Originally Posted by MillCreek

Yes, that is the Whitehorse. Only a small stretch from downtown Darrington out towards Arlington is being actively maintained any more. Being closed does not mean that people and horses are not still using it, though. You see a lot of mountain bikers out there. I would not ride my road bikes on it, though. Come to think of it, knowing that you are on a road frame, I wonder if I would ride the gravel portion of the Loop on that. I have always ridden the Barlow Pass onward segment on my mountain bikes. The condition of the gravel portion of the road can vary considerably. I have only ever driven it on my dual sports and my Ford Escape. I have not ridden the Loop that far up this year yet, so I have no idea of the current road surface conditions. Winter is usually pretty hard on the Loop, and recall that the road was closed at Barlow for many years due to winter storm damage, and was only reopened in 2009 after all the washouts, avalanches and downed trees were repaired.