This is the fourth of my favorite scenic rides in Seattle that would be great to impress someone new to riding a bike in Seattle. This one is a 20 mile trip to Alki Beach from Beacon Hill and back. Everyone in Seattle seems to have taken the iconic picture of the city from over here but too many people drive over when the best way is by bike or boat. I started cruising down Beacon Ave which turns into Holgate when it crosses over I-5. Kind of scary going down the hill for some, and I don’t ever enjoy trying to ride up this steep hill. I like to find the gradual slopes up hills…
I follow Holgate across Sodo until I get to Utah Street and then take a left through some rough pavement and SBUX until I turn right and cross the tracks on Hanford. I then follow the Alki trail over the short (lower) West Seattle Bridge. I always curve around underneath the bridge instead of trying to cross with the light. It doesn’t take that much more effort and it is a lot safer. My first stop when I get on the trail along Harbor Avenue is Jack Block Park. This is a Port of Seattle park that a lot of people don’t even know about and it has some of the best views of the city. It has its own beach, dock (which is currently closed), but I like to go out to the lookout tower.
After taking those pics I head North on the trail where everyone else is taking great pics of Seattle. Views everywhere past Saltys, the ferry terminal and then finally to the point where the old swimming pool and Luna park used to be.
This is where it starts getting crowded. From here on out, you can’t expect to be going top speed. Too many walkers and 4 wheel rentals. They haven’t labeled the bike lane very well so it always has a lot of oblivious walkers in it. Some day they should paint in green. But everyone is having a good time out here and I don’t mind slowing down a bit. It is actually best if you have time to stop and have a beer. My favorite is the West Seattle Brewing Company lounge chairs.
I often turn around at the first Seattle settlement marker but sometimes I head towards the light house and go around the actual point. You need an appointment from the coast guard to visit the actual light house and I have never actually done that. The road past this is a lot less busy.
On the way home, you go through the crazy intersection by the Chelan diner again. It seems simple if you have done it a few times but new bikers always get a little confused because there are cars coming from all directions. Just follow the green paths and watch the lights. SDOT needs to work on this intersection a bit more…
The lower West Seattle bridge is a swivel bridge that twists to allow boats through. It is often open and takes a bit of time to close again. Cars are not supposed to be on this bus and truck bridge and it is a lot less busy now that they have put in traffic cameras to catch the cheaters.
After crossing the river, check out the fisherman in August and September that pull a lot of Salmon from the end of one of the inlets. Then take the road towards downtown Seattle. Sometimes there is a lot of truck traffic but the views of the city are still great and it is surprising how fast you end up in Pioneer square. There I cruise through Occidental park and there are many more opportunities to get a beer. I also took a pic of the hidden waterfall park in pioneer square. This is the birthplace of UPS.
To get home to Beacon Hill, I head towards the 2nd Ave trail which leads me through Chinatown and over the Jose Rizal bridge. Total distance about 20 miles.