Whitehorse Trail

The Whitehorse Trail is a rail trail in northern Snohomish County, Washington, connecting the cities of Arlington and Darrington. The 27-mile-long (43 km) trail uses a former Northern Pacific Railway spur built in 1901 and abandoned in 1990. The trail has been in development since the county government purchased it in 1993, with some sections open to the public.

Whitehorse Trail
An unpaved section near Oso
Length	27 miles (43 km)
Location	Snohomish County, Washington
Established	2002
Trailheads	Arlington, Trafton, Oso, Darrington
Use	Hiking, cycling, horseback riding
Hiking details
Surface	Compacted gravel
Right of way	Northern Pacific Railway spur
Website	Whitehorse Regional Trail
Trail map

The trail's name is derived from the "Whitehorse Express", the historic name of the railroad, which in turn was named for Whitehorse Mountain.[1]

Route

The western terminus of the Whitehorse Trail is in Arlington, at a junction with the Centennial Trail on the north side of the Stillaguamish River at the confluence with its two forks. The Centennial Trail continues north towards Bryant and south towards Snohomish along another former rail corridor. The Whitehorse Trail continues northeast, following the North Fork Stillaguamish River upstream to a trailhead in Trafton, where it crosses the river on a historic trestle bridge.[2] The trail turns east, following State Route 530 on the south side of the North Fork, towards Oso. 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Oso, the trail passes a memorial to victims of the 2014 Oso mudslide, which had destroyed a section of the trail's corridor.[3][4] From Oso, the Whitehorse Trail passes through the historic towns of Fortson and Hazel, and the modern community of Swede Heaven (another trailhead), on its approach to Darrington.[4] The trail splits north of downtown Darrington, with one branch heading northeast to Whitehorse Community Park on the Sauk River and another heading south to Railroad Avenue in downtown, passing Darrington Municipal Airport.[5][6]

The majority of the planned trail will be 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and have a surface of compacted gravel. It has been designated for use by walkers, cyclists and horseback riders.[7]

History

The Northern Pacific Railway, owners of the railroad through Arlington, built a 28-mile (45 km) branch line to Darrington in 1901. The railroad primarily delivered lumber from Darrington and intermediate sawmills to Arlington, Everett and other towns, but also carried weekly passenger service.[8][9][10] In 1970, the Northern Pacific was acquired by Burlington Northern, who continued to run a declining number of lumber trains on the branch as Darrington's remaining sawmill switched to truck transport.[10]

In November 1990, major floods in the Stillaguamish River basin left the railroad damaged and unusable, leading to its formal abandonment by Burlington Northern.[10] The county government debated acquiring the railroad for use as either a recreational trail or a scenic railroad, the latter requiring millions spent in repairs.[11] In November 1993, the Snohomish County Council approved $550,000 paid to Burlington Northern to acquire 515 acres (208 ha) on the corridor, with the intent of converting into a recreational trail.[12] The first section of the trail, named the Whitehorse Trail, opened in 2002 near Darrington and covered 7 miles (11 km) of the planned 27-mile (43 km) trail.[1][13]

An unfinished section of the trail was destroyed during the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014, along with State Route 530. In the aftermath of the mudslide, which killed 43 people, the Whitehorse Trail became a key project in the recovery of the area, employing local workers and drawing tourists.[14] A $75,000 grant from the State of Washington, along with private donations, funded the cleanup of 15 miles (24 km) of the trail and repair of older bridges.[15] A 9.5-mile-long (15.3 km) segment of the Whitehorse Trail from Oso to Cicero Pond will be completed in 2018, using $4.24 million in funds from the county government, Washington State Department of Transportation and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).[7] Rebuilding of the section destroyed by the Oso mudslide was completed in 2016, using FEMA funds.[16]

References

1. Brooks, Diane (March 19, 2003). "Big strides envisioned for path". The Seattle Times. p. H46.
2. Swaney, Aaron (May 29, 2015). "Trafton trailhead offers a glimpse of Whitehorse Trail's future". The Everett Herald. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
3. Muhlstein, Julie (April 1, 2014). "Memorial garden to honor slide victims". The Everett Herald. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
4. Swaney, Aaron (April 2, 2017). "Whitehorse Trail showing signs of rebirth after Oso mudslide". The Everett Herald. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
5. Whitehorse Regional Trail Development Phase I and II (Map). Snohomish County. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
6. Snohomish County Area Bicycling & Trail Map (PDF) (Map). Community Transit. April 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
7. Bray, Kari (December 28, 2015). "Work to begin on another 9.5 miles of Whitehorse Trail". The Everett Herald. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
8. Hastie, Thomas P.; Batey, David; Sisson, E.A.; Graham, Albert L., eds. (1906). "Chapter VI: Cities and Towns". An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties. Chicago: Interstate Publishing Company. pp. 359–362. LCCN 06030900. OCLC 11299996. Retrieved April 21, 2017 – via The Internet Archive.
9. Whitely, Peyton (November 19, 2003). "Arlington train? Idea still on track". The Seattle Times. p. H18. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
10. Larsen, Richard W. (November 17, 1991). "A vision for Darrington: From logging line to hiking trail". The Seattle Times. p. A21. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
11. Reed, Claudia (September 2, 1993). "New hiking trail may go alongside an old rail line". The Seattle Times. p. 4.
12. "Railroad land to add 27 miles to trail system". The Seattle Times. November 11, 1993. p. 4.
13. Brooks, Diane (June 21, 2006). "Cycling in county: Bike trails gain riders as roads gain drivers". The Seattle Times. p. H14. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
14. Bray, Kari (September 12, 2014). "Restoration of Whitehorse Trail well on its way". The Everett Herald. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
15. "$75K grant will help rebuild trail wiped out by Oso slide". The Everett Herald. September 16, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
16. Bray, Kari (July 19, 2016). "Crews rebuilding Whitehorse Trail section destroyed by Oso mudslide". The Everett Herald. Retrieved April 21, 2017.