Riding the Burke-Gilman and Sammamish River Trails

The Burke-Gilman Trail begins in Seattle running northwest for 18 miles along the shore of Lake Washington. At Bothell Landing it joins the Sammamish River Trail for 15.2 more miles to Marymoor Park. It is a heavily used trail.

When we started out early in the morning from Bothell Landing toward Seattle, we were warned by a friendly biker to "watch out for commuters— they really fly on this trail." We had wondered the afternoon before why so many people had panniers on their bikes, something we had never seen before on an urban trail. Then we realized that they were carrying their work clothes. How neat! And if its raining in the afternoon, they can take a bus home. All the buses there have bike racks on the front!

We were fascinated by the chickens at Bothel Landing. Yes, chickens! Game chickens running wild—all different kinds and colors. Some with strange tuffs on their heads, some with leg feathers that looked like pantaloons. They are protected; signs warn against chasing or harassing the fouls or ducks. It's really funny to have game chickens run in front of you on an urban trail!

For more information, including access points and a map, see the King County, Washington web site.

Along Lake Washington.
There is one area here where you can see Mt. Rainier in the distance.

Coming in to Seattle.
Can you see the Seattle Needle in the distance?

We thought this was such a neat way for a family of three to ride the trail! We've been asked many times for suggestions about how to include kids in family bike rides when they are too small to keep up on their own bikes. Well, here it is. This is a "tag along" mounted to a tandem bike. This family was nice enough to allow us to take their picture.

Want to see more pictures of the Burke-Gilman/Sammamish River Trails?