New Barn, New Trails

In October I decided to move my mare Ami to a new barn. I find in the winter there are times when I lack the motivation to go ride.The weather is freezing and the wind is always blowing. I was pleasantly surprised the quality trails out from the barn. I am told the area is Cultass Mountain, and it is beautiful. I have only rode out twice, but I plan on getting to know the area better. The trails are wonderful. We turned around and headed back after two hours, even though we could have continued. There is a boyscout camp within riding distance from the barn and when they are not in session during the winter months it is a nice day ride. There is a creek and a bridge to cross but our horses did great. It is looking like it will be an awesome place to ride.

Blanchard Mountain

Blanchard Mountain is one of the locations we have been wanting to ride.


I supposed to boast incredible views and good trails. The Lily and Lizard lake trail was clearly marked (4 miles) and parking was good. We started off going up and the trail got quite steep. There were a few locations of large rocks and footing was not so good. Even though the weather was mild, it got cooler as we reached the top and we wished we would have put on more gear. There we many bridges and due to the rain the night before they were slick for the horses. We had a close call when one of the horses slipped on the bridge.


We came across several hikers and one mountain biker. Everyone was friendly and we exchanged information. We came to realize that there are several different ways to access the trail and not everyone had came the same way we had. At the top we ventured to Lizard lake first which we thought would be 1/2 a mile or so...but seemed longer. The lake was nice and it had campsites and hitching posts. After we had lunch we headed for Lily Lake and. Due to debris we were unable to get to the all the way to the lake. We took a trail marked "short cut" and were told by some hikers that is would take us the hang gliders. We descended the mountain and we were not sure if we would have to turn around once we got there, not wanting to go back up again. Fortunately we became aware that this would eventually meet up with the main trail and this would cut off some of the steep rocks towards the top of the trail. There were some riders on their way up and the trail was narrow, but we managed to get by a half a dozen riders and horses without complication. Overall this was a great location for conditioning and mountain terrain. Not many good spots for trotting and some obstacles that made it a challenge, but overall a great ride.

Pilchuck Tree Farm, Arlington

It was a beautiful day for a ride even though the weather was warmer than usual. We joined some friends who are endurance riders to help show us around. The trails had good footing and were well used. There was a nice mix of wooded and open trails that are great for trotting. We found a trail that took us to the Stillaguamish River. My mare was a little unsure and possibly had never seen such a large piece of water. Soon the horses enjoyed some play time and cooled down in the river. There was plenty of room to tie up and relax for a while. Fellow rafters went by and we had a nice chat with them. This location is perfect for horses and we will return.

Les Hilde Trail Head

Les Hilde Trail Head, Sedro Woolley.
This was an excellent day for a ride. Being the first time at this trailhead knowing what trails to take was a bit of a challenge. There were plenty of other riders to talk to and a map on the reader board that was helpful. I later found that I could purchase this map at cowboymaps.com, a great web site. The trails were well ridden and some were marked. I was surprised we did not see more riders out on the trail but it is a large area. Towards the end of our ride we found ourselves in the middle of a small pack of elk. My mare had sensed them even though we could not see them. As soon as they began to move we realized how many there were and how BIG they were! After the excitement we made it back without a hitch. This is a great place to ride and we plan on returning to explore some more trails.