Places - Escapes
SNOHOMISH COUNTY, GA — Mountains to Sea
Discovering the highs and lows of sprawling Snohomish County
Snohomish County is a sprawling area that climbs into the Cascades to the east and slips
into Puget Sound on the west.
The county’s geography is a recreational magnet: a share of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie
National Forest and the Cascades; four mountains (highest: Glacier Peak, 10,541 feet); four
rivers and nine major bodies of water.
Rafting
Paddle your raft on a meander down the lower
Skykomish River or take the challenge and run the
main section of the Skykomish River on a guide-led
rafting trip. This is not for the truly faint of heart but,
what the heck, life is short. Get your adrenaline rush
where you can.
Hiking
A surprising number of waterfalls (21, in fact) can be reached by trail. Some can be seen
from Highway 2 and the Mountain Loop Highway. All are at their impressive best in spring
when mountain snow is melting.
Biking
Take a brisk ride or a slower family pedal on
the paved 17-mile Centennial Trail that
stretches from Snohomish to Arlington on an
abandoned railroad right-of-way. Pack a lunch
and take advantage of several picnic spots.
Urban Recreation
One of our favorite paddles is from Langus Riverfront Park on the Snohomish River, the
entry point into visual, auditory and historical insights in the estuary.
Paddle upstream under I-5 to Steamboat Slough, past abandoned boats and other relics.
The urban noise fades, replaced by the sound of your paddle cutting into the water, the cry of
a hawk, the annoyance voiced by a great blue heron, and bird song.
Watch for muskrats, beavers and otters, too, while appreciating the significance and
abundance of an estuary of about 20 square miles with more than 350 species of birds.
Paddlers can also venture out on Everett’s Port Gardner Bay from the 10th Street Boat
Launch. One paddling destination is Jetty Island, a skinny two-mile-long island immensely
popular in the summer and it’s only a 10-minute ferry ride away.
Click here for original article.
Click here to visit the Snohomish County Destination Guide.
Click here for the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau Facebook
Click here for the SnoCoTourism Twitter.
Click here for theSnohomish County Visitor Information Center
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