Trying to find the elusive connection
by Cindy Riskin, cindyri@q.com
Anyone who’s tried to bicycle to the Burke Gilman Trail from Pinehurst or Victory Heights knows that it’s dangerous—or at least drudgery.
If you want to ride to the Burke Gilman Trail from our neighborhood, though, check out this SDOT map, which shows connections to the Burke Gilman Trail via roads from our neighborhood.
Note that I have not yet checked out these SDOT connections. I will, though, and anybody who wants a report—or who wants to come explore with me—can contact me at cindyri@q.com.
Other ways to get on the Burke Gilman Trail from here do exist, including:
- Metro’s Route 75 bus (http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus/schedules/s075_0_.html), which carries two bikes, maybe three) drives from Northgate Way directly to Magnuson Park, which is two blocks off the Burke Gilman Trail.
- The reverse route is handy if you want to ride the Burke Gilman Trail but not ride the hills back up to our neighborhood on the way home.
So far, this route is the safest and easiest I’ve found. - You can bicycle to Matthews Beach Park via scary Sandpoint Way or your own personal route. I can’t say I recommend this approach to anyone but expert or suicidal riders.
- You can slog up to Lake Forest Park via Lake City Way or hilly backroads. I recommend staying off of most of Lake City Way when you can.
You can find alternative but hilly routes on the King County Bicycle Map, available free at http://www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/Roads/Bicycling.aspx. - You can load your bike onto the car (which isn’t so easy if your bicycle weighs as much as mine does—ugh). And so much for being green.
Help requested #1: If anyone else is familiar with good entries onto the Burke Gilman Trail from our area, please contact me.
Help requested #2: If you can figure out how to print out any part of this SDOT map with the street connections, in good enough fidelity that I could actually carry it as a minimap, please let me know.
The Fine Print:
I am a Pinehurst/Victory Heights neighbor (nobody’s sure which), owner of Riskin Writing & Editing, and a Cascade Bicycle Club certified ride leader.
Unless I list a ride as an official Cascade Bicycle Club ride, I am simply exploring. Nobody who rides with me on an unlisted ride will be covered by or connected to any bicycle club, organization, or insurer despite my Cascade involvement. I will not be legally responsible in any way for any other riders or equipment.
But we can still go for lattes and push our bikes up the really big hills.
Cindy – here is my favorite route to the BG Trail which is easy of course when headed east as it is nearly all downhill. The instructions may seem a bit detailed but here goes…E on 115th x LCW, S on 35th, E on 110th, S on 39th past Meadowbrook Ponds, E on 105th, S on 45th x 95th, 1st L on 94th to BGT.
To come back is same except W on 110th, N on 30th, W on 113th, N on 28th, W on 115th x LCW, S on 25th, W on 113th to return to Pinehurst.
Yes we are in Pinehurst by the way! 🙂 The above route at least weaves its way back up to our neighborhood but yep it is uphill no way around it.
The city signed routes to Northgate from the BGT are hideously hilly and must have been designed by someone who does not ride a bicycle.
Garth Ferber
I didn’t see anything but the Trail itself on these maps…
?
John
I don’t live in Pinehurst, but LC–however I do everything by bike so I go through Pinehurst a lot to get to other points and have scoped out safe routes all around this north area out of necessity. I have also been commuting to U District from here for almost five years via the BGT and have tried many entrances and exits thereto and therefrom!
My favorite entrance to the Trail is via 123rd, which becomes Lakeside as it winds down (steeply) to the lake and Trail.
To get there: When coming from PH to LC I use 115th, and as it goes down steeply I use switchbacks of northbound then eastbound streets to get to 125th at about 27th? Then ride sidewalk if you must (it’s legal) to Lake City Way, cross on the light, go on the backstreet south of the entrance to Chase Bank. Turn left onto 123rd, take that several blocks, including crossing 35th,up to Sand Point Way. When you cross SPW, you’re headed to the Trail.
On the way back on the Trail I prefer to get off at one crossing north of Lakeside/123rd, because Lakeside has a very dangerous blind curve from the bottom on which drivers can get right on top of you without seeing you at all.
Then you just turn left (south) on 42nd and end up joining 123rd, from whence you came.
Awesome! Thanks, everybody for the help. I will check them all out.
(John: Have you tried looking at this map in another browser? I can’t get it to print, so something wonky is going on.)
I was also scoping the maps at the Cascade office and found a *better* map clearly showing connections (with limited steepness info) to the BGT.
It’s the “Northeast Seattle Trails” (NEST) map, and it’s published by Feet First: http://www.feetfirst.info, info@feetfirst.info, (206) 652-2310.
Once I put together a few of the easiest routes to the BGT + some other access info, I’d like to run a short ride for Pinehurst, Cascade, and Easy Riders to these connectors.
Please keep the ideas coming.
Thanks, again.
Cindy
I also wanted to respond to Garth directly:
I want you to know that I use your route to the Burke Gilman Trail all the time and will likely run it as a Spokespeople North ride sometime this summer to introduce it to fellow North Enders.
Any other places you go that you would recommend? I’m thinking I’ll also run a ride to the Interurban, going North and one going to Greenwood.
I’ve got my hands full also with my Easy Riders rides, but I am really invested in trying to find good routes for us North Enders, who got the short end of the stick in cycling infrastructure.
So thanks, again, for the route!
Also, thanks, Janine.
IF ANYONE HAS MORE GOOD NORTH END ROUTES FOR ME, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT CINDYRI@Q.COM.
Thanks. 🙂
Hey, all: I want you to know that I’ve been using these routes all summer to get everywhere, and they have increased my riding (and hill-climbing ability) several hundred percent.
So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. And you can all give yourselves another gold star in your Greenness column for taking another car off the road.
Best,
Cindy