Top 12 Bike Trails in Snohomish and King County
Here are our Top 12 Favorites!
By Rebecca Agiewich
For every mood, there’s a bike trail in King or Snohomish County to match it. Rural or urban. Pavement or soft-surface. Flat or hilly. There are panoramas to blow the mind or soothe the soul: from iconic northwest features like Mount Rainier, Lake Washington and Snoqualmie Falls, to local gems like Lake Cassidy and the Fremont Canal Park.
A treasury of public art graces these trails, too. Fanciful sculptures, impressive earthworks or uniquely decorated tunnels delight in the most unexpected places. In short, these trails rock.
We describe 12 of our favorites here, but with 350 miles of trail to explore, you’re bound to discover your own. Be sure to check out the free maps listed in our Resources section. (The trails are not ranked but numbered for reference — see map below)
1. Snohomish Centennial Trail
In the 80s, a group of volunteers banded together, determined to turn an abandoned rail line in Snohomish County into a community trail system. Flash forward three decades: the beloved (yet not too crowded) Centennial Trail stretches for 33 scenic miles, with views of Mount Pilchuck, the Stillaguamish River and Lake Cassidy. The northernmost segment into Arlington was finished in late 2012.
Stop in Arlington for a brew at the Bryant General Store.
Length: 33 miles
2. Interurban Trail (north)
This popular commuting trail follows the old Interurban streetcar route between Seattle and Everett. Though mostly urban, it passes several lakes, and traverses occasional wooded stretches that feel more like wilderness than city.
Frequent rider Vanessa Wolf of Shoreline, waxes poetic about the route through Mountlake Terrace.
“Every fall it smells of cranberries and primroses,” she says, “giving it a kind of ethereal beauty.”
Length: 16 miles
3. Burke-Gilman Trail
The massively popular Burke-Gilman Trail provides a paved corridor from Seattle to Bothell. It hosts throngs of people in the summer, yet its landscapes—Lake Washington, Mount Rainier and Lake Union—emanate tranquility. Seattle cyclist Matt Cronin commutes daily on the trail.
“My favorite stretch is along the Fremont shipping canal in Seattle,” he says. “Especially when the crew boats are practicing in the canal, it’s incredible. This part of the trail is very quiet, despite being very busy.”
Length: 20 miles
Connects to: Sammamish River Trail, Ship Canal Trail
4. Tolt Pipeline Trail
Foxworthy calls the uncrowded Tolt Pipeline Trail one of his favorites:
“It’s 100 feet wide, has incredible views of mountain and city, and crosses through many different kinds of communities.”
The Pipeline Trail also has some significant hills and roadway detours, but armed with a map and fat tires, cyclists can have a great day of adventure. Refuel at Woodinville’s Redhook Brewery along the way.
Length: 14 miles
Connects to: Snoqualmie Valley Trail, Sammamish River Trail
5. Snoqualmie Valley Trail
This trail is “everyone’s favorite for being out of the city in a rural environment,” says Robert Foxworthy, Trails Coordinator for King County. At 31.5 miles, it’s also King County’s longest. The soft-surface, mostly-flat pathway meanders past farms and parks between Duvall and the Cedar River watershed, offering views of the Snoqualmie River, Mount Si and Snoqualmie Falls. Don’t miss the historic, 100-foot high Tokul Trestle.
Length: 31.5 miles
Connects to: John Wayne Pioneer Trail, Snoqualmie Ridge Trail, Tolt Pipeline Trail
6. Elliott Bay Trail
This flat, five-mile trail provides access to some of Seattle’s best scenery, shopping and art. Rolling along Seattle’s vibrant downtown waterfront, the trail passes near Pioneer Square and Pike Place Market. Then it heads north through the Olympic Sculpture Park, which dazzles with outdoor artworks like Eagle by Alexander Calder—that is, if you can take your eyes off the view of Rainier, the Olympics or seals surfacing in Elliott Bay.
Length: 5 miles
7. Alki Trail
The summer sun, surf and crowds of the paved Alki Beach Trail can evoke a southern California vibe. But the trail is also quintessentially Seattle. As it hugs the shore of Elliott Bay on its way to Alki Beach, it takes you over the unique West Seattle Swing Bridge, provides views of the iconic Seattle skyline and offers mini-lessons in Seattle history along the way with markers and monuments.
Length: 5 miles
Connects to: West Seattle Bridge Trail
8. Mountains-to-Sound (I-90) Trail
This well-loved commuter and recreational trail takes you across Lake Washington, lets you gaze at Mount Rainier and carries you through the wildlife-rich Mercer Slough. The paved trail extends from south Seattle to Bellevue and carries around a million people a year.
Though you certainly won’t be alone here, you will be exhilarated by the green spaces, the graceful sculptures and the bracing experience of crossing the lake on the I-90 Bridge.
Length: 10 miles
9. East Lake Sammamish Trail
King County has been working hard on the East Lake Sammamish Trail, with the goal of making it fully paved. For now, the popular 11-mile route is paved on its north and south ends, with mostly soft-surface in the middle. It runs along the east shore of Lake Sammamish, serving up great views of Lake Sammamish and the Cascade foothills. Picnic at the peaceful Sammamish Landing or popular Lake Sammamish State Park.
Length: 11 miles
Connects to: Issaquah-Preston Trail, Marymoor Connector Trail
10. Issaquah-Preston Trail
Climbing out of Issaquah on pavement, the Issaquah-Preston Trail passes intriguing sculptures on its way to the Issaquah Highlands. The trail turns to soft-surface as it continues its climb through forest with Issaquah Creek gurgling (and I-90 roaring) below. It passes a turnoff to Grand Ridge and Duthie Hill Parks, favorite spots for mountain bike fun. At rural High Point Way, this trail connects with the scenic (and quieter) Preston-Snoqualmie Trail.
Length: 7 miles
Connects to: Preston-Snoqualmie Trail, Rainier Trail, East Lake Sammamish Trail
11. Preston-Snoqualmie Trail
This peaceful, paved trail travels from Preston, through secluded woodlands, then dips down through the Raging River Valley before traveling to a viewpoint overlooking Snoqualmie Falls.
Cyclists with fatter tires will enjoy the Whitaker Trail, which branches to the south and connects (with the help of a roadway link) to the Snoqualmie Ridge Trail.
Length: 7 miles
Connects to: Issaquah-Preston Trail, Whitaker Trail, Snoqualmie Ridge Trail
12. Soos Creek Trail
On the rural Soos Creek Trail, which travels six miles between Renton and Kent, “you feel like you’re in a really cool video game with the way the landscape moves around you,” says Seattle artist Susan Robb.
With both a paved route and a soft-surface equestrian surface, the route rambles through wildlife-rich landscapes that host spawning salmon in the fall, as well as muskrat, river otters, hawks, owls and many other birds.
Length: 6 miles
Resources
Regional Trails in King County
Get the map online: http://www.kingcounty.gov/operations/GIS/Maps/VMC/Recreation.aspx#6366BDAC031C4B179A0225581D55A339
Printed copies of the map are available for in-person pick-up at the King County Road Services Map Counter in the King Street Center in downtown Seattle.
www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/Roads/MapAndRecordsCenter/MapCounter.aspx
Snohomish County Community Transit Bike Maps
Get the map online at: www.snohomishcountywa.gov/1182/Trails
Seattle writer Rebecca Agiewich is a regular contributor to OutdoorsNW. Even though she has ridden bikes around the world from Patagonia to Europe, Rebecca still thinks the Northwest is one of the best places to ride.
