Find the top rated trails in Bothell, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Meandering down a Bonneville Power Administration overhead electric utility corridor, the BPA Trail serves as a connector between Celebration Park and the downtown areas of Federal Way with its...
The Port Townsend waterfront marks the eastern endpoint of the Olympic Discovery Trail, which will one day stretch 126 miles from Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean. This section of trail is named in...
The highly anticipated SR 520 trail is finally open, and commuters of all stripes have been quick to make use of it if the trail counts are anything to go by. The trail was constructed as part of the...
The scenic Soundview Trail runs along and through the Chambers Bay public golf course—site of the U.S. Open in 2015—within Pierce County's Chambers Creek Regional Park. The 2-mile trail links at both...
The Redmond Central Connector will one day stretch 4 miles along a former rail line, the Redmond Spur of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. It's also part of the Eastside Rail Corridor Trail...
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In the heart of Redmond, the Bear Creek Trail provides an important connection between two rail-trails. On its eastern end it connects to the Sammamish River Trail and, on its western side to the...
The State Route 20 Arboreta Trail—also known as the Highway 20 Trail—was developed in the 1970s after a donation of the right-of-way to the City of Burlington by a private citizen. The trail, which is...
Sumner Link Trail provides an important connection between the Interurban Trail and the Puyallup Riverwalk Trail. Along the way, the trail follows the White River, offering views of the water,...
The Puyallup Riverwalk Trail traces the tree-lined shoreline in northern Puyallup, a few miles southeast of Tacoma. The paved pathway consists of two completed segments with about a mile of...
Tacoma's Prairie Line Trail follows the former Northern Pacific Railroad that was established here in 1873. Tacoma was the terminus of the rail line that stretched all the way to the Great...
Snoqualimie's half-mile, paved trail runs parallel to railroad tracks and SR 202 through downtown. The scenic trail provides a nice break for a short walk or ride. The city's trail also meets...
The Green River Trail currently stretches nearly 20 miles through the industrial heart of the Green River Valley from the southern suburbs of Seattle to Kent, connecting to a number of neighborhoods...
The Lowell Riverfront Trail is a multi-use trail located within Rotary Park. The paved trail travels from the park entrance to the north end following the Snohomish River. You can encounter numerous...
The Eastside Rail Corridor Trail, built on a former BNSF freight railroad, will one day traverse 42 miles through King County, connecting Renton, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and Woodinville. In 2018,...
True to its name, the Cross Kirkland Corridor traverses the city for nearly six miles, connecting eight neighborhoods, four major business districts, more than a dozen parks, and several public...
The Rainier Trail brings trail users from the 11-mile East Lake Sammamish Trail south through downtown Issaquah. The paved trail provides access to a number of recreational, cultural and civic...
The 35 miles of Olympic Discovery Trail sandwiched between Sequim Bay and the Elwha River are considered the trail system's crown jewel. Bounded by a sparkling tidal estuary in the east and a recently...
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The Interurban Trail between Seattle and Everett stitches together a dense residential and commercial patchwork that the original electric railway helped to grow in the early part of the 20th century....
Across the waterway from its big brother (the Burke-Gilman Trail), the Ship Canal Trail runs along the southern edge of the Lake Washington Ship Canal near Seattle Pacific University. The trail links...
The highly urban Seattle Waterfront Pathway is a continuation of the Elliot Bay Trail and carries on south from Broad Street south to South Royal Brougham Way. The trail parallels Alaskan Way along...
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The Coal Creek Trail offers trail users a wealth of coal history, fitness, and nature in a forested fish and wildlife habitat, with interpretive signs that highlight the relics to be found along the...
Two sections of the Whitehorse Trail, which runs along a former Burlington Northern rail line, are currently open for use. The eastern end of the trail spans nearly 7 miles between Darrington and the...
The West Campus Trail provides access from the BPA Trail to Federal Way's West Campus medical centers. The short trail also offers the many surrounding neighborhoods a safe off-street connection to...
Located in the Cascade foothills near the town of Gold Bar, the Wallace Falls Railway Trail (Railroad Grade) climbs 2.5 miles to meet a separate, 1.5-mile riverside ascent to Wallace Falls. The...
The 35 miles of Olympic Discovery Trail sandwiched between Sequim Bay and the Elwha River are considered the trail system's crown jewel. Bounded by a sparkling tidal estuary in the east and a recently...
The East Lake Sammamish Trail is an important link in the Mountains to Sound Greenway, a 1.5 million–acre landscape stretching from Seattle to Central Washington. Its origins hail from the Seattle,...
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The Cedar River Trail follows the old Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad corridor on a straight, flat shot out of the sprawling Seattle metro area and into the rural...
The Grandview Trail runs in a straight line for more than a mile on the eastern edge of Pierce County's Chambers Creek Regional Park. The trail appropriately never strays too far from Grandview...
Meandering down a Bonneville Power Administration overhead electric utility corridor, the BPA Trail serves as a connector between Celebration Park and the downtown areas of Federal Way with its...
The Redmond Central Connector will one day stretch 4 miles along a former rail line, the Redmond Spur of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. It's also part of the Eastside Rail Corridor Trail...
The Puyallup Riverwalk Trail traces the tree-lined shoreline in northern Puyallup, a few miles southeast of Tacoma. The paved pathway consists of two completed segments with about a mile of...
The Snoqualmie Valley Trail rolls from verdant dairy land in the north to a clear blue mountain lake in the south. Along the way, travelers are treated to numerous trestle crossings, historic towns,...
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Elliott Bay offers trail users the opportunity to enjoy art, history, and a wide variety of outdoor activities in a beautiful waterfront setting. Myrtle Edwards Park is adjacent to the Olympic...
The Pigeon Creek Trail runs along an operating port terminal and users of the trail are are protected from the secured industrial terminal by a fence, which runs along side the trail. You will...
The Interurban Trail between Seattle and Everett stitches together a dense residential and commercial patchwork that the original electric railway helped to grow in the early part of the 20th century....
The Chief Sealth Trail runs northsouth along Seattle's southeast side between S. Ferdinand Street at Beacon Avenue S. and S. Gazelle Street at 51st Avenue S. The paved trail provides access to...
The Foothills Trail is a 30-mile collection of six unconnected segments of the old Burlington Northern Railway that served the farming, coal-mining, and logging economies near the base of Mount...
The 6.5-mile paved Preston-Snoqualmie Trail meanders through Snoqualmie Valley, with a short roadside section and crossing. It crosses a set of unpaved yet accommodating switchbacks that replace a...
The Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail is an extension of the Cedar River Trail, which heads south from Witte Road where the two trails intersect. The Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail passes through Lake...
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The Interurban Trail (South) connects several towns south of Seattle along the historic route of the Puget Sound Electric Railway. The trolley ran between Tacoma and Seattle from 1902 to 1928, falling...
The Thea Foss Waterway Esplanade begins at Thea's Park along Tacoma's eastern waterfront. The park offers access to the water for fishing, swimming, boating, and wildlife viewing (harbor seals and sea...
In the heart of Redmond, the Bear Creek Trail provides an important connection between two rail-trails. On its eastern end it connects to the Sammamish River Trail and, on its western side to the...
Running north to south along the industrial Duwamish Waterway, the 3-mile Duwamish Trail is an important connector in southwest Seattle. Beginning a half mile south of the Alki Trail, the Duwamish...
The State Route 20 Arboreta Trail—also known as the Highway 20 Trail—was developed in the 1970s after a donation of the right-of-way to the City of Burlington by a private citizen. The trail, which is...
The highly anticipated SR 520 trail is finally open, and commuters of all stripes have been quick to make use of it if the trail counts are anything to go by. The trail was constructed as part of the...
Picture yourself pedaling across the entire country on a safe, seamless and scenic pathway—or walking a local trail that connects along historic routes... enjoying the experience of exploring...
The 35 miles of Olympic Discovery Trail sandwiched between Sequim Bay and the Elwha River are considered the trail system's crown jewel. Bounded by a sparkling tidal estuary in the east and a recently...
The Kulshan Creek Trail links Mount Vernon's downtown area with commercial and residential areas. Use the trail to access schools, parks, natural areas and community gardens. The Kulshan Trail runs...
The Cedar River Trail follows the old Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad corridor on a straight, flat shot out of the sprawling Seattle metro area and into the rural...
The highly urban Seattle Waterfront Pathway is a continuation of the Elliot Bay Trail and carries on south from Broad Street south to South Royal Brougham Way. The trail parallels Alaskan Way along...
The East Lake Sammamish Trail is an important link in the Mountains to Sound Greenway, a 1.5 million–acre landscape stretching from Seattle to Central Washington. Its origins hail from the Seattle,...
The Chief Sealth Trail runs northsouth along Seattle's southeast side between S. Ferdinand Street at Beacon Avenue S. and S. Gazelle Street at 51st Avenue S. The paved trail provides access to...
History lures visitors to the Snohomish County Centennial Trail. Trail users are reminded of old-time river and railroad settlements in the historically preserved storefronts and homes in Snohomish...
Two sections of the Whitehorse Trail, which runs along a former Burlington Northern rail line, are currently open for use. The eastern end of the trail spans nearly 7 miles between Darrington and the...
The Puyallup Riverwalk Trail traces the tree-lined shoreline in northern Puyallup, a few miles southeast of Tacoma. The paved pathway consists of two completed segments with about a mile of...
The Lowell Riverfront Trail is a multi-use trail located within Rotary Park. The paved trail travels from the park entrance to the north end following the Snohomish River. You can encounter numerous...
The Scott Pierson Trail runs parallel to State Route 16 for most of its journey from 25th Street in Tacoma to 24th Street on the southern edge of Gig Harbor. The 5-mile trail is a safe and convenient...
The scenic Soundview Trail runs along and through the Chambers Bay public golf course—site of the U.S. Open in 2015—within Pierce County's Chambers Creek Regional Park. The 2-mile trail links at both...
The Snoqualmie Valley Trail rolls from verdant dairy land in the north to a clear blue mountain lake in the south. Along the way, travelers are treated to numerous trestle crossings, historic towns,...
Gig Harbor's Cushman Trail is a paved, non-motorized route for pedestrian and bike use. The trail shares much of its corridor with overhead Tacoma Power electric lines. Along the way, trail users will...
Late Summer 2018
TrailBear was not exactly “silent, upon a peak in Darien” when he parked at the twin bridges site (Rt. 530 & RR bridges) on the Whitehorse Trail (48°15'58.29"N x 122° 0'44.53"W).
“OMG, blacktop!” A few yards over, the trail surface was gleaming blacktop. Blacktop! Bear loves blacktop on his trails. Smooth riding. No ruts. Yes! We can do this! The trike came out and TB went spinning over the bridge and down the newly surfaced trail bed.
Smooth, fresh blacktop and dried leaves crunching under the tires. Looking closer, he wondered if he was one of the first riders on this stretch. There were only three tire tracks behind him. All evenly spaced. Might be him.
Was there some association with the construction crew he passed a few miles east where the trail crosses Rt 530 again… They were laying down more blacktop, heading east towards Darrington. Got a ways to go. Encourage them. They expected to be done with the trail project back in 2016. Perhaps 2020 might be the year. A bear can dream.
Regardless, the twin bridges is a lovely spot on the trail. You have a nice railroad bridge, a river with a long view, a beach for the kids and views. Locals are found recreating themselves here all summer.
Go west down the blacktop a bit and there is the Rt. 530 trail crossing – under construction. Wonder how they will do this. The Snohomish Centennial has a ped-controlled stop light at one crossing. This crossing is on a curve to make it sporting.
He managed to pedal across – but he waited and waited for a lull. Those fully loaded logging trucks doing 60 mph suggested caution. No sign of paving continuing west towards Trafton Trailhead. Back in 2016 when he checked out the Trafton Trailhead, he noticed they had laid a serious compacted gravel base heading east from Trafton, so there might be hope that was going to be a blacktop base.
@@@ MAP CHECK … The Whitehorse Trail project map – check it out
Here is the county project map. Currently, it is the best that you can easily put your hands on.
https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/3693/Whitehorse-Regional-Trail
TB really hopes that the map note with a date of 2106 was a typo. You can see that they are doing this and that here and there. They have Phases. Must be a challenge to find all the funding for all the projects that add up to a completed trail.
The finished trail, combined with the excellent Snohomish Centennial Trail that runs from the Snohomish River north through Arlington to the Skagit County border will make this an even more attractive destination for riders.
The old right of way extends north along Rt. 9 in Skagit County and south into King County where it is the Burke-Gilman Trail. There are said to be plans to join the Snohomish to the B-G. Come that day, you can start at the Golden Gardens on Puget Sound and ride up to the Skagit line or cut over to Darrington.
@@@ FORTSON MILL TRAILHEAD … Welcome Wagon not in evidence (48°16'25.43"N 121°43'53.57"W)
TrailBear had such high hopes that morning. He would park at the Fortson Mill Trailhead and take a round trip east to Darrington and back. After all, the official map said this was the only open portion.
His hopes faded when he drove in … to the gate, hefty and well-locked. An official and rather annoyed sign proclaimed that “This Gate is Locked due to illegal dumping.” (Guys, if you are going to do caps, do caps for every word. More stylish.) Among the prohibited items were Alcoholic Beverages and Motor Vehicles. Not the place to party on a Friday night. At least the county hopes so. The gate says so.
Reading that ‘Foot traffic is allowed into the park” he hoofed it down the road to find a vast, empty parking lot in the woods. Great place to dump that old washer or have a kegger on Friday night. No signage.
More wandering about turned up the Fortson mill – now concrete walls with artistic graffiti, a dam and empty log pond and not much more. The trail is due north about 93 yards from the non-parking lot, over the slope and down.
@@@ DARRINGTON TRAIL HEAD … End of the trail (48°15'32.10"N 121°36'16.33"W)
Well, try the official open portion from the other end. Off to Darrington and the trail end on Railroad Ave. Pedal off down the trail and past the Three Rivers Mill. The trail here is gravel, and TrailBear was soon bored. Scrubby, cut over woods, no views, bumping over roots. Boring!
Stop, about face, pedal back. The reality is that from Fortson to Darrington, the Whitehorse is a woods ride. No bridges, no river, no views. TB has ridden the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes and other scenic trails, so he is spoiled rotten and feels Entitled.
He wants scenic trails with endless unfolding vistas – an endless Instagram Heaven – not a bunch of scrubby woods. (And, while you’re at it – a rest room every five miles.)
He loaded up and headed back west to his happy discovery of real, fresh blacktop, a bridge and vistas at the twin bridges: “OMG, blacktop!” One happy TrailBear.
This trail winds through farms, small communities, and forested areas of east Pierce County. The newest section between South Prairie and Buckley us steeper but should not be missed. Be sure to stop at one of the many small businesses along the way!
My daughter and I walked our dog about half of this trail, from S. 200th St. parking lot (only about 10 parking spots). On a sunny winter Saturday, it was not at all crowded, only saw about a dozen other friendly people. No litter or sketchy people. It is directly under the SeaTac flight path, so you'll never forget you aren't deep in the woods, but a beautiful wooded paved easy walk. We'll enjoy this walk again.
FYI if you start at the Gene Coulon park on the south end, the trail starts OUTSIDE the park where the train tracks are. Follow the tracks north and it turns into the trail. Also, dogs are not allowed in the park and the fines are pretty stiff.
This is a beautiful trail. I had a free afternoon on a business trip to Seattle. Terrible traffic to get out of Seattle, but worth it to add this trail to my list. I wish I’d had more time. Had to cut my mileage short because I kept stopping for photos.
Did the ride to day on my bike. Very nice and clean and not busy at all. Will be doing it again.
I'm leaving two stars because of the huge challenge it was to get from Everett to Seattle today, I like challenges but you may not and after attempting this trail you may even leave zero stars. You CAN NOT do the ride with out a map on your phone first off. Little to no signs leave you guessing and searching. The biggest thing today is the street closure around the Alderwood Mall area in Lynwood. If you're determined like I was today to get to Seattle, plan on taking 164th to 36th to 184th. Maple Rd and even Ash Rd underpass are closed - Till November. WTF. Interurban trail is years away from being user friendly.
I returned last night from my two-day bike packing trip over the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (The part we rode is also known as Iron Horse State Park) in Washington State. Our ride went from North Bend at the Cedar Falls Trailhead to the Thorp Trailhead. We stopped at Lake Easton State Park to camp. My 31 year old son rode with me and my wife dropped us off at the first trailhead and picked us up at our final trailhead. She also served as support, meeting us at the campground when our first day was done.
First day was a 40 mile ride approx. My GPS app did not function properly either day because of the four tunnels we passed through. The second day, after we cleared the tunnel MapMyRide told me I had just gone 1650 miles per hour!
The first 22 miles of the ride was a constant but not terrible climb. We stopped to walk a few times because my son, who is an experienced and well conditioned hiker, but not a cyclist, just got wore out from the constant uphill. I think I could have made the climb if I had been with a rider who could also make it and who would have encouraged me to keep on. I am certain I would not have made it without walking if I had been alone.
Once clearing the tunnel at the summit we camp quickly to Hyak rest stop. This is the only place on the trail where there is fresh water. non potable water is available almost constantly along the trail if you have a water filter with you. Upgraded pit toilets are situated frequently along the trail.
The trail between Hyak (the summit) and Lake Easton State Park feels mostly flat but was challenging - especially for my son) after making the climb. We arrived at Lake Easton State park 8 hrs and 30 minutes after beginning our day. The signs on the trail for the State park will lead you four miles off the trail onto the opposite end of the park from Bicycle camping sites (I think there are only two designated for bicycle camping) but it is mostly downhill. Sort of nice after the long day. The bicycle camping sites are not on the lake. We wished they had been. I chose to stay at Lake Easton State Park because I have experience camping at state parks. There are, however, back country camping sites all along the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. Almost every site has a pit toilet and non potable water in the form of a pond or stream nearby. My wife met us at the park with ice cold drinks and lots of water. We determined that we would have her return the next morning at carry our camping gear with her. It would have been a good idea to have had her deliver them to us at the campsite. That way we would not have had to pack them up the mountain! On the other hand, we would not have had them had we chosen to stay in one of the back country sites. At the very least she could have given them to us at Hyak and saved us packing them during the steps part of the trip. Live and learn.
Tent camping is hard on this old body. It was so hot I could not sleep well and began having leg cramps. I had to get up at 1:30 AM and do about an hour of stretching to get them to settle down!
Second day we rode out of the State Park, at 7:30 AM, to the small town of Easton, just one mile from the bicycle camping area. We got a coffee at the Hitching Post - a small convenience store, service station, restaurant, motel. The trail runs alongside Easton and we were on our way. Thirteen miles to Cle Elum, it was hot. My wife met us there and refilled our water. Just eighteen miles left to Thorp.
The ride from Cle Elum to Thorp is beautiful as it follows along the Yakima River. We watched a guided fly fishing group float alongside us from a few moments. It was cooler than I expected and with many more trees than I imagined.
Thorp TrailHead was a bit confusing to find for my wife tp pick us up. But it is only a mile or so from the Fruit stand/Antique Store at the Thorp exit.
The trails are well maintained. You'll see more people walking than bike riding. Surrounded by farm land, warehouses. Two bridges that go over the river. I found a side trail that leads to a closed down golf course. It has some paved trails as well. It has pond, I saw some kids catching some fish.
Descent trail, it's an easy bike ride. If you enjoy walking, it's perfect.
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