Bike-A-Thon

SOUTH LAKE UNION - WESTLAKE - MAGNOLIA

This is one of our all-time favorite rides! Starting at Denny Park downtown you go through South Lake Union on a brand-new protected bike lane, then onto the fabulous protected bike lane that runs along Westlake (which opened in 2016). Next is the flat, serene and lovely Ship Canal multi-use trail, which is much less hectic than the more famous Burke Gilman trail across the water. Continue on protected bike lanes all through Magnolia to the entrance for Discovery Park, which is currently a bicyclist’s paradise because park roads are mostly closed to car traffic due to the pandemic. The fairly steep ride to the top of the park is well worth the view.

DOWNTOWN - SODO - WEST SEATTLE

Beginning at the Seattle Center, this route takes you down Second Ave, one of our city’s most important protected bike lane arterials (the last portion connecting Pike to Denny was finished in 2018). Next, weave through the fascinating industrial maze that is the Port of Seattle, across the bridge and out along a wonderful multi-use (walking and biking) path to the cool tip of Alki Beach.

CHIEF SEALTH TRAIL - BEACON HILL GREENWAY

This wonderful paved separated path opened in 2007 along a major Seattle City Light transmission tower right-of-way. It can get a bit hilly, but is worth the stunning views. The southern end is right near the Kubota Gardens, a hidden gem of a garden by master landscaper Fujitaro Kubota, now a pubic park.

UW - LAKE WASHINGTON BLVD - SEWARD PARK

This is the ride if you love trees and water! The UW campus, the Arboretum, Seward Park, plus a long stretch right along Lake Washington with lots of spots to jump in if you get too hot. Lake Washington Blvd does not normally have a bike lane or trail, but the city recently designated it a Keep Moving Street, closed to all but local car traffic through September 8.

THE BURKE-GILMAN

The famous Burke-Gilman Trail! This paved trail started as part of a nationwide rails-to-trails movement that, beginning in the 1960s, converted abandoned or unused rail corridors into public trails. The B-G takes you through a very wide variety of urban and suburban habitats – from the old industrial area of Ballard to the parks of Bothell. Perfect if you just want to ride and not worry about car traffic, complicated directions, or big hills.

BEACON HILL - MERCER ISLAND

This ride takes you on a seperated bike path from Dr. Jose Rizal Park at the northern most end of Beacon Hill, across the floating bridge, and onto Mercer Island. The I-90 bike path continues across into Bellevue, which can be a lot of fun to explore. But for this ride you loop around Mercer Island and back across the bridge to Seattle – or skip the loop and stop at Shawn’s Bakery for a treat! It’s marked with a star on the map.

CIRCUMNAVIGATION LAKE UNION

This route takes the path-of-least-resistance around Lake Union. There is very little elevation change during this route. The University Bridge is a slight climb, and you get a free descent after crossing the Fremont Bridge. The north and west sides of the lake have nice bike paths, on the east and south sides you’ll be riding on the streets.

FREMONT - INTERURBAN - EDMONDS

Head up north! This takes you on some bike lanes, a segment of the Interurban rail-to-trail separated bike path before veering off to head out to Edmonds. If you are feeling especially adventurous (and have some time), catch a ferry to Kingston and ride out onto the Olympic Peninsula.

DESIGN YOUR OWN

There are many great rides we don’t have listed here. A few places to begin your research:

Seattle Outdoors Bike Trails guide
Seattel Bike Map Online
Seattle Bike Map PDF download

Advocacy

Bikes are a crucial tool in the fight against global warming, economic uncertainty and COVID-transmission. In June, the International Energy Association announced that if we can hold our climate emissions to pandemic-level reductions in the next 6-months, it is possible that we can hold global warming to the critical limit of only +1.5C by 2030. Bikes are a zero-emissions, low-transmission risk alternative to potentially higher-risk options like buses and subways. Bikes also prevent traffic. Even the Wall Street Journal is reporting on bikes as “personal transportation.” Bikes are also the cheapest transportation available: a monthly bike commute is half the cost of a low-income ORCA card. Seattle needs to join this cycling surge, and the city should prioritize making biking a safe alternative to cars.

Seattle’s Bike Master Plan (BMP) is a community-vetted, city-wide bike network that would make bicycle commuting safe for all. Yet the mayor and SDOT keep cutting this plan. Local transportation advocates are pressing the city to build out the BMP with cones and bollards to create an emergency, pop-up corona-cycleway for COVID-safe errands and commutes. Interested in joining these efforts? Email Ingrid: elliottshapiro@mac.com.