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From there I have a few choices of how to cross the Ship Canal. The 15th Avenue bridge has very narrow walkways on it with very low walls between you and the traffic on one side and the long drop on the other. Passing another cyclist or pedestrian going the other direction is nearly impossible and riding on it even without any others on the bridge feels like tempting fate, so I never take it. I wonder if any cyclist has tired it more than once. Google suggests another route through the Interbay neighborhood and along the northwestern edge of Queen Anne hill, but I've never taken that route. The roads don't appear great for cycling and it looks uninteresting.
On the other hand, the trail through the rail yard leads to another trail alongside the Ship Canal. Or you can choose to cross at the Ballard (Hiram M. Chittenden, properly) Locks. I sometimes go this way, even though you have to dismount to traverse the park and the bridge-like passage over the tops of the locks themselves. Sometimes it is mobbed with tourists and difficult to get through the narrow passages with your bike, but most of the time I'm passing through there about 8:30 in the morning so that isn't a problem. On the upside, not only do I have an excuse to get out of the saddle for a few minutes, which is sometimes nice, I often sea Blue Herons, harbor seals, and a variety of other wildlife. If you want, the fish ladder has a huge clear viewing wall and you can see big salmon returning upstream through the locks.
A very rare shot without anyone else on the walkway!
Although the locks are really nice, I usually I choose to follow the trail from the railyard to the trail alongside the Ship Canal. Part of the time this is park-like and part of the time it is alongside ship yards. The dominate local tugboat company has its main drydocks and shops here, and even has its own small rail tug for the spur:
Some of the railcars on the sidings here serve either serve as canvasses for local talent, or end up delivering works from far away.
