Seattle-Tacoma loop by bike [video]

• Here’s a spur-of-the-moment mini bike tour we embarked upon a few weeks ago.

Saturday

We crossed the mostly-flat valley most of the way south to Tacoma after following the Duwamish river out of Seattle. The interurban trail runs parallel to the train tracks and we stayed on it until Auburn, with a lunch break in Kent along the way.

Note that connecting the interurban trail between Auburn and Fife is a bit tricky. It is possible to climb up to the plateau using 58th Pl S., despite the road closed signs. Just be ready to hoist bikes and bags over a waist-level concrete barrier at the top of the ascent.

At our destination we pulled out our credit cards and checked into a room at a hotel on the north side of town near the Tacoma Dome. We wheeled our bikes through the lobby and crashed onto the beds for the night.

Sunday

The next day started with a huge climb over Tacoma as we skirted the edge of the city to on our route. At the top we hit a trail that took us all the way to the Tacoma Narrows bridge. The length and height of it seemed very similar to Golden Gate, and the views were comparable too.

Classic bike on a bridge

After crossing the bridge we realized we’d have to maintain 10+ mph to reach the next Southworth ferry crossing, since missing that run would have forced us to wait another 2 hours. This part of the route brought us up and down (mostly up) on roads which became quieter and quieter as we continued (especially Ollala Valley Rd). We made it to the ferry with 5 minutes to spare, but the three of us were exhausted by then.

Marine company

Back in Seattle we treated ourselves to a picnic lunch of tacos and quesadillas in Lincoln Park. Since we weren’t in a rush for anything else, we took it easy riding the rest of the way back around Alki Beach and up the waterfront.

Picnic in the park

Our trip ended on a perfect note with The Cookie from Metropolitan Market. Seriously, if you haven’t had one of these yet, you’re missing out!

What are you waiting for?