The Centennial Trail of Snohomish County currently runs 17 miles from Snohomish, Washington, to Arlington, Washington. A further extension north to Skagit County is planned.
Categories: 10 to 20 Miles &Flat &No Solitude &Paved &Rural
States: Washington
Last Modified: March 16, 2010
(21 votes, average: 3.43 out of 5)
Loading ...If the map has markers, click them for extra information. You can also double-click anywhere on the map to get driving directions to that point. Note:Trail routes shown are approximate! If you have a GPS trace of this trail, leave a comment below with your email address (which will not be published), and I'll contact you. Thanks!
Elevation profile of route: feet above sea level vs. distance traveled (approximate). Green marker on map above shows which end is designated as start of route.
RSS
Our bike club is riding the Centennial trail this Saturday and I was given a map. However I don’t even know how to get to the section of the map. They want us to met and the trailhead corners of Pine and Maple Street. However I need a physical address and zip code to have directions from my home to the trailhead. Could you PLEASE GIVE ME A ADDRESS SO I CAN MAP QUEST THE DIRECTIONS I NEED TO BEGIN THE BIKE RIDE.
I’D BE SO GRATEFUL!
BONNIE NORD
I don’t use MapQuest these days, but with Google Maps (maps.google.com), you can type in an intersection such as “Pine & Maple Street, Snohomish, WA” and locate the place.
–Jennifer
I don’t know if you’re still looking at this site, but I stumbled upon it looking for places to ride.
I rode this trail yesterday, it was very pleasant. I must have hit the right time because it was empty for the most part. I rode it backwards, starting at Arlington and working my way to Snohomish and back again. About 36 miles round trip.
It seems like it’s uphill from Snohomish to Arlington (or maybe I was tired!), the middle of the trail has some rough spots from tree roots that are starting to grow under the pavement. There were some planned closure signs so maybe work is going to fix this sometime soon.
I did not like the number of gates on the trail. Every little driveway and crossroad has gates that make just cruising the trail for timing purposes impossible. Otherwise very nice.
Yes, the web site is still active!
–Jennifer
Good to hear!
If there are any other readers out there that would like to get in shape like me, I would like to ride this trail weekly. It took me 2.5 hours round trip. I’m no pro, but need to replace jogging with low impact cycling. I’m pretty open to schedules, weekday evenings are best though.
Someone experienced could hit 2 hours without too much trouble? Maybe you know other similar trails in the area?
We’ve been riding all the bike trails around Seattle this summer, and this one is really nice, with varied scenery. At Mahias there was not any food (despite signs saying so at the beginning of the trail in Snohomish) but there is a fruit stand on the other side of the village. We were planning to eat there, and had to go to a gas station at Lake Stevens, which was the only place to get a snack. The dock going out onto the small lake Cassidy was pretty, definitely worth a brief visit.
True; there’s usually no food at the Machais…only rarely in the summer season does the vendor actually open for business. And when they do it’s not usually good “work out food” anyways. They do however have working bathrooms, drinking fountian, and pop machines. It is an easy and quick bike ride into Lake Stevens after that if you’re headed north though, and they have a Buzz Inn, and a couple stores.
Sept 28, 2009
Snohomish County announced construction will begin on an additional eight miles of multi-use trail. Should be complete by end of 2010.
Mt_Top
ICE T
There’s a bar that has food in Machias… :)
I am planning to write about problems on the Centennial Trail around Snohomish County. Are you a biker, horse person, baby stroller walker? Are there things you dislike about the trail? Dog or horse poop, fast bikers, strollers that won’t move over etc. I would love to hear from you.
I live close to this trail and bike it a lot in summer. Honey buckets are always in need of service. Root damage looks to have been repaired this year. I am frustrated by strolling people who seem irritated at having to move over and give me a narrow space to pass. They are in conversation and it seems they do not want to go single file for fear they may compromise their ability to continue talking with each other. Once I actually had to pull over and wait for them to pass. Biking pairs can be just as discourteous, as they chatter, glance up at me and seem comfortable allowing me a two-foot strip in which to maneuver my bike. When I bike through the Machias Trailhead, I need to be very careful because small children often run suddenly onto the path. Centennial sure beats the Burke Gilman, however.
Rode 20 miles of this one today as the day two ride of my “escape the heat to the west side weekend.” Not being familiar with this bike trail, started off in downtown Arlington (not too smart). The 9/10′s of a mile down the 67th Ave NE 50 mph zone with no shoulders and back is a bit harrowing. So they put up signs that say “share the road with bikes.” Nice thought until the pickup truck guy towing the 8′ wide trash hauling trailer catches up you you. Just bad situation. Rest of the ride up to the SR-9 overpass was nice. Folks were friendly; no issues with trail manners. Rode back up to the new construction area to the north of Arlington to the river bridge. Sign says new trail will be complete Nov 2010. Another great ride to finish I’m sure.
Happy Trails
“biker” Jeff
Does anyone know if they’ve finished this trail? I live in the Totem Lake area and was thinking about busing up to Snohomish and doing the round trip on a weekend day. The Snohomish website says they are still working on it… but not sure if it has been updated recently.
It looks like both the 1.2 mile gap south of Arlington and the northern extension from Bryant to Skagit County are scheduled for completion by early October, 2011. This will be 27 miles of bikus uninteruptus riding from one end to the other.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110423/NEWS01/704239943
I finally rode this bad boy during today and had a fantastic ride for almost all 27 miles of dedicated path. Snohomish County should be proud of themselves for stepping up and contributing to the biking community. The only thing that prevents this from being a stellar ride — is the four miles one must take along the stretch on 67th Ave NE between north Marysville and downtown Arlington.
Travelling north along this segment requires on road cycling for about 1.1 miles along 67th before reaching a 2 mile stretch of widened sidewalk, and then finally another 0.9 miles of on road biking with minimal shoulder. But once this section is complete, the dedicated trail can be picked up and resumed in downtown Arlington — underneath the Hwy 9 overpass and into the center of town.
The trail extends north for another 4-5 miles, crosses over the Stillaguamish River on a first rate bridge, before ending near a small grocery store and coffee shack in the Bryant area. When I finally reached the end, I yelled out loud in disappointment.
Overall, there is plenty of trail access and parking along the way and several places have bathrooms. If riding on the road isn’t your thing, then I would recommend skipping the Arlington phase until this section is completed next fall (of 2011).
Otherwise, the trail is wide and in great shape. It traverses through some terrific scenery. The industrial sections in east Lake Stevens and southern Arlington aren’t so hot but what do you expect from a rails-to-trails path? All these eventually pass through some former commerce center where biking and beauty wasn’t the primary focus. As for the rest, I think it’s a gem.
I rode this again today out of downtown Snohomish and up through Arlington into Bryant where I picked up Hwy #9 at trail’s end and continued another 20 miles north into the back door of Mount Vernon. At about the 13 mile marker on the trail, the rider gets a gravity advantage as it drops downhill for about 3 miles steady. It’s a gradual decline but it’s a nice finish before picking up the road portion into Arlington. Obviously if your origin is in the north, and you are riding south out of Arlington, expect the inverse.
As for the Hwy #9 ride into MV, it was nothing to write home about — but I did enjoy the stretch around Lake McMurry and Big Lake. The road is fairly flat but expect to expend more energy with more hills.
Interesting thing is you pass by the non-paved portion of the Centennial Trail in a couple places. From what the guy at the Arlington bike shop said — the trail will eventually be extended all the way to Lake McMurry (this would be sweet) but Skagit County will need to appropriate funds first. Another tip of the cap goes out to Snohomish County.
The trail is great. Be careful and be ready to stop or slow down in the Lake Stevens area, there are some business driveways where cars are coming and going and they have some blindspots or they are not as careful as they should be. Also, on occasion, Evergreen Sanitaion STINKS bad but the City and the leaders don\’t give a rip. It will be nice if that ever gets resolved-complain to the city if you get the chance. Becky Ableman phone: 425.377.3229 bableman@ci.lake-stevens.wa.us
Can anyone {John?} tell me where the northern most trailhead with parking can be found? Is the trail completed, or at least rideable from the Snohomish / Skagit line? I live in Bellingham and plan to ride from North to South and back. Any recent updates would be much appreciated.
BTW … What fool decided to give this trail the same name as the Spokane trail? Can we change it now?
Still my favorite. Always a pleasure to ride this trail especially in the mornings. Hope fully the new expansion in the north will be finished before winter this year. Kudos and many thanks to the local government of Snohomish County for all the construction and maintenance work done to this trail. Always nice to know somebody out there cares.
Hi! I’m planning to ride this trail with a friend this Saturday. We’re not pro whatsoever and we usually ride for about 20ish miles round-trip. As our very first time, we’d like to take the up-hills first. So where should we start? Thanks!
Why don’t people take the time and read the previous posts? i answered a lot of these questions. Also take a look at Jen’s elevation profile.
The trail now punches all the way through from 152nd ST NE (Levin Rd) to 172nd ST NE — leaving only the final mile or so into Arlington on road. I also understand but have not verified that another 4 miles have been extended beyond Bryant to the Skagit County line (north of Arlington). And they are currently extending the trail in north Snohomish to connect with the River Trail in downtown. In other words, by year’s end it will be possible to ride this trail all the way from downtown Snohomish into Skagit valley on a single trail — minus the 1 mile or so in downtown Arlington.
Hey all you Centennial Trail users! Snohomish Parks and Rec would like you to take a survey about the Centennial Trail. Find here at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P8QNVYY
I’m planning on running, along with a few other folks, the entire length of the trail in January of 2012. I want to add a mile to make it an even 50k run if possible. Can anyone tell me where the northern most trailhead with parking can be found? Is the trail completed or at least runnable from the Skagit county line? I would appreciate any info – if it’s a muddy mess on the north end, then what is the northern most trail head to access the paved portion north of arlington? Thanks!
Mark,
The most northern area that you can park on the Centennial is in the Bryant area. Catch Hwy 9 north our of Arlington for about 5 miles and parking will be located to your right — across from the Bryant country store and a coffee shack. The extension just to the north of here is still officially closed. I just drove by it last night and there are signs posted on the new trail head. I have no idea if you can run on it — but assume you can. Try it and come back here and share your experience.
Rode the trail a month or so ago. Finally had the chance to ride on the new expansion north of Arlington. It was great to see how long the trail had become now. It adds another 10 miles and ends just before a bridge. Caution: for a couple of miles before the bridge the trail is officially closed … but passable. There is visible sign that the trail will continue farther north past the bridge, not sure when the work will resume but it will become probably the longest bike trail in WA. I also hope that the county will do something about the portion in Arlington that breaks the trail for a few hundred yards forcing bikers to either turn back or ride on the narrow shoulder. Still favorite.
I agree with you again Vio. This is my favorite trail as well and I’ve ridden almost all of them in King/Snohomish counties listed here on Jen’s site. The Centennial is a great ride. I ride 20 miles just to get to it.
Todd, you ride 20 miles just to get to it? How could you even have any energy to ride it one way and back once you got to it?