Then just hook up with the interurban trail from mukilteo to home.
Something like this http://g.co/maps/qetjq
Any absofuckinglutely must avoid or holyshit absofuckinglutely worth it roads?
Oh and I'll probably stop and sleep around PT somewhere if anyone has any suggestions for ninja camping round there.
and as per interwebs rules here's some bike camping pr0n for your troubles
caustic meatloaf
Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 1:25 pm
Joined: 06 Dec 2010Posts: 1235537Location: a hammy melange...
525 isn't horrible, really. Wide shoulder for most of it, and it's Whidbey island, so it's not like there's a whole lot of traffic.
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joeball
Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 1:26 pm
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 6037Location: Ether
Headed from Bainbridge to Hood Canal "Big Valley Road" is really cool. Low traffic, it meanders through a creek valley parallel to Hwy-3. I've only ridden on Port Gamble road once i think and I don't recall how nice or bad it was.
IMO Whidbey Island is just a pretty chill chill place to ride over all. Some sections of 525 don't have shoulder but lots of it have nice 3' or wider shoulders to ride on. More traffic on the weekends it seems, so mid-day, mid-week should be doable.
The side roads might lead you up and down more but they are VERY quiet and low traffic.
Highway 19 isn't bad at all. Very slight rolling hills as you watch the woods fall into farmland. I haven't taken Oak Bay road though - why do you say that it's preferable? Maybe I'll try it next time. Don't ride 19 without prominent lights at night! There is no shoulder and no street lights--just seeing where the road drops off is difficult without a full moon, and with no shoulder you're liable to get smeared.
Seconding Joeball on Big Valley Road. Very nice.
Chetzmoka Park is pleasant, large and has lots of corners where you could hide a tent or a sleeping bag. I can't say if those spots are already claimed by the PT homeless locals or not. Fort Worden has campsites, but as far as I'm aware they're all for RV's and not secluded enough to stealth.
Last edited by justgarth on Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
gsbarnes
Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:44 pm
Joined: 15 Aug 2006Posts: 2666Location: No Fun Town, USA
I've ridden NE Seattle -> Deception Pass State Park or back 4 times. 525 on Whidbey Island is fine. But the backroads are also scenic, so it probably depends more on how you're feeling.
[525 apparently ends when it joins up with 20 near the ferry, riding highway 20 into Coupeville can be nasty, as there is little to no shoulder and if your timing is wrong, you could get a bunch of trucks passing you who just got off the ferry; if you ride north, you should turn off toward the ferry, and ride up Engle road into Coupeville, but that's for another trip; you want to head away from Coupeville.]
The Interurban Trail north is only good from about 105th in Seattle through Shoreline, and then north of the Alderwood Mall to Everett. Between Shoreline and Alderwood the trail is a joke (on for a few blocks, disappearing for a few). I would avoid it south of Alderwood unless you live in NW or N Seattle.
On the mainland, I always take 525 (the Mukilteo Speedway), which again has a wide shoulder (up from Mukilteo; going down to the ferry is fast enough you don't care). 525 is okay to Highway 99, or you can get off at Beverly Park Road, which turns into 52nd W.
This can be coupled with Olympic View Drive for the scenic route into Edmonds (and then to N/NW Seattle), but by this point I usually just want to get home, so I turn on 176th SW, cross 99, and then take 44 Ave W, which basically takes you into the Burke Gilman Trail at Lake Forest Park. This route is annoying at I-5 (just like the Interurban route; the Olympic View route avoids the shithole that is Alderwood Mall completely). And it can be a problem if you pass Mountlake Terrace High when the kids are going/coming to school. But otherwise, I love it. About as direct as it gets, and the hills are gradual (you have to climb up from Lynnwood to Mountlake Terrace, and of course the climb out of Mukilteo is unavoidable).
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gsbarnes
Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:49 pm
Joined: 15 Aug 2006Posts: 2666Location: No Fun Town, USA
Old Fort Townsend State Park is also available to camp in, although I know nothing about doing it on the sly. I would think Fort Worden State Park would be a better bet for that; the place is huge.
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tom
Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 3:19 pm
Joined: 14 Aug 2007Posts: 57Location: cap hill
Awesome. Ima gonna try and go buy some maps tonight so that should help. Speaking of which, are there any good washington state cycling maps?
I saw the google bike routes along the interurban and yeah it looked pretty chopped up.
I've never been to any of these places by car, bike or otherwise so all my info at this point is speculative internets office chair knowledge.
MikeOD
Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:15 pm
Joined: 04 Feb 2006Posts: 545
Fort Worden does have some hiker/biker primitive sites, in the wooded southwest corner of the park off of the upper campground (pdf). Not sure if you'd get away with stealthing at those sites. Worst case the ranger would make the rounds and collect a fee.
Maybe if you slipped in the west gate at dusk and out early the ranger would miss you. I'd head up San Juan Ave, turn right on Admiralty, you'll come to the west gate in about 1/4 mile (you can see this on google street view).
If the hiker/biker sites seem too obvious, you might try heading up the trails on the west edge of the park to look for a spot.
Or avoid the gate entirely and head up Kuhn St. to North Beach Park, then take the trail to the right toward the wooded bluffs. No guarantee but these are the spots I'd try.
Joined: 23 Sep 2008Posts: 740Location: North Beach
That 104 straightaway by Port Gamble is pretty, but some oncoming fast cars like to pass on that stretch and there's no shoulder, so keep your head up if that's the route taken. 104 in Jefferson Co is fine.
Not exclusively recommending it, just another anecdote to state 525 throughout Whidbey to the Clinton ferry was okay. I remember being passed by inches in a ≤1 ft shoulder area by Coupeville, so taking the rut may help.
Although riding up the Speedway has been fine, I'm totally jealous that route by the tracks to Boeing wasn't on my map.
Maybe the Bicycle Alliance has a better state cycling map now, maybe.
If you're ultimately going to downtown or east Seattle, Greg is on it and the descent to the BGT with a green light is hella.
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the dreaded ben
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:46 am
Grumpy GreebJoined: 20 Aug 2005Posts: 5329Location: flavor country
ride this route. stay at fort worden or fort casey across the way.
it's by far the best miles to hills to distance to beauty ratio. pay attention to some of the cutoff roads. some of them are closed to cars, but bikes can get through.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5349125
tom
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 11:47 am
Joined: 14 Aug 2007Posts: 57Location: cap hill
Thanks everyone.
I made the mistake of stopping by mobius last night and niki seemed, well, concerned about some aspects of my bike mechanic skillz. So this weekend is a yes but maybe I guess.
the PNW trail to discovery road sounds excellent! thanks ben
Greg, the route to the BGT looks excellent. will be taking.
lantius
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 12:52 pm
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
I'd say, go ahead and ride it. Bring a cellphone, you can get a taxi back from anywhere out there. Just ask Derrick.
joeball
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 1:02 pm
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 6037Location: Ether
Heck, CALL Derrick. I'm sure as long as you help him load the truck up with driftwood he'll give you a ride back.
Chip McShoulder
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 1:05 pm
dog licking ice cream coneJoined: 11 Aug 2008Posts: 3022Location: Rainbow Road
Watch out for discarded samurai swords on the road near Fort Ebey.
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