The Beacon Hill Light rail station in Seattle is 160 feet underground and only accessible with elevators. This makes it really easy for Beacon Hill bike riders to start all their bike rides with an easy downhill ride, and finish by hopping on the train, and taking the elevator back to the top on the hill. Some people call it the “Shame Train“. Every time I would put my bike on the train, I felt like everyone was judging me for being too lazy to ride back up the hill. After living on the hill for a few years, I got used to it, and stopped thinking about it. I don’t care what people think…. I just hated riding up that hill after work. Some cyclists search out hills to climb…. not me… I try to avoid hills. Although I do climb a lot of hills as well…. sometimes you have to.
Besides, my normal bike commute, I started using the train to extend my riding territory. I would often cut short a counter clockwise Lake Washington Bike Loop by getting on at Husky Stadium. It makes many long rides a bit shorter. Some days I don’t feel like a 80 mile ride, but still would like to see some different scenery. I have probably ended bike rides from every light rail station in Seattle. With the extensions to our light rail system in the past couple of years, it has opened up a lot of bike/train possibilities. I’d like to share some of my favorites.
First I would like to acknowledge that it isn’t always cool to bring a bike on the train. If the train is full, you should not be squishing a bike on. Many metro systems all over the world do not allow bikes, and we don’t want to lose our bike train privileges. Our light rail is getting busier and Sound Transit could easily ban all bikes if we don’t play nicely. Avoid commuting hours and sports events that can make the train really crowded. I also get annoyed seeing those monster fat tired E-bikes get on the train and have no chance of getting their bike on a hook. Those guys really earn the “Shame Train” title.
Loop around Queen Anne Hill– One of the most scenic rides is to go up Beacon Hill, to Capital Hill, down the hill to downtown, take the Westlake Trail along Lake Union, then the Burke Gilman to the locks (or the Ship Canal Trail) and then along the water at Myrtle Edwards Park. It is a great ride to show someone how great it is to ride a bike in Seattle. It is an enjoyable easy ride and sometimes I don’t feel like climbing over Beacon Hill again to return to my house in Columbia City. It often ends with me stopping at a downtown station to go home the easy way.
North Interurban trail– This is a great example of how you can extend your range by using light rail. I just keep riding until I get tired and then find the closest light rail station. It takes a bit of the anxiety about being far away from home if you know that you can just get on the train if you break a spoke. This trip does involve a bit of a climb to get up to the Interurban trail from the UW or Fremont but you can’t always avoid hills in Seattle.
Lake Washington Bridges– One of the other ways to use the trains is to avoid the winds. Crossing the I-90 or 520 bridges can be terribly windy so I like to only ride with the wind and take the train the other way. In Seattle, the winds usually come from the Southwest but that is not always true so I always look at the weather app before deciding on a bridge riding direction. There are many different loops to choose from now that we have bike lanes on both bridges.
North Lake Clockwise I have ridden around the lake for years but I have almost always gone counter clockwise so I could end at Husky Stadium. With the new station in Redmond, it give me a lot more options. I can now start at UW and end in Redmond. This is another one that I will look at the wind forecast before deciding which way to go. Either way, that is a lot of miles with no elevation and some peaceful scenery the whole way.
East Lake Sammamish Trail– This trail is now nearly complete. In 2026 they have shut down a section to work on a bridge over a creek, but it should be done before the end of the year. I tried it this week, but was forced to do a crazy detour up the hill because they had shut down East Lake Sammamish Parkway for a few days to work on that bridge over the creek. But normally it is going to be an easy paved trail from the South Bellevue station along the I-90 trail to Issaquah and then on the East Lake Sammamish trail to Redmond. If you haven’t done this route, you need to give it a try. It does include a ride up Eastgate hill to start but it is not too bad.
South Interurban Trail– This is my former commuting route for many years before I retired so I know it well. It is kind of a boring trail but I really miss the quiet of this trail compared to some of Seattle and Bellevue routes. Or maybe it is nostalgic because I rode it for so many years to work. Light Rail does not go down here, but we do have the Sounder Train. It doesn’t run as often as light rail so you really need to plan out if you want to use it to go South or go North and figure out your timing. I like to ride to Sumner or Puyallup from Seattle and then take the train back in the afternoon. You can actually ride all the way to Tacoma if you are that energetic. On the trip shown below, I got up early to take the train southbound to Puyallup and then rode back to Seattle because the wind was coming from the South.
Other Possibilities– If you time the rides right, you can use the Sounder train to get South, go for a ride and then take the train back to Seattle. If you get off in Puyallup you can ride the Foothills trail to Orting or even further towards Mount Rainier. It seems like such a long way away to get to ride from Seattle… You can also get off in Tacoma and ride to Point Defiance. There are some breaks in the trails but it is doable.
Similarly, you could ride the light rail to Lynnwood and start your rides there. A trip to Everett or Snohomish is not that crazy of an idea. The Centennial trail from Snohomish to Lake Stevens and beyond is within a long reach.
I mostly use the train for Lake Washington loop rides and Seattle city rides. Our bike trails in Seattle are still not connected in many places but when you start looking at rides around the lake, there are a lot of safe routes on trails. I like South Lake Loops that end at South Bellevue, Center lake loops that end in downtown Bellevue and just whole lake loops that end at husky stadium. Too many route possibilities to mention when talking about Seattle city loops.
So, I encourage you to get out there and use the train! Don’t be afraid of being judged for being lazy. It is NOT a “Shame Train“. Use the available tools and you can have a lot more biking adventures. Happy biking!