Find the top rated bike trails in Olympia, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_82867_st.jpg)
_138218_st.jpg)
_64265_st.jpg)
The Burke-Gilman Trail is as much a thoroughfare for commuting to work and the University of Washington as it is a staple for social recreation and fitness. Built in the 1970s, the trail was among the...
The Chehalis Riverfront Walkway provides a scenic route from the south side of Aberdeen to the sprawling Bishop Athletic Complex along an abandoned Burlington Northern railroad grade and levee. The...
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 Sylvia Creek Forestry Trail is located in Lake Sylvia State Park north of Montesano on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. The interpretive trail winds through the deep forest and alongside scenic...
The Soos Creek Trail travels through heavily wooded forest on a north-south route spanning the eastern edge of the Seattle suburb of Kent. Following the path of its namesake creek, the trail begins...
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,...
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 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...
_82867_sc.jpg)
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 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...
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...
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 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...
_138218_sc.jpg)
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 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,...
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...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
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 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 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 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...
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 Chehalis Riverfront Walkway provides a scenic route from the south side of Aberdeen to the sprawling Bishop Athletic Complex along an abandoned Burlington Northern railroad grade and levee. 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...
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 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...
An adventure awaits those who tackle all, or part, of the 56-mile-long Willapa Hills Trail in southwestern Washington. The former Northern Pacific Railway line rolls through remote farm and forestland...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
_64265_sc.jpg)
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 Burke-Gilman Trail is as much a thoroughfare for commuting to work and the University of Washington as it is a staple for social recreation and fitness. Built in the 1970s, the trail was among the...
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 Sylvia Creek Forestry Trail is located in Lake Sylvia State Park north of Montesano on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. The interpretive trail winds through the deep forest and alongside scenic...
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...
The Soos Creek Trail travels through heavily wooded forest on a north-south route spanning the eastern edge of the Seattle suburb of Kent. Following the path of its namesake creek, the trail begins...
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 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 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...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
This short community rail-trail connects the cities of Aberdeen and Cosmopolis through some original wetland areas. The trail also leads directly to the large sports complex at Pioneer Park, while...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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 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...
On Saturday 7/14 I rode from Pe Ell to South Bend. Then on Monday 7/16 my wife drove me from South Bend to Pe Ell and I rode from Pe Ell to Chehalis.
I love this trail! There are certain sections I would not recommend to the casual rider at this time.
Around Frances and through to Willapa there are several sections where the trail has mostly succumbed to blackberries. At times I picked my feet up on my crossbar and glided through. But other times I had to get out and walk, picking my way slowly and carefully through the thorns for a long, long time. There is at least 2,000 feet of trail like this (at least!).
In Lebam, at Robertson Road, it is incredibly easy to lose the trail. It picks up again right across the road but it is so overgrown that it is almost invisible. According to reports there is a bridge out and you have to take a detour (but alas the detour is not obvious at all). So, what you do is follow Robertson Road to the right of the trail for about 1/2 mile (guessing at the distance) and then take the first trail-like thing you see on your left into the woods. This should get you back on the trail. There are no signs! I biked around Lebam for about 5 miles before I found it. I also discovered later that if I zoomed wayyyy in on Google maps I could see the trail and the detour as well. I hope this saves other people some time and frustration.
Between Pe Ell and Frances there are several railroad trestles without decking. Don't try to ride across these as some of them have ties that are severely rotted and have mostly disintegrated. This bears repeating from the trail description. If I recall correctly the third or fourth trestle out of Pe Ell toward Frances was in the worst condition. The first couple of trestles out of Pe Ell were actually fine but very, very bumpy! The trestles are breathtaking for the natural beauty around them and for the fact that you are wayyy up above the ground on some of them.
I also rode through nettle patches and lots of long, long grass west of Frances.
In Raymond the trail closes and sent me off on a detour to the right. I went to the right then turned left crossing the street (Hwy 101). Once you cross Hwy 101, head back toward the trail you left off - but don't take the first trail to your right. It looks really nice but will lead you to a scenic dead end in a mile or two. Instead, bike along Hwy 101 and the trail will reappear before you.
With all that said, I can't express how beautiful this trail is. It was a great adventure and absolutely worth the effort. For a casual ride, I would recommend starting at Adna and heading west for about 10 miles. The trail is either paved or fairly smooth dirt & gravel for that part. As you get closer to Pe Ell in either direction the gravel gets deeper and wider tires are a big plus. On two-inch tires I found myself swimming around a bit on certain portions.
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.
The first part of the trail was in great shape with well maintained bridges and nicely compacted gravel. Our gravel bikes handled the conditions nicely. Things changed dramatically once we passed Pe Ell, starting with the 1st of 3 ancient railroad bridges. There was no signage to warn cyclists that the bridges are not rideable & barely walkable, so I was on the first bridge before realizing its poor condition. I had no choice but to continue. It was terrifying! WALK your bike CAREFULLY across these bridges. Just west of Lebam, the trail suddenly appeared closed, with no signage to indicate a detour. Luckily a resident saw our puzzled faces and directed us to stay right on Robertson Rd and look for an unsigned path leading down to the left about a half a mile from the closure. After that, sections of the trail were so overgrown with grass and blackberries that it was difficult to see obstacles and we had to proceed slowly. Once we got past Frances, the conditions improved and we made it to Raymond, sore and tired.
After a great night's sleep in the Pitchwood Inn, we rode back to Chehalis, opting to bypass the middle section of the trail by taking Mill Creek Rd/Elk Creek Rd before rejoining the trail in Doty. Be forewarned, Mill Creek Rd turns into a gravel logging road with a much steeper grade than the trail.
Better signage, bridge improvements and overall maintenance on the middle section would make for a more enjoyable ride on the Willapa Trail, but all in all, it was a great adventure!
This four-mile urban trail winds along the crest of Beacon Hill to the New Holly neighborhood. It takes in schools and small businesses and a variety of homes and is populated by friendly people who always greet me with a smile. Previous reviewers had criticized confusing intersections, I would characterize them as awkward or inconvenient as the trail is never out of sight—I was never unclear on where and how to proceed. I have walked this trail in the spring and fall and there has been beautiful flora, but I gotta admit, it’s just as dismal as the rest of the city in the winter. This is a wonderful neighborhood gem in tne south end.
I rode the trail on Saturday, April 21st from east to west, using a Jamis Renegade with 700x40 tires. Some sections were slow going because the surface was not well compacted, but rideable.
Just to the west of Lebam, I detoured to the road, but was able to quickly jump back on the trail via what appeared to be a driveway, though ‘no trespassing’ signs don’t appear until you reach the trail and the private drive begins on the opposite side of the trail.
Around mile 44, I encountered lots of mud that was not rideable. This muddy section continued for a few miles.
A very small section is blocked off by concrete blocks around mile 48.75 because the river is eroding the hillside. I tip toed through on the trail, but you really have no idea if this is solid ground. Be smart and go around it.
All in all, it was a great ride but challenging in some areas. Well marked until you get to 101. Just remember to go left at that point. I missed that turn.
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.
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
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
