Points Loop Trail

Updated 9/20/2021

No, you can't afford to buy a house in the well-to-do suburbs of Medina, Hunts Point, or Clyde Hill. But you can live the dream vicariously by walking the 5 mile Points Loop Trail which makes a rambling tour of those towns. This "Trail" is an official marked route that mostly follows streets, with only a few stretches of paved and un-paved off-road paths. A suburban walk like this is good for winter days when the higher hills and peaks are snowy or muddy. Bus access is quick from Seattle.

A curvy bit of the Points Loop Trail near Medina Park

Getting There

From Seattle, take Sound Transit 545. Get off on first stop east of the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (SR 520 and Evergreen Point Road).

The Hike

Much of the PLT route is marked by short posts with placards indicating "Points Loop Trail"...watch for them. There are even a few kiosks with posted trail maps. But the route is complicated and you will need a map, too. Here is a good one: https://medina.civicweb.net/document/4326

From the bus stop, go south on Evergreen Point Road. Go left (east) on NE 28 st. Shortly, turn right (south) onto the unpaved Indian Trail which travels along a narrow wooded corridor between houses. South of NE 24th, the PLT continues southbound on quiet streets bordered by high-end homes with nice gardens to look at. At NE 16th, turn left (east) and follow the street down the hill to the parking lot for the Overlake Golf and Country Club. The PLT weaves along the edge of the parking lot and tennis courts, then heads south on 80th Ave and a winding off-road path near the golf course. Cross NE 12 st. and head into Medina Park.

Wend your way east through the park, which has a pretty collection of ponds and lawns. Oddly enough, dogs are allowed off -leash in the park, and you may see mutts running around on the lawns. At the NE corner of the park, cross the busy intersection at 84th Ave NE and NE 12th St. Continue east on NE 12th St (on the north side of the street). In a short distance, go right onto 86th Ave, a quiet suburban lane bordered by expensive homes, then left on NE 14th. Right on 89th Ave. Left on NE 13th. Left (north) onto 92nd Ave NE, a bigger arterial road.

Go right onto NE14th, which climbs a long hill. Good views toward downtown Seattle and the Olympic Mountains from the top of the hill near the Sacred Heart school. On the far side of the hill is a good view of Bellevue's burgeoning skyline. Near the school, go left onto 97th, then right onto NE 15th. Go Left (north) onto 98th Ave, which travels past a series of schools. At NE 24th, turn left (west), then turn right (north) onto 96th Ave NE. Then turn left (west) onto NE 26th st, which descends downhill to a dead end next to tiny Clyde Hill View Park. Good views of Lake Washington from here. A staircase descends to busy 92 Ave NE.

Turn right (north) and follow 92 Ave NE a half mile to a SR 520 freeway interchange. This is perhaps the least likeable section of the entire loop, but it goes by quickly enough. An alternate walking route that avoids 92nd is to stay on 96th, which has little traffic. If you have visited Clyde Hill View Park, you will have to backtrack to get to 96th. Turn left on 31st street and follow it down to 92nd, at a point only a short distance from the 520 interchange. Or continue on 96th all the way to a point where it veers east. You will find a trail that will lead you to the lid park over the 520 freeway .

At the freeway interchange is a new fancy bus stop and grassy park located atop a "lid" that spans the freeway. You can catch buses back to Seattle from here. To continue the loop, cross the lid, then go left (west) onto the paved trail next to the noise wall. The trail eventually splits into an upper and lower branch. Either branch will get you where you want to go, but the lower branch provides access to pretty Wetherill Nature Preserve. Gravel trails within the preserve wander among the wetlands and out to the shore of Lake Washington.

The trail along SR 520 eventually arrives at McDonald Park next to the Hunts Point Town Hall and a complicated traffic circle at the 84th Ave NE freeway interchange. Hike through a tunnel to continue to Evergreen Point Park. The next section of the trail follows an ugly concrete moat next to the freeway. It is possible to avoid the moat by walking on the Hunts Point neighborhood streets. A winding paved path will eventually take you back to the 520 trail near the Evergreen Point lid.

Getting Back

Catch a bus back to Seattle at one of the freeway lid stations.