Discover Arlington: River, Trails, and Local History

Arlington combines riverside landscapes, historic traces, and varied trails with unique insights into the region’s history. Here, you can explore longer distances by bike or on foot, choose short nature trails, visit a museum, or experience the Stillaguamish River from different perspectives. When searching for a vacation rental or holiday home, it is therefore particularly useful to consider which experiences you want to define your stay.

Trails Through the Landscape and River Area

The Centennial Trail stretches 30 miles between the city of Snohomish and the Skagit County line. In Arlington, the paved trail is used for walking and cycling. Those who want to include a longer tour in their plans will find a clearly described route here. Haller Park, 1100 West Ave, and Legion Park, 114 N. Olympic, are also listed along the Centennial Trail, each with a permanent restroom.

The Whitehorse Regional Trail offers another connection between trail and landscape. Through the North Stillaguamish River Valley, it follows the route of the former BNSF railway line and begins at its connection with the Centennial Regional Trail in Arlington. Fishing and floating are popular activities on the Stillaguamish River. At Stormwater Wetlands Park, winding trails lead around the wetland; the “Eagle Trail” runs along the dike near the Stillaguamish River. At the Portage Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, you can observe wildlife and use two short trails.

History, Art, and Eagles on the Stillaguamish River

The Stillaguamish Valley Museum preserves artifacts from the northern and southern headwaters of the Stillaguamish River Valley. On display are household items as well as historic objects from forestry, diary keeping, the military, railroads, sports, medicine, education, transportation, and music. The collection thus offers different ways to explore the region’s development without requiring you to focus on a single historical topic.

Arlington’s historic main street is Olympic Avenue, which spans six city blocks. If you would like to explore the town on foot, the Main Street Walking Tour begins at City Hall at Third Street and Olympic Avenue. The Art Walk through the city is another option. In the park at the starting point stands a historic red barn; a “History Quilt” with photographs documents the site’s former use as forest, mill site, and farm.

Every year, Arlington hosts the Eagle Festival to celebrate the return of the eagles to the Stillaguamish River in winter. The festival focuses on eagles that feed on spawning salmon in the clean river gravel and on snow geese in the agricultural floodplains. The festival thus combines wildlife, river, and landscape into a distinctive Arlington experience.

Planning Active Days

The Glen Eagle Golf Course, with 18 holes, provides another activity. A pump track was completed at Jensen Park in July 2026. Together with the Centennial Trail and the Whitehorse Regional Trail, this creates a range of options that allows for both longer outings and shorter, clearly defined activities.

When choosing a vacation rental or holiday home in Arlington, you should use your own excursion plans as a guide. For a stay with varied interests, you can include a museum visit, the Main Street Walking Tour, the Art Walk, and nature trails in your plans. Those focusing on physical activity can consider the Centennial Trail, the Whitehorse Regional Trail, golf, or the pump track. In this way, the choice of accommodation arises from the desired travel experience rather than merely from a general place name.

More Places for Orientation

For further travel planning, you can also explore Gold Bar, Mountlake Terrace, Mill Creek, Mukilteo, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Snohomish, and Index.

Back to the overarching travel overview: Snohomish.