Longer rides in King County almost always seem to include part of the Lake Washington Loop. We are close to having an all ages and ability trail all the way around now. Just a few spots in Seattle and Bellevue that need some improvements. We now have 2 bridges across the lake that open up a lot more possibilities for looping bike rides. Lets look at the major options.
North Lake Loop
The North Lake Loop (green on my map) is very popular. The Burke Gilman is always busy and the Sammamish Slough trail is really busy on the weekends. It is about a 40 mile loop and is almost all ages and abilities suitable. Starting at UW train station, you cross the bridge on the new 520 trail. They are working on the 520 “Best of the Rest” freeway which will include a partial freeway lid some day but currently the trail is open and just fine for all ages and abilities. After you cross the lake there are a couple of minor hills and then you have the option of staying on the 520 trail and going over the Overlake hill to Redmond, or you can turn left and use the Cross Kirkland Corridor (Eastrail). The CKC is still gravel and we don’t know when it will be paved but it is a gradual slope that is very doable on a bike. I have seen some very skinny tires using this trail and it works just fine. The last section from Totem Lake down to the Sammamish river trail is not finished yet but it is easy to go downhill on 124th St. If you stayed on the 520 trail it puts you right on the river trail after just crossing West Lake Sammamish Parkway. The River trail is great except it is often clogged with strollers and big families on the weekends. It is all flat and winds around the top of the lake through Woodinville, Bothell and Kenmore where it turns into the Burke Gilman trail. The Burke is the most used trail in the city and the section from U village to the UW station is among the busiest.
Center Lake Loop
The Center Lake loop is much shorter at about 25 miles. The tough part is finding your way through Bellevue and it currently isn’t recommended for kids or non-confident riders. The Eastrail will eventually be the route through the eastside but it is still a couple or three years away. The Eastrail will also flatten out the hills quite a bit. Now you need to ride on 108th through town which is a bit hilly. The Route starting at UW light rail station goes across the 520 bridge over the lake. Currently you turn right on 1008th which takes you through Bellevue and to the I-90 trail. Again, I can’t wait for Eastrail to eliminate the hills. The I-90 trail takes you to Mercer Island which gives you another few minor hills. Some of the serious riders like taking the roads on Mercer Island instead of the I-90 trail. I’m not really sure why because I prefer the trail. The trail on the floating bridge is pretty cool but it is loud and can be a bit windy. Back in Seattle, the route goes along the lake until you get to Lakeview park where you curl yourself up to the arboretum. The trail through the arboretum is beautiful but can be really slow because you aren’t supposed to go fast among all the park walkers. Many choose to ride through the park on the road. Near the bottom of the park, most people like to cross over the old bridge to the Montlake neighborhood. A neighborhood greenway is signed that zig zags you across the cut and back to UW station.
South Lake Loop
A little hilly and has some areas riding on shoulders and door zones but most is really nice. Just about a 26 mile loop. Starting at I-90 at Mt. Baker beach, climb the curvy Colman park road and take I-90 East across the lake. After the wetlands, turn right and ride down the lake shore all the way to Renton. I recently wrote about out some of the issues on the Southern part of the Eastrail, Coulon Park and then Logan Avenue in Renton. After that you get to go on the new lanes around the airport in Renton before heading on the Lake Washington Loop trail north. There is a hill before you hit Seward park but it rises rather gradually. It is a little steeper going South which is the reason I like to do this loop clockwise.
Of course you can combine these routes, it is also possible to do a North/Center loop (about 40 miles), a South/Center loop (35 miles) or do the whole lake loop which is about 50 miles. I generally do the whole lake counter clockwise because of hills and the wind patterns.
Or you can really stretch it and do the:
Double Lake Loop
About 67 miles! I think this works best counterclockwise so I start at UW light rail station and do the Seattle portion of the Center Lake Loop which involves climbing up the arboretum hill. Then you ride along the lake around the Southern portion and up the Eastrail until you get to the I-90 trail. The trail is under construction but it is currently still easy to ride on shoulders for those portions that aren’t done to get all the way to Issaquah. Issaquah doesn’t have enough signs but you can ride along sidewalks on Sammamish Road until you turn left on the East Lake Sammamish trail. This trail has its last section getting paved this year but there is a good bike lane shoulder along the road going North. It is going to be really nice when this trail is fully paved from Issaquah to Redmond. In Redmond, ride through Marymoor park until get to the Sammamish River trail and follow the North Loop back to UW station via the Burke Gilman.
All of these loops can be affected by wind so I try to go with the wind when I am on the most unprotected areas. Usually the bridges are toughest places to ride into a headwind. Hills and trees can break the wind so I always look at the Weather Channel app before deciding on direction.
All of these routes are very scenic and mostly on trails so it is not hard to see why they are so popular with weekend riders in addition to those daily commuters.