Find the top rated trails in Mercer Island, 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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The Sammamish River Trail rolls along smoothly through a wide, scenic greenway that's home to riverside parks and farms, as well as a growing wine industry. The trail is the center link of the Seattle...
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 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...
Although short, the Marymoor Connector Trail provides an important link between the Sammamish River Trail (an 11-mile route that heads north to Bothell and the Burke-Gilman Trail) and the East Lake...
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 North Creek Trail links the cities of Bothell, Mill Creek and Everett, as well as the communities in between. The trail also provides access to the Sammamish River Trail, which connects to the...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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...
The delightful Ruston Way Path sits in the Old Town neighborhood of northern Tacoma. Its linear, flat and paved nature make it a cinch for all travelers and it offers lovely views of Commencement Bay,...
Commuters move between the cities of Olympia and Lacey along a former Burlington Northern corridor now known as the Woodland Trail. The Chehalis Western Trail runs north and south from the midpoint of...
Seattle's Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop offers scenic views of Lake Union, as well as access to parks, neighborhoods, and downtown shops and restaurants. A good place to begin your journey is at Lake...
The Alki Trail rides along the northern and eastern shore of West Seattle along Alki Avenue. Largely riding on a widened sidewalk, separated from traffic by a parking lane and curb, traffic on the...
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...
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,...
Suburban sprawl gives way to deep forest and rural farm lots as this rail-trail follows an uphill grade from Issaquah to the outskirts of Preston. The Issaquah–Preston Trail is among a group of trails...
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 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...
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 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...
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 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 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 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 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...
The North Creek Trail links the cities of Bothell, Mill Creek and Everett, as well as the communities in between. The trail also provides access to the Sammamish River Trail, which connects to the...
Spanning just shy of 224 miles, the John Wayne Pioneer Trail is one of the longest rail-trail conversions in the United States. The trail passes through remote and sparsely populated areas of...
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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...
Commuters move between the cities of Olympia and Lacey along a former Burlington Northern corridor now known as the Woodland Trail. The Chehalis Western Trail runs north and south from the midpoint of...
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 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...
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...
Scenic and interesting are uncommon terms used to describe a trail alongside a busy freeway, but the I-90 Trail in Washington is different. The trail begins in the west in Seattle and runs for 10...
The Sammamish River Trail rolls along smoothly through a wide, scenic greenway that's home to riverside parks and farms, as well as a growing wine industry. The trail is the center link of the Seattle...
Seattle's Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop offers scenic views of Lake Union, as well as access to parks, neighborhoods, and downtown shops and restaurants. A good place to begin your journey is at Lake...
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 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 Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Trail is open to hikers and horseback riders. The trail can be difficult to navigate in places, since other trails link with it (some unmaintained). There are a few...
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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....
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 Chehalis Western Trail follows the route of a Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. railroad by the same name that carried millions of logs out of Washington forests to the coast for shipment from the 1920s 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 Des Moines Creek Trail offers a nice connection between the south side of Seattle and the waterfront community of Des Moines on Puget Sound. The paved trail begins just south of the Seattle-Tacoma...
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 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 Alki Trail rides along the northern and eastern shore of West Seattle along Alki Avenue. Largely riding on a widened sidewalk, separated from traffic by a parking lane and curb, traffic on 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 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...
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...
Spanning just shy of 224 miles, the John Wayne Pioneer Trail is one of the longest rail-trail conversions in the United States. The trail passes through remote and sparsely populated areas of...
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. Currently, just over 2 miles are open. The first...
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...
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...
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...
From Mt. Baker-Snoqualamie National Forest: The first 1.5 miles of the trail follows an old railroad grade, then enters Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Once crossing the river at milepost 5.0, the trail...
The 14-mile Yelm-Tenino Trail travels through the rural towns of Yelm, Rainier, and Tenino on a paved route through agricultural areas, forests, and wetlands. Commuters can access Olympia, Lacey, and...
I am happy that this trail exists, but it is hard to get in a rhythm riding it, as every mile or so the trail crosses a busy street, many with no lighted crossing. It is also highly urban, and much of the old right-of-way is gone, requiring the trail to take constant diversions. As noted in another comment, there are some "interesting" people on the trail as well from time to time. It's worth riding once or twice, but I much prefer more intact, scenic and safer trails like the Centennial.
Since I spent a lot of time yesterday in trying to figure out a way in to the trail and wasn't keen on doing the whole 11 miles of it, I parked in Sixty Acres park Gate C and on the extreme left of the parking lot, there's a path to join the trail. I went left from there and walked for 40 or so minutes before turning back. So if you just want a short walk of an hour or so, parking at Sixty Acres park might work for you.
This trail is super convenient. It’s gravel, but pretty compact, so even with a road bike you should be fine. Just make sure to give yourself an extra few yards of stopping distance. It has a lot of road crossings, but each one has a button that immediately flashes a bunch of annoying yellow lights at the crossing traffic, which is legally required to stop immediately, so no more waiting for long periods of time at stop lights. The greatest part about it is that it used to be a train track, so the entire trail is super level. No matter which way you go, it almost always feels as if you’re riding downhill. Overall I think this trail is great for committing, and fun for leisurely Sunday cruises. Give it a try!
3/12/2018
Starting at the western end of Whitehorse, branching off the Centennial Trail, I rode about a mile before hitting a landslide blocking the trail. Looking at the tangle of large trees and mud in front of me, I decided I'd rather not try to get past it and risk having the whole mass continue into the river, with me on top of it. So ended my first Whitehorse Trial trip.
The trail in this section has not yet been resurfaced, so it still has the old railroad ballast. It was a little tiring to slog through, but the short section of the trail I did get to ride was quite enjoyable. This looks like it will be a beautiful ride, once they complete the trail.
I used the combination of Yelm-Tenino and Chehalis West trails last year to get ready for the Seattle to Portland ride. Start in Tenino and ride out to where the trail intersects with Chehalis then ride that trail to where the trail crosses South Bay road turn around there and you get around 50 miles of riding. Gas station on South Bay Rd is a good place to replenish water, etc. The weird little dirt part of the trail off of Rainier Road is the only issue. If you haven't ridden there before the trail drops down along Rainier Road for a couple of blocks then there is a sharp left onto this hard packed dirt part of the trail. Take it slow. It is pretty short and then the trail opens up to a very wide paved stretch. Great trail throughout. Quiet nice scenery and strategically placed facilities.
Really chill bike ride, out and back is a nice way to get the day going. Beautiful scenery with glimpses of Mt. Rainier every now and again. Lots of birds and fall color.
Great scenery. Encountered snow east of Hyak. Knobby tires recommended
We rode the trail from Yelm to Tenino. My wife rode her 3 wheeled recumbant and I rode the Mt bike. The asphalt conditions were good and the tree root penetrations we read about were not bad at all. Our only negative encounter on the ride was the excessive amount of horse dung near the Yelm trail head. The trail is really flat and has a great amount of treed canopy. We stopped near a small lake and had lunch. We highly recommend this trail for all cyclists.
One of the best trails! I sometimes go on my own or with my family on Sundays. When you get to Kenmore stop at the 193 Brewery and grab a cold one. Cheers
We began our 20 mile out-and-back ride at a small parking lot near Gehrke and Wild Current Rds near MM20 in Sequim. The parking lot had space for about five cars. We headed west towards Port Angeles. The first five miles of the trail, which is heavily wooded, was very narrow with sharp, blind curves with a lot of up-and-downs. You would gain some speed on a downhill section only to have to brake because of the narrowness and curviness of the trail and the uncertainty of what was in the opposite direction. This section would not be considered a “rails-to-trail” type of trail.
Once we crossed the Morse Creek Trestle Bridge, the trail widened with views of the strait. This five-mile section into Port Angeles was the nicest section. We stopped near the Marine Center before turning around.
If I were to do this ride again, I would park at the Deer Park Trailhead and cycle into Port Angeles and perhaps check out the path along Ediz Hook. There was nothing of interest for the first five miles to warrant cycling that section again unless you were doing it for the mileage or were traveling the entire trail. There were two port-a-potties along the route and no other amenities.
We began our out-and-back 20 mile ride at the Jamestown S-Klallam Tribal Headquarters off of Old Blyn Highway. There is parking in back of the library or you can park in one of the parking lots at the tribal headquarters. You’ll find bathrooms at the trailhead.
The trail, for the most part, was in very good condition. It varied from narrow and winding to wide and straight. At some points, the trail ran parallel to highway 101 but was often buffered by trees. There is a short section at the beginning of the ride that is on a very lightly traveled road. There are some easy road crossing along the trail.
The ride into Sequim was along Washington Street/Avenue with a short segment on the street before arriving at Carrie Blake Park where we turned around. The tourist bureau is just at the turnoff for Carrie Blake Park. The park in Sequim is a good stop for lunch or, if you prefer, Sequim Bay State Park is another option.
We would recommend this section of the trail.
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