We hiked this today with a friend recovering from knee surgery, although in reverse from Darrington to Swede Heaven. This is a great walk for anyone of any ability. The trail follows an old railroad grade, it is wide and very flat. The spring wildflowers are starting to bloom, mostly salmon berry, bleeding hearts, a few trillium and spring beauty. Bird watchers would also enjoy this route, we saw several types of woodpeckers, rufous hummingbirds, red-tailed hawks, and a plethora of little songbirds. The fresh green of new spring growth is starting on all the trees, and the trail also gives several opportunities to get nice views of Whitehorse Mountain, several surrounding peaks, and the North Fork Stillaguamish. Despite being so close to town, we basically had the trail all to ourselves, 2 sets of bicyclists were the only people we saw on the trail.

We actually started from Darrington and walked toward the fairgrounds. I had some restrictions after my knee surgery, so I could only go about 4 miles. We walked to the river, just before the trail hits the fairgrounds.There is a sign for the TH just before you turn onto the Mtn Loop. Pick up the trail right next to the IGA in Darrington, follow the dirt road past the store to the TH, there is parking for about 6 cars, but no loo, so plan accordingly. The trail walks thru mostly woods of alder, maple and other deciduous trees with occasional clumps of evergreens. There are glimpses of Whitehorse thru the trees, but the best views of the mtns are when you reach the powerline road and clearcut. After the clearcut, follow a road just a little ways down and you can reach the river. Unfortuneately, some 4 wheelers had made a pretty big mess along the riverbank. Still, there is a nice log for sitting and watching the river. Back on the trail, there is a washed out section of bank and orange plastic barrier, just stay on the trail and don't climb past the barrier or the bank may give way. We saw few people for such a nice day, only a group of mtn bikers and a lady and her dog. I have a flower I could not ID with certainty. It was about 6" tall and growing in large patches along a section of trail. I am posting it in hopes that someone will know it. I think it is spring draba (Draba verna).

Biked from Fortson Mill county parking area (gates closed at dusk) to Darrington and back. 14 plus miles. A lot of remnants of the Fortson mill site, a fish hatchery and the Darrington festival grounds to explore. No highway scenes, some rural scenes and mostly woods and river scenery, with some gorgeous Whitehorse and Jumbo views. The railroad grade sloughing reported a year ago is still there but there is an alternate go around, be careful of loose rocks if you are biking, I almost bit it trying to build momentum to gain the grade again. The trail is adequately dry for biking. After a lot of dawdling along, we arrived into Darrington in an hour and a half rode the 2 to 3 blocks to the IGA to get a couple cold ones. If you are planning this trip, please stop and spend some time with (and bring some food for) the poor wounded rooster (his tail feathers have been ripped out) at the Darrington festival grounds stage. He was tentative around us at first but eventually approached us obviously hungry. I ended up giving him all of my mixed nuts.

I spent yesterday on the Whitehorse Trail, hiking from Swede Heaven to Darrington. Trail in this section is in great shape, no issues, no obstacles. Be aware that parking at the trailhead is extremely limited, room for maybe three cars. I read that one can park at the junction of SR530 and Swede Heaven Road, It is about .5 miles from there to the trailhead. The hike to Darrington is a good one, following what I believe was once an old RR line. There are ample spots to view the Stillaguamish River, with some limited river access. There are also a few creek crossings, bridged, about a mile in from the trail head. One does offer creek access, and I spent a little time there. I never could find the name of the creek. There are also many views of Whitehorse Mountain along route, making this hike a nice one. When you reach the amphitheater area, stay to the right on the line of trees, bleacher area. it is much easier to pick up the trail again on the other side. I did not go all the way to Darrington, passing the lumber yard/area, and turning back at this point, about a half mile short of Darrington. When finished, the Whitehorse Trail should be a great one. I hope to return and hike as much as possible from the Arlington end. The trail should be accessible year round. I can imagine that this would be a good winter hike too.

This is a beautiful winter walk! While rummaging around in my backpack (the feature), I came across this hike written up by Kim Brown last winter. I had saved it hoping to use it for a good clear winter day, and today fit the bill. We started at the Fortson Mill site and hiked east toward Darrington. The trail is wide and flat with nice views of the river, the surrounding mtns visible thru the bare branches of the deciduous trees. This section of the trail is nice in that it heads away from the highway at the mill site and gets close to the river several times as the river bends around. We saw an eagle, heron, and several merganser ducks. Eventually it crosses the bluegrass festival site. As you cross, stay to the right of the row of trees and in front of the bleachers, it is easier to pick up the trail on the far side. We went past the Pipeline road for a ways then ate lunch, we didn't get quite to the end. As it was, we walked about 11 miles RT. This would be a good run or bike ride also. There are no loos anywhere, plan accordingly.