Bridge to Nowhere

March 2010

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Looking up the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River from the Bridge to Nowhere

There are some steep hills with open views.

Looking toward Darrington

Descending into the Stillaguamish valley and Swede Heaven Road.

Length 14 miles. Elevation change 500 feet. Mix of gravel and paved secondary road. Suggest a bike with at least 1.75 inch wide tires and low gears. Community Transit Route 230

The Bridge to Nowhere loop combines easy gravel trails with some steep logging roads and about 2 miles of paved country roads. There are a number of river view points and two river crossings on good bridges. A good place to start is from the Darrington end of the Whitehorse Trail at Price Street and Railroad Ave., about an 1/8th of a mile north of HWY 530 and the IGA. The first 2.2 miles is on the flat railroad grade. Pass under the power line and cross the Powerline Road at 2 miles and continue to where the trail just comes to the first river bend of the North Fork Stillaguamish, there is a road turning north. This is a popular river access point. This road also intersects HWY 530 and is an access to an electric power transfer station just to your south. Follow this road north. It will cross the river on The Bridge to Nowhere, and becomes a winding logging access road through DNR land. There are many smaller road junctions, and depending on recent timber cutting activity, the main route may not always be obvious, so keep track with a good map. There are steep sections to keep the effort level inspiring. This road passes near many old timber harvest sections, but in general it has a mix of young and older timber and wide open views to the south. After 3.3 miles on this section of road you will come to the US Forest Road 18, the Segelson Road. This is the highest point on the route. Go east down this road to the junction with Swede Heaven Road, which is paved and takes you west and south to another access point of the Whitehorse Trail after re-crossing the North Fork Stillaguamish River. Swede Heaven Road also can access HWY 530 and the junction there has a convenience store and Brandi's Coffee stand. The coffee stand has great mocha milkshakes for a warm day treat! From the intersection with Swede Heaven Road, the Whitehorse trail is a little over 5 miles back to Darrington. It touches the river in several spots, and crosses Squire Creek which can be a great viewing spot for spawning Humpback Salmon in the fall. The trail also crosses through the Darrington Bluegrass Festival Amphitheater.

This route can link with Community Transit Route 230 on many locations along HWY 530 and in Darrington.

View Bridge to Nowhere Loop in a larger map