Seattle is blessed with an abundance of close-in parks, forests, and wilderness areas that provide almost unlimited hiking opportunities. However, for those who do not have access to a car, these hikes may seem inaccessible. Parks and trailheads tend to be located away from public transportation, whose routes are designed more for the convenience of commuters, not hikers. With more and more people choosing to live car-free in various “urban villages” of Seattle, and with roads and parking lots already overflowing with excess cars, there certainly is a need for better auto-free access to trailheads.
Despite the limitations of the current transit system, it’s quite possible to use public transit right now to get to the outdoors. This guide shows you how to make use of King County’s extensive bus system, as well as other transit options, to get out and enjoy many hikes without a car. And these hikes aren’t necessarily all just strolls in the park, although some walks through city parks in Bellevue and Seattle are included. Full day outings are emphasized here, and quite a few of the hikes are strenuous. Some multi-day backpack trips are included as well. These trips are real wilderness adventures, and proper wilderness skills and equipment are needed to accomplish them enjoyably.
An overview of the Seattle area bus system
Experienced bus riders can skip this section; if you’re new to bus riding, or just need a refresher course, read on.
Most public transit journeys to hikes will be on a bus of some form or another, although increasingly there are rail options using Amtrak, Sounder Commuter Rail, and light rail. Most of the hikes in this guide utilize two different bus systems; King County Metro and Sound Transit. Metro buses tend to run on short-haul routes in the cities and rural routes in King County. Sound Transit specializes in providing express connections between major urban centers. Sound Transit buses have a different paint job, tend to be newer and have nicer seating than Metro buses. If you’re trying to cover a long distance, turn to the Sound Transit system. Since both systems use the same transit centers and are otherwise semi-integrated, combining trips on both bus systems is not usually a problem.
The first problem a would-be bus rider may face is simply finding out where to catch a bus, especially in downtown Seattle, which is a pretty darn big place. Buses may stop on First, Second,Third,Fourth, or Fifth Avenues, depending on the bus route. Furthermore. a given bus route only stops on every third block or so. So even if you know the correct avenue, you may have to search a few blocks to find the bus stop. So study the bus schedule and route information before your hike if you can, otherwise you may never even find the bus you’re looking for.
The increasingly useful Link Light Rail runs in a tunnel downtown. Stops for this tunnel can be found at the Convention Center, Westlake Mall, University Street, and Pioneer Square. The tunnel is a comfortable and safe place to catch a train, usually much preferable than waiting out in the open on a street.
Outside of the city of Seattle, finding your bus is usually simpler. Many major bus connection points in recent years have been organized into “transit centers”, some of which are new and furnished with many amenities ( for example, Everett Station). These new transit centers, along with the creation of Sound Transit, have remarkably improved the bus riding experience in the Seattle area. For this, you can thank the voters and taxpayers who approved the creation of Sound Transit in the early 1990s.
If you head out of King County, you will encounter some different bus systems. Pierce County, located south of Seattle, has its own bus transit system, Pierce Transit. To the north, Community Transit and Everett Transit serve Snohomish County.
Sources of bus information
There are many sources of information on the various bus systems. In downtown Seattle, the Westlake Mall Tunnel station, located in the central shopping district, has a staffed information office and racks containing every possible bus schedule. If you’re new in town, the centrally located Westlake information office is the best place to start collecting information. Elsewhere, libraries and public buildings in most Puget Sound cities usually have at least partial collections of bus schedules.
These days, all bus information can be accessed on your smartphone, of course.
As a last resort, look on the buses themselves, which usually (but not always) have schedule pamphlets on board. Schedules are posted at a fair number of bus stops, too.
Bus Riding basics
After you have collected bus schedules and identified a hike in this guide that you want to do, its time to do a little planning. The night before your hike, recheck bus schedules (the Internet is handy for this) and write down a simple “flight plan” on a sheet of paper, showing departure and arrival times of all the bus rides needed to get to the trailhead. Such a plan might look like this:
72 bus: leave U.W. 10:03, arrive Downtown University Bus Tunnel station 10:20 a.m.
554 bus: leave 2nd and Union 9:56, arrive at Issaquah Park and Ride 10:31 a.m.
209 bus: leave Issaquah park and ride ,10:33 a.m.; get off bus at High Point. Start Hiking!
Having such a plan is handier than trying to sort through bus schedules on route. It can also save you time, especially if you’re heading into an area of sparse bus service. You want to make sure that at a critical transfer point, you don’t have to wait ages for a bus that may come only hourly. Optionally you might prepare a plan for the return trip, although the unpredictability of timing the end of a hike makes this trickier. This is one reason why it’s best to plan a hike so that it ends at the point with better and more frequent bus service.
When it’s time to go, arrive at the bus stop a few minutes early. Seattle area buses tend to stay on schedule fairly well, typically arriving a few minutes late. But sometimes they come a bit early just to keep you on your toes; you want to be ready for that.
You usually pay for the ride when boarding the bus. Payment can be with coins or dollar bills, however, no change can be given. If you pay with cash, ask for a transfer slip that allows you to ride on different buses for a certain amount of time (about 2 hours) without additional payment. If you try to use the transfer to switch between bus lines (Metro v.s. Sound Transit, for example), complications may ensue, as fares are different and you may have to pay extra money to make up the difference. Or they simply may not accept your transfer. One reason to get an ORCA card...see below.
If you are going to be in Seattle any time at all, it is worth buying a ORCA payment card and using that to pay your fare. They can be purchased at the Westlake Station service center in downtown Seattle and online. When you buy the ORCA card for the first time, you create an account associated with the card and "load" it with cash (the amount is up to you). More information on ORCA cards: https://orcacard.com/ERG-Seattle/p1_001.do
Place the ORCA card on the reader next to the driver when boarding the bus. When using Link Light Rail, tap the card reader near the boarding platform, and also tap again after arriving at you destination (this second tap allows proper fare calculation). After tapping your ORCA card, computer servers will instantly calculate and deduct the proper fare from the account linked to your card. What's great about this is that the magic computer will handle all the complications of transfers, peak v.s. non-peak, and different bus agencies, and then charge you just the right amount of money. Easy!
Be aware that bus service is frequently reduced on weekends, especially Sundays. Some hikes cannot be done at all on weekends. If there is a problem with weekend service, it will be noted in the hike description. As a rule, don’t plan on long bus trips out to the countryside on Sundays, it’s just too much trouble.
Combining bus rides with car and bike transportation
Pro public transit that I am, I have to admit that access to some hikes can be greatly improved by combining both car and bus rides to get to the trailhead. You can enjoy both the speed and comfort of a car trip with the point-to-point hiking freedom of public transit. Hikes originating near certain major park and rides work well with this “hybrid” transit approach. For example, to do the Squak Mountain hike, you can drive to the Issaquah Park and Ride, park there, then catch the Metro 200 bus to downtown Issaquah. Next, proceed with the hike, which returns you neatly back at the park-and-ride, where your car awaits. Other such “hybrid” hikes can be done by parking in downtown Issaquah, Preston Park and Ride, and Redmond Park and Ride. For those living in outlying suburbs with poor bus service, the hybrid trip is the only realistic way to take advantage of buses for hiking.
Carrying your bike along on the bus can open up some more hiking possibilities. Most buses have a rack in front that can accommodate two bikes. North Bend is rich in bike/hike possibilities. For example, you can ride a bike up the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, to Rattlesnake Lake Trailhead, then hike up Rattlesnake Ledge. I’ve met people who have permanently stored a bike in North Bend for just this purpose.
Why Ride The Bus?
Using a car to get to trailheads has many obvious, even overwhelming advantages. And there's no getting around it, riding buses is always slow and can be downright unpleasant, especially on crowded urban routes. But the advantages are not all on the car driver’s side. Riding the bus does has its own significant rewards, which you may come to appreciate. Some of these are:
It’s cheap. It’s amazing how far you can go for the price of a bus ticket. And you avoid proliferating trailhead parking fees.
It’s safe. A bus is much larger than the largest SUV. Guess who’s going to win in a collision?
You save the earth by parking the polluter at home.
You avoid car break-ins at trailheads, an ongoing expensive nuisance for car users. If you can find parking at all - many trailheads are now jammed with cars on weekends.
Bus riders can enjoy The bus riding “esprit du corps”, especially on the less crowded suburban routes. Many bus riders are regulars, who treat the bus ride as an social event. You can listen in on interesting conversations, or even participate. Sometimes, you can start to pity the solitary road warriors trapped in their cars.
You can sight-see. Freed from the effort of driving, you are able to watch the passing scenery. Many King County bus routes are quite scenic. Or use the time to catch up on your reading.
You can do point-to-point hikes. Freed from returning to a parked car, bus riders can finish hikes far from the starting point. Startling distances can be covered in a point-to-point hike, such as going from Lake Washington to Issaquah. When planning a point-to-point hike, it is helpful to start the hike at a point with more difficult bus access, and end the hike at a point with better bus access. This guide features many hikes of this type.
What to bring along on a hike
Most of the hikes in this guide are in urban or suburban areas. Such hikes require only a minimum of equipment, such as:
comfortable walking shoes,
a day pack to carry stuff.
some snacks
water bottle, 1 liter
sun protection in summer (hat, sun cream),
wind breaker, and rain parka or umbrella in rainy weather
street maps as needed.
Bus riders will need to carry these “Bus essentials” also:
Cash or an ORCA card. If you use cash, make sure you have plenty of one dollar bills and quarters.
Bus schedules appropriate for the trip, or at least a smart phone that can access bus information.
An accurate watch (or cell phone with its clock).
Ear plugs--some bus stops are in awfully noisy locations.
Good maps are valuable to bring along on all hikes, and a necessity for wilderness hikes. For urban hikes in and around Seattle, having a standard street map is handy. If you don’t mind the weight, the “Thomas Guide” for KIng County (published by Rand-McNally) shows every street in detail, and even some bike/hike trails, such as the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. Thomas Guides are found in most bookstores.
These days, most everyone has a smart phone. The on-line maps that the phones can display are invaluable and can replace paper maps for the most part. Google Maps now show many hiking trails as well as roads. Absolutely wonderful. But paper maps are still great for getting an overview of an area.
Other maps you might need depending on location are:
*Green Trails Maps, which are topographic maps especially designed for hiking use. They are widely available at major bookstores and sporting goods stores.
*King County Bicycling Guidemap, available at most bicycle shops.
*Bellevue Park Guide, available at the Bellevue Botanical Garden visitor center and Lake Hills ranger station.
*Issaquah Alps Trail Club (IATC) Maps cover Tiger, Squak and Cougar mountain parklands. These maps are sporadically available at REI or you can order them from the club web site. They’re printed in black and white and are not as pretty as Green Trails maps, but cost much less.
The REI outdoor equipment stores, located in downtown Seattle and several other suburban locations,are one good source of maps. The Seattle store is located at 222 Yale Ave North .
Some of the longer hikes describe here on Tiger Mountain, Squak Mountain, Cougar Mountain, and Cascade Mountains are real wilderness adventures. For comfort and safety, you need to carry a more robust set of equipment in your pack-- ideally, enough to survive a night out in the woods in possibly rainy and cold weather. Here is a list:
Clothing for cold and rain. Having a rain parka, synthetic fleece sweater, and fleece cap is essential. Do not wear cotton clothes of any kind, which become dangerously chilling when wet.
Emergency shelter for overnight survival and medical emergencies...very lightweight and compact versions can be found in sporting goods stores.
Ample water, at least two liters on hot days. Water purification tablets are useful to treat suspect water sources.
Extra Food-so that something is left over at the end of the trip
Sun Protection: Broad-brim hat, sunglasses, lip balm, and high SPF sunblock-especially important for alpine and snow travel
Knife-for first aid and fire building:
FIrestarters--storm-proof matches, and firestarting aids such as a candle to deal with wet wood. But don't count on being able to start a fire for warmth, it can be very difficult without superb skill.
First aid kit--and the knowledge to use it
Flashlight or headlamp--with extra bulb and batteries.
Map-- preferably a up-to-date topographic version with good detail.
Navigation aids--compass, or reliable GPS unit with extra batteries. Smart phone apps are becoming increasingly useful. Gaia GPS is one example.
Safety in the Wilderness (and the Urban Jungle)
Hiking in the wilderness is in general a safe sport but here are a few things to be careful about:
Getting lost. It’s possible to do even in foothill areas, such as Tiger Mountain. Carry navigation aids (map, compass and GPS unit) and know how to use them. Let people know where you are going before setting out on a hike. If you think you are lost, sit down and stay calm. If night is falling, which can happen swiftly and early in winter, prepare to camp overnight instead of thrashing about in the dark. Stay together if you are in a group. If you have packed properly with the Ten Essentials, there is no immediate danger.
Hypothermia. Loss of body heat in cold weather is a lethal threat to poorly dressed hikers. It does not have to be below freezing to be dangerous; A cold, windy rain is enough to cause hazardous chilling. To avoid hypothermia, have extra warm clothing in your pack, and avoid wearing cotton clothes (such as jeans), which chill the body when wet.
Steep snow fields. They can present a real hazard in the higher elevations of the Cascades, where snowfields can linger long into the summer. Slipping on snowfields has caused a lot of wilderness accidents, often fatal. Uncontrollable slides occur with unbelievable suddenness; without proper equipment, you may not stop until you hit rocks, or trees at high speed-- or slide over a cliff. If you are not equipped with an ice ax, and training in its use, it is best to go around the snow slope, or just turn back.
Drinking creek water. Unfortunately, many creeks carry various kinds of bacteria that can make you very sick. Don’t drink out of streams without properly treating the water with an effective filter device, or at least using iodine or chlorine tablets (such as Potable Aqua).
High Wind and toppling trees. A under-appreciated hazard, especially in the foothill areas of the Cascades and Tiger Mountain. These areas are not only prone to sudden, powerful windstorms in winter (often blowing in from the east), but have many deciduous trees, which frequently have rotten trunks and topple easily. Falling trees have caused fatal accidents. It’ s best to avoid hiking in strong windstorms; pay attention to weather forecasts (which are quite accurate these days ) and leave the forest as quickly as possible if the wind is rising to an excessive level.
Cougars and bears. Sightings of cougars are extremely rare, and no fatal attacks have occurred in Washington in a long time. Yet, encounters seem to be happening more often these days. Hiking in groups prevents problems with cougars. If you do see one, make a lot of noise, throw things at the animal, and in general act aggressive. Do not run away, as that may trigger the cat to chase. Keep children close by when hiking, as (putting it harshly) cougars see them as easy prey.
In Washington, bears are shy and mainly cause problems when they raid camps for food. Study a good backpacking book for more information of proper food storage techniques in camp. Using bear proof storage canisters is one good solution that’s becoming more popular.
Urban Safety: Many of the walks featured in this guidebook are in urban areas, where the natural hazards listed above really don’t apply, but where encounters with human malefactors are possible. The best rule is to not walk alone in urban parks and trails, and to avoid these areas at night. Obviously, use your best judgment about hitchhiking or accepting rides with strangers, modes of transportation which I do not recommend.
Road Walking: When walking on roads with no shoulder or sidewalk, something the bus riding hiker has to do a lot, the general rule is to walk on the side where you’re facing the oncoming traffic. That way you can keep an eye on approaching cars. Most drivers are considerate, but there are all too many drunks out on the road. You want to be able to spot inattentive or intoxicated drivers, who may weave off the pavement.
Some final words
The more people use buses, the better service will get. Right now some rural routes are very underutilized and threatened with extinction by cash-strapped public agencies. If hikers get out and use these routes, they will be saved from cancellation and perhaps new runs will even be added.
Perhaps city buses will one day go all the way to Snoqualmie Pass, as they once did. Or we can dream of having passenger rail service restored over Stampede Pass, with a train station near the pass for skiers and hikers. In the meantime, ride buses as much as you can, and write letters to Metro requesting better rural bus service.
See you on the trail!
Rev. 9/24/2021