New mountain biking trails opening outside Darrington

DARRINGTON — The first four miles of new mountain biking trails are opening this weekend just outside of town on North Mountain.

A celebration is planned for Saturday, paired with the Darrington Day summer festival. People can ride from the Whitehorse Market in town to the trails, less than three miles, according to event planners.

From there, they can test out the new trails, which include easy cross-country paths for novices as well as rough, expert-only terrain.

The North Mountain Bike Skills Area has been planned for a couple of years, and trail work started last spring. Though four miles are opening initially, another 13 are planned. They’ll eventually span more than 2,000 acres owned by the state Department of Natural Resources near the Snohomish-Skagit county line.

There’s no fee to use the trails because they are on public land, DNR spokeswoman Eryn Couch said, but a Discover Pass is required to park there. However, mountain bikers also can park in Darrington and bike to the start of the trails, she said. Local officials hope that adding the new recreation opportunity in the area will encourage visitors to spend more time in Darrington.

The trails also are geared toward helping young riders learn to mountain bike and build their skills, according to the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, which partnered with DNR and handled most of the trail building. Youth organizations, including students from Darrington’s Glacier Peak Institute, helped with trail work.

This week, crews have been putting in signs and setting up an information kiosk.

The state set aside up to $1 million for the trails project, Couch said.

The grand opening is a public event. Riders should meet at the Whitehorse Market, near the Darrington IGA, at 2:30 p.m. or join the celebration at the skills park at 3 p.m. After the celebration, the trails officially open for anyone to ride, Couch said.

The mountain biking skills park is located near Whitehorse Community Park, off North Mountain and Powerline roads.

To keep updated about the North Mountain trails, people can sign up for the Darrington Mountain Bike electronic newsletter at dnr.wa.gov/DarringtonMTB.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.

Darrington Day

Also on Saturday, the annual Darrington Day Celebration is adding events. There’s a street fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Darrington Street with live music, artists, booths, a dunk tank and kids’ activities such as face painting and sidewalk chalk. Classic cars are on display during the Model A Strut. The festival also features food, a beer garden, tours of Hampton Mill, a rock and gem show at Mansford Grange, and a rummage sale at the Cascade Senior Center.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett will welcome new CEO in June

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Everett police searching for missing child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive. The child was missing under “suspicious circumstances.”

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.