I have been doing a lot of riding my bike this year and have been gradually expanding how far I go.  I decided I wanted to do a longer ride but figured I should not combine that with lots of hills in case I overextended myself a touch.  I figured it might be a good time to try out the Centennial Trail.  This is a trail that starts in Snohomish and runs 30 miles up past Marysville and Arlington to the county line with Skagit.

An out and back seemed like it could be fun and it is a converted disused rail line so it wouldn’t have hills.  (That isn’t true of course.  It does have hills but the grades are gentle.  I wondered why I was slow for a while and then found myself zipping along so clearly the grades were noticeable.). I started early one morning which meant I avoided some of the busier traffic that comes later in the day.

It was a fun ride.  Once out of Snohomish, the trail only occasionally crosses any roads so you can trundle along without much interruption.  Since it is an old rail line, there are some old rail bridges to cross occasionally when you get to rivers.  There are mile posts to let you know how you are doing and even areas where horse riders can cross when hoof marks have been set into the surface.  Aside from a brief stretch through Arlington’s more industrial areas, it is a pleasant ride.  A nice park in Arlington itself provides a stop off if you need it and the end of the trail is at a barn seemingly in the middle of nowhere.  A good ride to get 60 miles under your belt!