Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Get pedaling—biking around the peninsula and beyond

Posted on

Updated my original post from last year and added a few new things too. 

Over the years we’ve gone from hauling our kiddos behind our bikes in a trailer to years on training wheels and trail-a-bikes. Now we're doing loops around West Seattle, exploring bikepacking trips and e-bikes. Although one thing that hasn’t changed is it usually involves a stop somewhere along the way for a tasty treat.

UPCOMING EVENTS
  • Delridge Parks & Art Ride—Saturday, May 28 / 9:30AM
    A just under nine mile ride starting at the Delridge Community Center with stops at parks and public art along the way. Free but registration required for limited spots. Hosted by West Seattle Bike Connections, Delridge Community Center and Cascade Bicycle Club. 


LEARNING TO RIDE

All these are small paved paths/areas located in a park or in areas without cars.

  • EC Hughes Playground2805 SW Holden Street
    This playground was redone a few years ago but still has the great little loop that’s perfect for little ones on trikes, scooters and training wheels. Plus in the summer, there’s a wading pool open on certain days.

  • Ercolini Playground 4542 48th Ave SW
    This playground has a small paved loop for little ones and is known for having quite a collection of riding toys that live at the park.

  • Myrtle Reservoir
    • 3600 SW Myrtle Street 
    The upper part of the park has a nice flat paved circular path with benches and a large grassy area. There are also a set of cool markers noting the elevation here (highest point in the city) and other hills around the city as well. The lower part of the park has two play areas. You can even run up and down the highest stairs in the city too. 

  • Westcrest Park 9000 8th Ave SW
    A large flat paved circular path sits atop the now covered reservoir and near the play area.
    Note: As of May 2022 part of the playground is still closed but there are still swings, ziplines, slides and a giant rope climber to play on.

  • School playgrounds Most schools have large blacktop areas that are perfect for first-time rides with and without training wheels.


READY TO GO A BIT FARTHER

Paved paths with options to ride longer distances and some will hills. All are separate from the street.

  • Lincoln Park—2 miles round trip 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW
    An easy flat trail along the water that’s great for kids looking for a bit more distance. Starting from the South parking lot, you can either walk or ride down the hill to the beach. The trail is paved from here to just past Coleman Pool but you can continue riding on the gravel path to the end of the park or even continue on to Lowman Beach. The upper part of the park also has a lot of wide flat unpaved trails that are good for a bit more adventure once you're off training wheels. 
    See route

  • West Seattle Bridge to Alki Beach—Up to 8 miles round trip  A paved flat trail along the Elliott Bay shoreline is a good choice for a variety of ages since distance can be tailored (just park closer to Alki Beach) and there are a lot of places to stop along the way. Now that my kids are older, we start just north of the WS Bridge, parking along Harbor Ave and bike all the way to the main strip Alki. It will start to get congested around the water taxi dock so this can make a good turnaround point or a place to stop and get lunch. You can also take a side trip to Jack Block Park, which is right before Salty’s. 
    See route
    Updated July 2022—Last rode in June and am now hearing sections between the bridge and Jack Block might not be ideal riding so might consider starting farther down.

  • Jack Block Park—1-mile round trip, parking lot to the observation tower 2130 Harbor Ave SW
    A somewhat hidden park off Harbor Ave—look for an archway with an upside-down orange metal boat—that has a paved trail with lots of fun ups and downs with the payoff at the end of a little beach to play on and an overlook with views of the city. This was where we went once my kiddos needed a bit more excitement and to practice learning to break without running holes in the soles of their shoes. You can park in the main parking lot for a longer rider or keep going and there’s a smaller one that’s right by the beach and an overlook with a wide paved area and just a few hills.
    See route

  • Duwamish Trail—1 to 4 miles round trip The best starting spot is to park at Terminal 107 Park, 4500 Duwamish Trail
    This flat trail runs along the Duwamish waterway and goes past the Duwamish Longhouse and a handful of Port of Seattle parks. It also connects up with the Alki Trail to the north or you can take the south to connect to the Green River trail. However, it’s along a noisy industrial stretch of road with lots of traffic and wouldn’t recommend this for younger kiddos.
    See route options. AllTrails also offers info, a map and good updates too.
    Add on: Check out this activity guide for kids from Duwamish Alive!

TWEENS/TEENS

In addition to the options above and below, here are a couple with longer distances. Please note some portions involve riding on the street.

  • Loop around West Seattle—20+ miles Depending on where you live you can combine some of the paved trails with greenways and sharrows to do a loop around the peninsula. 
    Here’s a map of a route we’ve done.
    Note: May 2022—Stretch along Beach Drive between Me-Kwa-Mooks Park and Lowman Beach seems to be a lot rougher riding than last year. Don't recommend it for younger kiddos.

  • Bikepacking trip to Manchester State Park
    Fun overnight trip my teen and I did last summer. Starts at the Fauntleroy ferry dock and is possible for families with younger kiddos to do it too, especially if they are still in a trailer, bucket or trailer bike.

OUTSIDE WEST SEATTLE

Some are just off the peninsula and others a little farther. Oodles of options for riders of all ages.

  • White Center Bike Playground  11050 10th Ave SW
    The first bike playground in our state located at Dick Thurnau Memorial Park has stop signs, intersections, a one-way street and even a roundabout for kids to navigate. While you're there check out the disc golf course. 

  • Green River Trail We usually start by parking at Cecil Moses Memorial Park (11099 27th Ave S, Tukwila) and riding south towards Fort Dent/Starfire Sports for a 10-mile round trip ride. During the summer we would ride to the Tukwila Community Center to play at the spray park, have lunch and then ride back for about 4 miles round trip. For older kids, you can start from West Seattle via the Duwamish trail. Parking at the T107 Park (4500 Duwamish Trail, Seattle) and riding to Cecil Moses adds another 11 miles RT with a mix of trail and street riding.  More info and trail map

  • North Sea-Tac Park Next to the BMX park, which is super fun, there is a whole network on trails for mountain biking ranging from easy to hard. Signage is not the best and you can’t get too lost but I always bring a printed map with me.
    More info and trail map
    Note: As of May 2022—BMX park is under renovations and temporarily closed. Also haven't ridden the trails this year since our weekly soccer practice that had us down there have moved fields. Hope to check it out soon.

  • Vashon Adventures
    Rent e-bikes and explore the island in a whole new way. There are several different options for families (cargo bikes with benches or buckets) and Erin, aka the Director of Fun, will offer a whole list of places to go based on everyone's interest. Do note, that kids under 14 can't rent e-bikes and it's all road riding. They also offer kayak, paddleboard and glamping rentals. 

  • Bikepacking trip to Manchester State Park
    Fun overnight trip my teen and I did last summer. Starts at the Fauntleroy ferry dock and is possible for families with younger kiddos to do it too.

  • Bicycle Weekends along Lake Washington Blvd
    • 2022 Dates / 7PM Friday to 7AM Monday
      • May 20-23; 27-31
      • June 10-13; 24-27
      • July 1-5; 15-18
      • August 12-15; 19-22
      • September 2-6; 16-19

OTHER:

  • Wheel Fun Rentals on Alki (Seasonal)
    Offers a variety of bike rentals—regular, electric, choppers and surreys—self-guide tours and a team-building scavenger hunt. The choppers are our favorites to rent with a group of friends.

RESOURCES:

BIKE SHOPS:
A list of shops around West Seattle that have bikes and/or service bikes. We’ve had experience with some but not all.

  • Alki Bike & Board
    2606 California Ave SW
  • Rat City Bikes (White Center)
    9614 16th Ave SW
  • Second Gear Sports
    6529 California Ave SW
  • Seattle E-Bike
    4517 California Ave SW
  • Westside Bicycle
    3418 Harbor Ave SW