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.
_158735_st.jpg)
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.
TrailBear reports:
"SO, WHERE’S THE TRAIL? GE: N46.22237 W119.10200
You were warned that when you really needed a trail sign, none would be there. TrailBear was right. Here you are at a small parking lot at the base of the bridge in Pasco, wondering which way to go.
Turn left onto W. Washington St. and ride down to S. 13th Ave. Turn left onto something of a track. Across the waste land you can see the river levee. Head thataway.
If you do it right, you should cross the RR tracks and arrive at Milepost 4.5 on the levee. Turn left for the trail to Sacagawea State Park. Turn right to the Blue Bridge and beyond. Thus begins the Pasco Levee ride - "
Since his report they have worked on the access. The correct way is to come off the bridge, take the first right onto Washington Street followed by the next right onto S 9th Avenue. When the road turns to the left continue straight across the railroad track and onto the trail, left to ride to Sacagawea Park and the junction of the Snake and Columbia River or right to under the bridge for about 0.3 miles where you can pick-up with TrailBear's ride at milepost 4.5. This is all good asphalt road and much more direct connection between the bridge and trail.
Just outside the city of Yakima is a beautiful canyon with a well maintained trail. Several off shoots (including a climb to a winery and tasting room) make this a unique little jaunt!
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.
Since this is close to the house we frequently hit the Burnt Bridge Creek Trail. It is pleasant, has a variety of views and frequent wildlife. It can get really crowded on pretty weekend days and you have to watch out for little ones.
This trail is wide and widely used. From serious athletes to large families with strollers - but everyone fits well and seem to enjoy the company. I took a side trip up Selah Hill (steep but short) and got a nice view of the valley. Don’t miss the iron rail bridges!
I’ve lived in Wenatchee for four years now and have really enjoyed the Apple Loop trail, even more so after the two additional legs have been added. One leg takes you 5 miles (one way) south to Hydro Park while the other leg goes north ~6 miles (again, one way) to Rocky Reach Dam. The Loop itself is 10 miles so it’s wonderful to be able to crank out 20+ miles on the bike after work right from the office! The county PUD does a great job keeping it clear of snow in the winter as well.
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 trail winds through farms, small communities, and forested areas of east Pierce County. The newest section between South Prairie and Buckley us steeper but should not be missed. Be sure to stop at one of the many small businesses along the way!
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
_72084_st.jpg)
