Preston and Snoqualmie which lie east of Seattle. The main trail leaves 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...
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 Soos Creek Trail travels through heavily wooded forest on a north-south route spanning the eastern edge of the Seattle suburb of Kent. Following the path of its namesake creek, the trail begins...
Suburban sprawl gives way to deep forest and rural farm lots as this rail-trail follows an uphill grade from Issaquah to the outskirts of Preston. The Issaquah–Preston Trail is among a group of trails...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, is one of the longest rail-trail conversions in the United States. The trail passes through remote and...
The East Lake Sammamish Trail is an important link in the Mountains to Sound Greenway, a 1.5 million–acre landscape stretching from Seattle to Central Washington. Its origins hail from the Seattle,...
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 Green River Trail currently stretches nearly 20 miles through the industrial heart of the Green River Valley from the southern suburbs of Seattle to Kent, connecting to a number of neighborhoods...
The Cedar River Trail follows the old Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad corridor on a straight, flat shot out of the sprawling Seattle metro area and into the rural...
The Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail is an extension of the Cedar River Trail, which heads south from Witte Road where the two trails intersect. The Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail passes through Lake...
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 great till you crossed the Preston/Fall City road and found it to be gravel, only wide enough for a mountain bike and a steep uphill switch back climb! I wish we had known this before my friend tipped over with his recumbent trike and both he and his dog went flying!!
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.
I was turning 44 years old and decided to ride the west section of the Palouse to Cascade trail for some needed alone time. Left Redmond at about 8am and made it to North Bend at about 9:45, where I swapped out my road tires for some slightly wider road tires (32c). A road bike with gravel tires is fine for most of this ride.
Began slogging up the railroad grade. Saw lots of rock climbers, picnickers, and a few cyclists. Weather was warm and it was beautiful. Take a lot of water and snacks, because there is no where to refresh unless you bring a filter.
My legs were getting pretty cooked by the time I made it to the tunnel. I was expecting the temp to drop, but did not realize my legs would instantly cramp from the cold! That was a little weird, being a mile into a dank, dark tunnel with legs spazzing into knots.
Made it out, and drug myself another two miles up to the summit for lunch. Calories please!
Continued on to Easton, then Roslyn, then up to the little town of Ronald to meet my family at an Airbnb.
Total miles: 97.5
Totally calories: 5780!
Rode the John Wayne trail from Beverly to east of Smyrna April 25, 2019 about 15.5 miles. Trail is in good condition. The ride was a tad over 5 hours. Started about noon and reached our destination a little after 5 PM. Saw two rattlesnakes and heard several others. One place sounded like it could have been a den of them. The horses shied and side stepped a bit but no rodeo. Lots of water birds. And we saw asparagus growing along the tracks in several places. Plan to continue on east as the weather permits.
Nice, well maintained trail. More walkers/runners than bikes. About a 11 mile ride from the Renton start before I hit packed gravel. I had road tires on and turned around. Packed gravel wasn’t horrible, I would try to finish with lower pressure traction tires next time. Not a whole lot of crossings, a lot of cool little tunnels and river views.
Love that I could run 8 miles on this trail just by going out and back to either end. Great trees and plant life in the middle of some busy streets. Paved with hills throughout.
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.
I loved my hike, spent 3 weeks going from Seattle to Ellensburg.
My daughter and I walked our dog about half of this trail, from S. 200th St. parking lot (only about 10 parking spots). On a sunny winter Saturday, it was not at all crowded, only saw about a dozen other friendly people. No litter or sketchy people. It is directly under the SeaTac flight path, so you'll never forget you aren't deep in the woods, but a beautiful wooded paved easy walk. We'll enjoy this walk again.
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