Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Washington, 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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I recently completed the entire trail, with just a few deviations. For starters, take the bus from Four Corners outside Port Townsend to Discovery Bay (about 6 miles). This avoids a narrow busy section with no shoulders. I also took a loop past Tounge Point and Crescent Bay to get off of highway 112 sooner. Finally, I went to Rialto Beach instead of La Push because the reservation is closed due to covid.
Most of the route is on nicely paved asphalt trails. I camped at Squim Bay Stte park, Fairholme and Mora cpamgrounds in Olympic NP. At Squim Bay, reserve the bike in site, as it is much cheaper than a regular campsite. The best section is past Lake Crescent, one of the most beautiful lakes in the country. Fairholme campground does not have an obvious route connecting to the trail. You need to get off the trail several miles before and take the gravel road closer to the lake.
There is about 10 miles on highway 101 that's not great, and a shorter stretch on highway 112, but the rest of the route is great. There is bus service from Forks all the way back to Port Townsend for 3 bucks.
This trail now connects to the Centennial Trail right where SR-9 passes over. It goes up the hill in a very nicely landscaped woods, then along a future subdivision before it turns to run along 84th street for a short distance. I think this trail is better for walking than biking because of all the little hills and street crossings, but it has some nice views and is a great way for people in nearby houses to get to the longer Centennial trail. There are a number of park benches and waste cans for dog poop, so I imagine it’s a good dog walking spot too
August 16, 2021 we rode the Spruce Railroad Trail up and back 21 miles. The beautiful views of Crescent Lake as we rode along the forested paved bike path were spectacular. The weather was a perfect 60 degrees with clear skies. About half the trail goes through gorgeous forest land quite high above the lake where the lake is not visible. A portion of the trail is almost at lake level. Be sure to stop at the Punchbowl and walk a short distance to the bridge. The northeast end of the trail has a nice parking lot. The trail is well maintained. There were quite a few walkers and bikers all enjoying time on the trail. Looking forward to riding this trail again. We also rode a short trail that ended at the double decker bridge and Elwah River--very pretty.
No trail exist from boulder beach east a few miles and shoulders of the road have glass and debris. Very dangerous during high vehicle traffic times. There is a safer alternative but it is all roads and no trail.
The trail is still washed out south of the Arboretum. It’s a little tricky to find the trail at the Arboretum. Nice views of the river. Not too many people.
Beautiful trail and very well maintained park. I started the trail at the Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park. Got a little over a mile in and the trail is closed in this end for restructure. I was a little disappointed. Other than that it’s a great trail to walk. Paved and flat. A few slight inclines, but easy enough for people just starting out. It’s a good workout.
This loose gravel used as a trail substrate makes these trails unpassable by bicycle. The loose gravel is tantamount to attempting to ride a bicycle across a sand dune. The gravel is soft and loose and creates too much friction for a bicycle ride longer than a quarter mile. This is a real shame and potential waste of resources. Trails must be hard packed for decent travel by bicycle. This isn't the only trail with this issue here in Washington. Many sections of the Palouse to the Cascades trail also suffer the same poor choice in trail substrate.
An important detail of the Snoqualmie River Trail is that there is a steep set of stairs (approximately 30 steps) just a few hundred yards South of the town of Snoqualmie. An able-bodied person will be able to lift their bike up or down these stairs, but a 60-70 electric bike will be a difficult lift if the rider is solo (if riding with others two people could lift the electric bikes one at a time). But a set of stairs on a bike trail needs to be pointed out, yes?! Hello! Also, in this same area when heading South the signage is poor (in some cases absent). Otherwise, a beautiful trail, many fantastic bridges, packed gravel/dirt trail surface in very good condition, and not much traffic. Recommended.
I’d turn back if I were you! Primitive trail overgrown blackberry bramble game trail
This is an awesome ride from the westernmost start at Rattlesnake Ledge all the way to the Renslow Trestle east of Ellensburg.
There's a few miles around Easton where someone in their "infinite wisdom" put the gravel on the trail so heavy that it made riding difficult, but it's doable.
Then there's the sand that the Army spread claiming "habitat restoration" from the Renslow Trestle across the last 20 miles to the Columbia River totally destroys the joy. Right, pure sand... does the Army think this is the Saharan Desert? To me, it seems pretty clear the Army did that in hopes to discourage bikers from crossing that section - you'll need fat tires to have any hope to ride it, and even then it will be a battle.
Challenging as a first-time user. We found this trail a bit difficult to follow when riding from the north end by Home Depot as there were sections where we were off the trail on city streets and were unfamiliar with the area. We enjoyed the big hills up and the long rides down. However, on the return the trail was much easier to follow. We suggest previewing the map closely before starting. Smooth surface which was great and well maintained!
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