bikeseattle.org

Gene (BikingBis) recently posted his trip along the Tolt Pipeline Trail that he took last week.

Ironically enough, I did a similar ride this past Saturday, but went a bit further. So now I’m inspired to post my details so that anyone interested knows what to do.

The King county website describes the Tolt pipeline trail as:

“The Tolt Pipeline Trail is popular with off-road bicyclists, equestrians, and hikers who like the trail’s straight, east-west alignment, varied terrain, and rustic ambiance. Starting near the Sammamish River Trail and Blyth Park in Bothell, the trail traverses King County’s eastside cities and suburban neighborhoods, rural towns, and natural areas. Along the way, the route crosses Norway Hill, Woodinville’s wineries and breweries, equestrian estates in Hollywood Hills, Avondale, Bear Creek, Trilogy, and the Snohomish River before reaching Big Rock Road near Duvall.”

Gene has a great description (and pictures) of the Tolt. The only thing I’d add, is that you only cover about 8 miles from the baseball fields off of Sammamish River Trail to the end near W. Snoqualmie Valley Rd. I’ll pick up from there.

At the end of the hill there’s a small trail to the right, which goes onto 133rd. At this point 133rd looks like a driveway for the homes there, but it is indeed a street. Head down slowly since it’s very steep and curvy. This will drop you down to W. Snoqualmie Valley Road. Note that where 133rd and W. Snoqualmie Valley Road intersect, feels a lot like a driveway off the road, so take care to watch for traffic (no stop signs or anything). W. Snoqualmie Valley Road has a pretty small shoulder, but it’s a fairly low traffic road. Take a right and head South for about a half a mile or so to the stop light which is NE 124th. Left on NE 124th for about a mile to connect up with the trail by the round-about that connects to Hwy 203 (124th has a much better shoulder).

Now that you’re on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail[king county page], it’s pretty easy cruising through Fall City. There is some great scenery to take in, and a great benefit of the SVT is that it is mostly covered in shade (I experienced this both in the morning and late afternoon coming back) and with railroad grade you won’t be needing to worry about steep grades.

I ended up packing my 100oz camelback, and I took 2 24oz water bottles and a bunch of food. I didn’t go off trail in Carnation, but I’d imagine they must have a gas station of some sort that you could refuel up if you needed to.

The only bummer about the SVT is you need to take a detour once you hit Tokul road (note where the railroad tracks meet up with Tokul road). There are two alternates you can take to get back onto the trail. I took the one that takes you from Tokui Rd -> 53rd -> 396th. This detour is only about 2 miles, but there’s a serious drawback. It’s a windy road (posted 45mph if i recall correctly) and absolutely zero shoulder. Take this into account if you are thinking of taking kids or a trailer (I don’t know if the other detour is any better. I didn’t write it down so I didn’t take it coming back). Another thing to note is that this particular detour is sort of hilly, which is to say you’ll have a great downhill going into North Bend, and a fun uphill when you come back.

The SVT ends at the Tokui tunnel (you’ll notice that after the tunnel there’s some single track type trail that continues on. Don’t try it as it’ll end in a no trespassing sign about 200 yards after the tunnel). On either side of the tunnel are paths to get you up to Tokui Rd. For my detour, you take a left. Tokui just sorta turns into 53rd, which just sorta turns into 396th so it’s fairly easy. The trail picks back up via a bridge that you have to take the stairs to get up to. The trail literally starts/ends on this bridge, so you really can’t miss it.

From now on it’s clear sailing (road free that is) till you get to the Snoqualmie Tunnel on the John Wayne Trail. You’ll cruise through a golf course, through North Bend and under I-90 towards Cedar Falls and Iron Horse state park. North Bend has another gas station if you head into town on the first intersection (I believe it’s Main street). There’s sort of a parking lot/park there, and some historical signage about the old railroad. Just head a couple blocks into town and a 76 station is right there.

At Cedar falls, there is adequate signage to get you on to the John Wayne Trail (I believe the signs say Iron Horse Trail). From here it is 18 miles to the tunnel. Even further is the Columbia River, Spokane, Idaho, and Montana via the Trail of the Cour d’Alenes.

Getting up to the tunnel is a pretty straight-forward event. Just head up the trail. It’s railroad grade, so very gradual incline, across a few tressels and you’re at the tunnel. At this point you’ve ridden about 60 miles. You can turn around and backtrack the whole way, or go through the tunnel (you will need lights) and get picked up at Hyak.