Twelve Mile Loop Ride
With A Lot Of Hills
There are two alternative routes through Bellevue as part of the Lake Washington Loop. This ride puts them together in a 12-mile loop. I’ve started it at the Bellevue Club because that is where I like to park, but the Wilburton Park & Ride would work just as well and there is no reason you couldn’t start at the Park & Ride on Bellevue Way by I-90 or at the one on Northrup by SR-520. The route up 114th and 112th is from one pubished in the Seattle Times and credited to the Seattle Bike Club. The route through Clyde Hill on 92nd and through Beaux Arts on 104th is from #96 in Thorness – Puget Sound, and a similar route is described in #10 in Wert – Bakeries. Both routes are shown on the Bellevue Bike Map.
- Leave the Bellevue Club Parking Lot and turn right on SE 6th Street
- At the T intersection turn left onto 114th Ave SE
- At NE 6th, continue straight on 114th Ave SE while the arterial curves to the left. When the street is blocked to vehicles continue through the bollards on the pedestrial / bike trail which curves around and takes you to 112th Ave SE at the intersection with SE 8th and a bunch of freeway ramps.
- Cross SE 8th and continue straight on 112th Ave SE as it goes up and down a couple of hills and passes the Hidden Valley sports complex.
- 112th curves around right next to I-405, then crosses under SR-520 and changes it’s name to 108th Ave. NE.
- Turn left on Northrup Way and continue to the intersection with Bellevue Way NE (aka Lake Washington Blvd. NE) (you’d turn right here for the north Lake Washington Loop ride.)
- Cross Bellevue Way NE / Lake Washington Blvd. NE and follow the road as it curves to the left and takes on the name of NE Points Dr. and parallells SR-520.
- Ignore the signs saying that the street dead-ends in 3,000 ft. and focus on the steep hill.
- When you get to the dead-end / barriers at 92nd look for the bike passage on the right.
- Turn left on 92nd. Guess why they call it Clyde Hill.
- Turn left on Lake Washington Blvd. NE
- Follow the road until it curves around to the left and becomes Main Street.
- Turn right onto 101st Ave. SE. Follow 101st Ave. SE as it curves around to the right.
- Turn left onto 100th Ave. SE. Shift into a very low gear for a very steep climb.
- Turn right on SE 7th., still climbing.
- At the T intersection (and the top of the hill) turn left on 99th Ave. SE. which curves to the right and becomes 98th Ave. SE. and then 100th Ave. SE. (which is sometimes signed “Kilarney Way.”
- Stay on the arterial as 100th Ave. SE / Kilarney Way curves to the left and becomes SE 25th st.
- Turn right on 104th Ave. SE. (At this point you’re enter Beaux Arts Village.)
- At the T intersection turn left on SE 28th St. and then right on 105th Ave. SE.
- Turn left on SE 30th St. and Right on 106th Ave. SE.
- At the T intersection you can pick up the I-90 bike trail right across the street or turn right on 108th Ave. SE to go under I-90. (you’d need to go uphill on SE 34th St to get to the Enatai trailhead on the I-90 bridge trail – and the Lake Washington Loop.)
- 108th Ave. SE becomes SE Lake Rd. and the bike trail is behind the parking to your left or beyond the bollards where the road dead-ends.
- Follow the bike trail as it parallells I-90 and then crosses back underneath it.
- At the fork in the trail take the right branch up and over a pedestrial / bike bridge.
- Follow the trail as it bumps through Mercer Slough. At the other end of the slough turn left on Lake Washington Blvd. SE. (aka 118th Ave. SE) (You’d turn right here for the south Lake Washington Loop.)
- As you climb the hill on Lake Washington Blvd. SE / 118th Ave. SE think of the Wilburton tunnell that you’ll be able to ride though it once the BNSF rail line becomes a trail.
- Turn left on SE 6th St. and then turn right into the parking lot of the Bellevue Club.
Here’s a link to a route map.
And speaking of hills, here’s a link to the Summits Of Bothell route