Posted:
Mon May 18, 2009 10:05 amby joeball
I can't reply based on a comparison of both but 5 of us rode this section of one of your options on saturday.
Coming out of bremerton it is pretty awesome, 12" wide shoulders, bus/turn lanes/or bike lanes cover most of the busy road till you turn off on Northlake Way.
Then the climbing begins, minimal shoulder but most cars passed ok, levels off at 400' and then you keep climbing to near wildcat lake at 600'. Continuing to follow Holly you begin to drop down again but this was only as far was we went.
We were on loaded touring bikes. The silverday option looks lower in elevation but Hwy-3 is a pretty busy route, I have no idea if bikes can even go on it (i wouldn't really want to) nor what the frontage options are like.
Posted:
Mon May 18, 2009 7:37 pmby Matthew
As a resident of Kitsap County who uses Route 3 to commute to work:
Yes. The entire length of Route 3 is bicycle permitting. Now, whether you'd actually WANT to use it is a different story. There is a lot of road debris, but the shoulder is at least 8 feet wide, and in some places goes as much as 12 feet wide. With the exception of the one minor choke point coming down Route 16 at Sinclair Inlet, there is ample space to stay away from traffic.
As for routing options to Scenic Beach, you've basically got two options: First is ride into Silverdale via Kitsap Way-Chico Way (route 310) from Bremerton. If you use the Newbury Hill Road approach to Seabeck Road, the major drawback is a huge incline at the bottom. It's as high as 10% grade in some areas. The other major approach to Seabeck Road is Holly Road. I personally believe this is the preferable route. It's more direct, and the grade is more manageable. Even though its shoulder is significantly narrower than Newbury Hill Road, it's a much better ride in my opinion.