I got out for another transit-to-hike adventure, this time on SR 20. I had been eyeing hikes along 20 and it looked like Concrete was as far as I would get by bus so I made a plan to take the bus to there and then make my way back on the Cascade Trail with a hike at the Northern State Ghost Town (Northern State Recreation Area).
I would need the 70x from Mount Vernon and since the first one of the weekday was not until 9:15, I didn't leave Everett until 7:50 on the 90x. The fee was $2.
Arriving in Mount Vernon with about 40 minutes to spare, I had time to bike over to the Skagit River Walkway for a 2 mile stretch out and back towards the Kulshan Trail.
Catching the 70x, I was in Concrete about 10:30am and as many do, I stopped for brunch at 5Bs and enjoyed the sunny morning on their patio. The fee for the 70x was $1, I am using the UMO app which is super convenient.
I started the Cascade Trail on Douglas Vose III Way, passing the concrete silos and entering the forested tunnel that most of the trail consists of. Being later in the season, I didn't encounter any water over the trail, except for the stream mentioned in a previous report that has eroded a trench across the trail not that far from Concrete. There was also a significant tree down a short ways after that but it was possible to navigate around it.
It was fun to see where the Cascade Trail intersects with various roads, it would be easy to stop at places like Birdsview Brewery or make a ride up Bake Lake Road to Grandy Lake or further. The blackberries near Hamilton were ripe enough to nosh and the views along the Skagit River near the town of Lyman were spectacular.
At about 22 miles where a large gravel parking lot on Franks Road has been cleared east of the Fruitdale trailhead, I left the Cascade Trail and crossed SR 20 to head up Helmick Road to visit Northwestern and the ghost town. I was surprised to see such a nice trailhead and the Veterans Memorial! I hiked around the old farm buildings for about 30 minutes before making my way back to the Cascade Trail. If on 2 wheels, know that the ghost town is littered with broken glass.
I continued on to Sedro Woolley and the end of the Cascade Trail. A wide gravel trail continued into town from here. It was a little confusing getting from the trail to the park n ride but I made it for a total of 27 miles. I thought I had been paying attention on the ride in but my mistake was thinking that the bus had come in on SR 20 when it had come in on Cook Road. Just remember it is by Walgreens and Food Pavilion on West Ferry!
My ride on the 70x back to Mount Vernon was free and my ride back to Everett on the 90x was another $2 making my total today $5. It was a long day, 7:30am to 7:30pm but I didn't have to drive, I got plenty of knitting done on the bus and I visited basically 3 trails with lots of time outdoors and ate at one of my favorite bakeries.
The hike guide mentions route #717, but that bus only runs around the town of Concrete itself with the exception of 2 runs from Mount Vernon on Saturdays (11 and 3 something). You want 70x to move along SR 20 the rest of the time, it makes quite a few stops along the way.
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