Rented bikes at Arlington Velo Sport and drove by car to the Fortson Mill trailhead, from where we biked to Moe's in Darrington (and back).

Road Conditions. Large, unpaved parking lot just off Hwy 530. No toilets.

Trail Conditions. Wide gravel/dirt trail, some muddy-but-frozen spots. There was a washout just east of the Bluegrass Music Park, where the trail touches a bend in the river (indicated on this map). Had no trouble driving through, but this might not last... The last bit towards Darrington seemed a little bit rougher, but still perfectly fine for any gravel bike. The entire route was well away from the road, and pretty much flat.

Highlights. Nice views of the river and surrounding peaks, but those spots were spaced out a bit, so was glad to have a bike.

Crowds. Encountered one party on foot, one on a bike, and one in an ATV (?!).

This portion of the trail makes for a pleasant Sunday afternoon stroll.  This trail is mostly hard packed dirt vs rock aggregate, which is nice underfoot compared to some other old railroad bed trails.  We parked at Swede Heaven TH, the only car there.  Parking is tight, with space for a car on each side of the road.  We walked to the Darrington Bluegrass festival grounds, 3.1 miles each way according to Google maps.  Most of this portion of the trail is away from the highway, so you generally don't hear cars.  You pass some houses along the sides of the trail, otherwise, it is all creeks and forest.  One or two spots with mountain views through the trees.  Salmonberries starting to ripen.  We passed several bicyclists, a motorbike and an ATV.  Everyone was going slow and friendly.  Pictures posted with other trip reports pretty well capture it.

This trail has a variety of monuments and a beautiful memorial all along the trail from the Oso Landslide. The terrain was flat and mostly paved until it got to the woods out of town at the North end. We took children 4-13 on it with zero difficulty. There were even bathrooms at certain points. A beautiful walk.

There really isn't much in the way of parking along Swede Heaven Road at this section of the trail, but there is a small area for a few cars a little bit down the road.  Flat and mostly straight because this once was a railroad line.

This is a flat and mostly straight trail and there is not much when it comes to views.  There were two (maybe three) dry creeks and one that has water flowing in it.  The best Whitehorse Mountain views are at the beginning and at the Darrington Bluegrass Festival amphitheater, which is about two miles from the trailhead and where I turned around.

Rode from the Trafton TH near Arlington all the way up to Darrington and back on the Whitehorse Trail, coming in at just under 50 miles roundtrip.

It's mostly hard packed gravel, following the N Fork Stillaguamish. (Crosses SR 530 twice, so be aware those cars are approaching at 60mph.) Very flat and smooth, and even the single-track areas allow for easy cruising. Lots of trestles, and places to get down to the river. There's a two-mile paved section just before Oso, and another at the Oso Landslide Memorial. (I walked the bike here out of respect.) It passes right through the Darrington Bluegrass Park. The Fortson Mill site is also an interesting stop. Lots of solitude - I saw three bikes and maybe ten hikers in 50 miles. 

The goal is to someday pave the whole thing, but I like it just like it is. I'll take it over the Centennial Trail any day. This will be beautiful in the Fall - pick any TH and walk either way for a couple miles. You won't be disappointed.