I am in Seattle in a few weeks staying downtown. Need to get in a long run (20 - 25km) (that’s about 12.5 - 16 miles) and I need a good route suggestion.
I would like to start and end downtown.
Ideas anyone?
Much appreciated.
thanks,
MM
Might not work for you, but if you drive across the water on 90 and hit Cougar Mountain (near Bellevue) you will find amazing trails. Very easy to get to. It’s a 3000+ acre park in a relatively urbanized area with high end housing on the boarders (Microsoft money i guess). Running there is like running in Jurassic Park with the amazing vegetation–massive trees, ferns, etc. (maybe not the dinosaurs). Lots of elevation change. FANTASTIC run.
general description
http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/inventory/cougar.aspx
here is a link to a pdf map. you must print and take this map with you or you will get lost
http://your.kingcounty.gov/...ugarMtn_brochure.pdf
Thanks anyway, but I don’t want to carry a map and I want to START AND LEAVE from downtown.
I just need a nice simple route that doesn’t put me on a freeway.
I am looking for:
- SIMPLE out and back from downtown
2 13 - 16 miles roughly - Safe (relatively)
Thanks anyway, but I don’t want to carry a map and I want to START AND LEAVE from downtown.
I just need a nice simple route that doesn’t put me on a freeway.
I am looking for:
- SIMPLE out and back from downtown
2 13 - 16 miles roughly - Safe (relatively)
Simple, run to Madison St. Take a left or a right, does not matter. When you hit water turn around and run again till you hit water, then turn around again. One loop will looks like close to 7 miles.
Fits all of your criteria. Will be safe and simple to do.
Few suggestions:
Head straight down to the waterfront and run north on the Elliott Bay trail. This will take you into Myrtle Edwards park, through Centennial park, through the Interbay shipping area, and up 20th Ave W to Thorndyke Ave in Magnolia. From there you can do a big loop around Magnolia (popular with cyclists), doing some loops in Discovery Park if you want. Then back the way you came to downtown. Total mileage ~15.5 miles. The Magnolia loop will be very hilly (crest at Discovery, so climb all the way up to the park, downhill on the way back), but on a clear day the views will be spectacular. Bring water, it’s a long slog in mostly residential until you hit Discovery Park.
http://goo.gl/maps/Z67sL
The easiest option is to do a lap of Lake Union (~9.5 mi). Once you hit the lake there’s a path that more or less goes all the way around it. Not too hilly.
http://goo.gl/maps/iNl6E
Final option is to go halfway around Lake Union, either way, and then keep going on the Burke-Gilman Trail (which runs along the top of the lake then out to Lake Washington and up and around, ending up in Marymoor Park on the eastside). You won’t make it nearly that far (to U-W and back will be ~12 miles) but you can make it as long or short as you want.
http://goo.gl/maps/OuY6L
Few suggestions:
Head straight down to the waterfront and run north on the Elliott Bay trail. This will take you into Myrtle Edwards park, through Centennial park, through the Interbay shipping area, and up 20th Ave W to Thorndyke Ave in Magnolia. From there you can do a big loop around Magnolia (popular with cyclists), doing some loops in Discovery Park if you want. Then back the way you came to downtown. Total mileage ~15.5 miles. The Magnolia loop will be very hilly (crest at Discovery, so climb all the way up to the park, downhill on the way back), but on a clear day the views will be spectacular. Bring water, it’s a long slog in mostly residential until you hit Discovery Park.
http://goo.gl/maps/Z67sL
The easiest option is to do a lap of Lake Union (~9.5 mi). Once you hit the lake there’s a path that more or less goes all the way around it. Not too hilly.
http://goo.gl/maps/iNl6E
Final option is to go halfway around Lake Union, either way, and then keep going on the Burke-Gilman Trail (which runs along the top of the lake then out to Lake Washington and up and around, ending up in Marymoor Park on the eastside). You won’t make it nearly that far (to U-W and back will be ~12 miles) but you can make it as long or short as you want.
http://goo.gl/maps/OuY6L
I think I did a similar run to this when I was visiting my brother-in-law, who lives near Pike Place. It was around 9-10 miles out and back from the downtown area, so just extend it a bit.
With respect to Cougar Mountain, you might have difficulty getting 20 miles out of this, but I’d rather go a little shorter and have an awesome experience, not to mention the elevation.
The recommendations by Lilac J sound good. Although it’s been 18 years since I lived there, here’s another one:
https://goo.gl/maps/eY5Tg
Get out of downtown quickly by going east on Yesler (used to be ‘ok’) to Leschi at Lake Washington; north along the water; through trails on Washington Park Arboretum (very nice place and well shaded), Foster Island (a scenic wetlands trail); across the Montlake Cut; into the University of Washington Campus up Rainier Vista to Red Square. Retrace your steps or come back along the east side of Lake Union. If you won’t a GPS, stick to something simpler (to Discovery Park would be good as you can keep Elliot Bay in sight).
Few suggestions:
Head straight down to the waterfront and run north on the Elliott Bay trail. This will take you into Myrtle Edwards park, through Centennial park, through the Interbay shipping area, and up 20th Ave W to Thorndyke Ave in Magnolia. From there you can do a big loop around Magnolia (popular with cyclists), doing some loops in Discovery Park if you want. Then back the way you came to downtown. Total mileage ~15.5 miles. The Magnolia loop will be very hilly (crest at Discovery, so climb all the way up to the park, downhill on the way back), but on a clear day the views will be spectacular. Bring water, it’s a long slog in mostly residential until you hit Discovery Park.
http://goo.gl/maps/Z67sL
The easiest option is to do a lap of Lake Union (~9.5 mi). Once you hit the lake there’s a path that more or less goes all the way around it. Not too hilly.
http://goo.gl/maps/iNl6E
Final option is to go halfway around Lake Union, either way, and then keep going on the Burke-Gilman Trail (which runs along the top of the lake then out to Lake Washington and up and around, ending up in Marymoor Park on the eastside). You won’t make it nearly that far (to U-W and back will be ~12 miles) but you can make it as long or short as you want.
http://goo.gl/maps/OuY6L
Sweet -
Thanks for all the suggestions.
From downtown I think your best bet would be to go east until you hit Lake WA then follow lake WA boulevard for as far as you want. Lots of triathletes ride over there. Wave. Can also try taking the lower west Seattle bridge and run around Alki?
Or if you want to stay out of traffic, Burke Gillman trail. It’d be a few miles to get to. Know where Speedy Reedy tri shop is? It’s on burke gillman.
Best running in Seattle proper is at Discovery park, if you can get out there.
Best running (and riding) in the area is in the east suburbs though. Yes cougar mountain is great.
If you want an easy 13ish miles you can do South Lake Union twice or run Downtown to Montlake Bridge, across the north end of Lake Union to the Ballard Bridge and back to Downtown. That should be 13-14 miles depending where you start from in downtown. Depending on schedule/pace, I’m happy to join you of I can fit it in. Let me know. I’ve got some other routes if you want to go longer as well.
I can’t remember the route I took from downtown, over one of the bridges to Bellevue and back. It was in the 15-17 mile range. You can also go from downtown North up Aurora and around Green Lake and then back down. Lots of routes mapped out here…
I can’t remember the route I took from downtown, over one of the bridges to Bellevue and back. It was in the 15-17 mile range. You can also go from downtown North up Aurora and around Green Lake and then back down. Lots of routes mapped out here…
http://www.mapmyrun.com/us/seattle-wa/]
That’d be the I-90 bridge. There’s a trail across the bridge over Mercer Island through Bellevue all the way to Issaquah. Finding the trailhead on the Seattle side is a little tricky. There’s a network of trails there and only one leads through a little pedestrian tunnel and onto the I-90 bridge. Smartphone map app would help.
Yeah that is it, popped out on the Bellevue side at Mercer Slough, which on it’s own is a nice 5-7KM loop.