Snohomish County Centennial Trail

Coordinates: 47°55′14″N 122°05′08″W / 47.92056°N 122.08556°W / 47.92056; -122.08556
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Snohomish County Centennial Trail
National Recreation Trail, 1992
TrailheadsSnohomish to Skagit County line, south of Lake McMurray, Washington
UseNon-motorized, equestrian
SightsPublic art
HazardsRoad crossings
Maintained bySnohomish County Parks and Recreation

The Snohomish County Centennial Trail is a 30-mile-long (48 km)

statehood of Washington, and the final segment between Arlington and the Skagit County line was opened in 2013.[3]

Trail Route

Looking southbound on the trail north of Lake Stevens

The trail begins as a continuation of the

Quilceda Creek watershed at the Armar Road trailhead south of Arlington. The Centennial Trail and 67th Avenue enter Arlington city limits at an intersection with Washington State Route 531 before the roadway continues north into Downtown Arlington after an underpass with Washington State Route 9. The route continues through Downtown Arlington along West Avenue before a former railroad trestle carries the trail across the Stillaguamish River and towards Bryant along Washington State Route 9. The Centennial Trail passes its final trailhead, the Nakashima Heritage Barn & Centennial Trail North, before ending at the Skagit County line south of Lake McMurray.[4][5]

History

The Centennial Trail runs on the right-of-way of the Sumas Branch of the former Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, built in 1889. The railway connected Seattle with Canada and linked eastward toward Stevens Pass with mail, freight, and passenger service. The line specialized in transporting timber, lumber and metals, and also served tourists visiting Monte Cristo, the Stillaguamish River, and the Big Four Inn at the Mountain Loop ice caves.

Later purchased by Northern Pacific then Burlington Northern, the Hartford (Lake Stevens) - Edgecomb (Arlington) section was abandoned 1972 and the Snohomish - Hartford (Lake Stevens) section was abandoned in 1987.[2]

The rail trail project was first conceived in 1982,

Skagit County line was opened officially on Nov 3, 2012.[9]

Future alignments

A future phase of the trail may connect with the

Burke-Gilman trails,[6] both of which share the same right-of-way.[2] Snohomish County plans to extend the trail southward to Woodinville and eastward to Monroe.[10] In 2016, Snohomish county purchased the northern portion of the Eastside Rail Corridor with plans to align the King-Snohomish County rail line with the Centennial Trail right of way.[11] The portion of rail line runs from the Woodinville-Maltby border to the City of Snohomish, and was purchased for the project from the Port of Seattle for $3.5 million using funds from the Snohomish County Conservation Futures Program. A similar project in nearby Kirkland opened a portion of the Eastside Rail Corridor to pedestrians in 2015 as part of the Cross Kirkland Corridor.[12]

Public Art

Nakashima Barn History Quilt Installation

The trail hosts several public art installations along the path. An installation titled, "History Quilt", on the Nakashima Barn, depicts the historical timeline of the site from native forest, to sawmill, to dairy farm, to the current recreational site. Artists Ellen Southard and Teresa Stern, of Site Story, wanted to celebrate the past while highlighting the Nakashima family, who were forced to sell the farm at pennies on the dollar due to internment during WWII. Future interpretive signage will also be featured at the site, and other locations along the trail.

References

  1. ^ Centennial Trail (PDF) (Map). Snohomish County Parks and Recreation. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  2. ^
    Parks and Recreation
    . 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  3. Sound Publishing
    . Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  4. ^ "Centennial Trail: Driving Directions to Trailheads". Snohomish County Parks and Recreation. 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  5. ^ Google (August 10, 2013). "Centennial Trail" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c Brooks, Diane Brooks (2005-03-30). "Centennial Trail: The scenic route just got longer". The Seattle Times.
  7. ^ "Snohomish Co. Centennial Trail". American Trails. 2013-04-22. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  8. ^ "Centennial Trail Phase 2.1, Arlington to Skagit County (not completed)" (JPG). Snohomish County Parks and Recreation.
  9. Sound Publishing
    . November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  10. Sound Publishing
    . Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  11. Sound Publishing
    . Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  12. ^ Alexa Vaughn (January 31, 2015), "Longest stretch of Eastside Rail Corridor opens in Kirkland", The Seattle Times

External links

47°55′14″N 122°05′08″W / 47.92056°N 122.08556°W / 47.92056; -122.08556