Meandering Up Middle Fork
Not every drive needs to test your limits. In fact, the really good ones you’ll enjoy regardless of the speed you drive them at.
Meandering Up Middle Fork
DEPARTURE TIME:
Sunrise or as early as possible to avoid traffic, but watch for animals and be patient.
CAR CHECKLIST:
A full tank of fuel before you depart
Optional: Washington Parks Discover Pass or $10 cash
DAN'S NOTES:
Not every drive needs to test your limits. In fact, the really good ones you’ll enjoy regardless of the speed you drive them at. Reminiscent of a mini Yosemite drive, Middle Fork road is no secret to the hikers, but oddly a lot of drivers have never done it. This is easily one of the best group drives you can do, but ONLY if you’re group isn’t full of a bunch of idiots who think this is the kind of road you cross the center on. This road is extremely heavily trafficked by bicyclists (who will never get out of your way), hikers, and people camping. It’s also heavily trafficked by elk, deer, bear, and every other animal the northwest has to offer. So why a slow drive you can’t really safely stretch your car out on? Photography and picnics! This is a great spot to send a large group for photos and lunch, and get some great views on a sunny day. This route is served even better with a motorcycle, where you can actually open things up a bit.
I highly recommend starting your day at Huxdotter Coffee and getting some great coffee and THE BEST DONUTS in the entire PNW. They source them from North Bend Bakery, so if Huxdotter is out, go a few blocks over there and get some. Especially the chocolate bars.
Warning - There are two washouts on this road that are very short, but the potholes are no joke. You can drive around them easily, but be very careful here. You will destroy any low hanging carbon. There are also two large drain “dips” and you will need to approach them at a careful angle in any kind of low car, but a few stock 911s didn’t have any problems just being careful. You can comfortably turn around before these if you want and still get a great drive, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
At the turn-around point of this route is the parking lot for Garfield Ledges, which I do not recommend driving over the bridge to. The road on the other side is hammered with huge potholes that are very difficult to avoid, but you can park easily before the bridge and crossover for a short, rewarding hike up to Garfield Ledges. Just make sure you have a Discover Pass and a bag for your sure to be very muddy shoes. This is a great trail run in the dryer seasons.
After the drive, head over to the very car friendly Mt. Si Pub and get some good food from racer David Wheaton, who is the owner. Tell them Dan’s Drives sent you.
Route Hard Link: https://goo.gl/maps/2AnEv5fCPHNzMFo57
The Stress Reliever
This is my most popular drive to date. Far enough away but close enough to not take your whole day away.
Dan’s C7 Z06, Jeff Miller’s 964 RS America, and John Zuberek’s E30 M3 on the bridge just outside of Concrete, WA.
MAP: THE STRESS RELIEVER
Departure Time: As usual, earlier is better, but during the week you'll find most of this route relatively empty and not even that busy on weekends either.
Car Checklist:
Good Tires and Brakes
Tire Patch Kit and Compressor
Radios for a group drive
Dan's Notes (Update April, 2020):
Back in high school, I used to skip class and drive this route to clear my head and sometimes I still do. The Finn Settlement Road is slightly more populated now and Highway 9 and 530 are a bit busier, but for the most part these roads covering north Snohomish and parts of Skagit County have remained unchanged and relatively empty.
This quick 100 mile drive can be relatively easily enjoyed in any car in good condition, but the weather conditions around Concrete and Darrington can vary greatly from those in Arlington so check the weather before you leave. Other than that, the only thing to consider is you'll lose cell coverage for about half of this drive, which to me is a plus.
The Drive:
The Arlington Safeway Fuel Stop is a good start for this and the best place to fill up for this route. Note that the Chevron is in front, by the McDonald’s, and the Safeway fuel stop is in back. There are plenty of other places to stop on this drive and it's not very long, so don't worry if you decide you want a Red Bull 50 miles in.
As you head up 9 expect some mild traffic until you get through the map dot that is Bryant, WA. As soon as you leave Bryant the fun starts, but don't get carried away and miss the turn to Finn Settlement Road. It's not very well marked, but as soon as you cross the Pilchuck Creek Bridge you'll know you're almost right there.
Finn Settlement/44th/Granstrom road is usually empty, but does have some logging operations further off the side roads so watch for trucks. There are several spots to pass, so be patient and don't crowd the locals (who always seem to be going 10-15 under the limit). This road has a lot of variety in turns, straights, and some minor elevation, but don't get so carried away that you have to jam on the brakes to make the tight turns at the end. Take a left at the “T” onto Lake Cavanaugh Road (a right will take you around Lake Cavanaugh), and you'll had back toward 9. There aren't many houses or people out here so you should be able to have some fun and not slow down too much for the curves.
As you head north along 9 again take it easy through Big Lake and don't speed through town. There's not much up here but there is often a Sheriff and some occasional traffic leaving the Walker Valley ORV Park. You can stop at the Big Lake Bar and Grill for a decent lunch on your right if you're hungry. You'll take the left just after Clear Lake onto South Skagit Highway. This mostly forgotten stretch of old highway is in surprisingly good condition and usually quite empty thanks to Highway 20 taking almost all the traffic.
A very important footnote here: If your car is very low, use caution past the Concrete Sauk Valley Road Cutoff. The road is in deceptively poor condition ahead, specifically past this point, and you will bottom out on the many dips in the concrete. My stock height Z06 and GTR were both perfectly fine, but a friend with a very low E30 M3 had to slow down to about 15 mph to finish the drive without damaging his car. You have to be very careful, but the road is still fun and worth the drive. If you need to, just get back on 20 at the cutoff shown on the map. This drive is still enjoyable even if you have to skip that section.
Take the brief detour across Highway 20 into Concrete to get your photos with the famous Concrete towers. The words “Welcome to Concrete” were painted onto the towers for the 1993 Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio movie, “This Boys Life.”
From Concrete head back across to the South Skagit Highway/Sauk Valley Road and head east. As you leave the Sauk Valley Road you'll probably want to get some great photos on the one lane metal bridge, so it's a good place to stop and rest with little worry of traffic. As you get back on 530 you'll drop into Darrington (don't speed in Darrington) where you can take a break at the Mountain Loop Country Store before you head back toward Arlington. If you've got time you can stop by the Kangaroo Farm on your way back into town.
