Touring - Pacific Coast, flying in to SeaTac?

Any suggestions of how best to join the Pacific Coast route if flying into SeaTac?

I am not necessarily all that concerned with riding all of the PC route and also don't mind riding an alternate route south from SeaTac to join the PC a good way south if that makes sense. I do not know the area at all until I get down into Oregon a ways, so am not sure what makes sense.

I am not all that averse to using some form of public transportation to get to a better starting point, but I do get a kick out of riding right out of the airport.

BTW, I tentatively plan to start at the end of August and have started a journal at:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Eating

I'm planning a similar trip for about the same time.

I have friends in Bellingham, WA and south of Portland, which will be my endpoints.

I'm thinking about the ACA Washington Parks route (goes around Olympic NP) to where it meets the Pacific Trail in the south.

While I know you don't like getting long lists of links that may not be directly on point, here are some links to information about bike touring in Washington (http://www.biketouringtips.com/searchTips.html?country=United%20States&state=Washington&place=&id=&subtopic=). Six of them deal with Seattle, directly.

Maybe see you on the road!

Ray

Ferry across the sound, you can meet US 101, and loop over the Olympic peninsula,
or take US12 directly to the Coast, at Gray's Harbor, you meet 101 again at Aberdeen.

They, WA, have pretty low cost busses , a bus to Raymond gets close ,
change there and there's another that comes to Astoria

Here's map (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=RrzKj&page_id=160310&v=7Q)of my ride with a buddy, Tacoma to Astoria and beyond. Worked fine for us.

I did ride out of SeaTac to host in Tacoma. Other than some insane climbs, and spots of traffic, had no trouble. Climbs were to host home, not to ferry.

Not to discount 101, but if you have the time, the Columbia River Gorge is not to be missed.

Neoair ordered.

True,
Seattle to Portland Bike event run's annually , their route online I expect..

Lots of the Scenic parts of the Columbia Gorge lay east of Portland.

Highway WA4 follows the North side of the river, more traffic at Longview
crosses the bridge, there, to the Oregon side , to go west. on OR 30.

Thanks to all for the advice.

I am a point to point kind of guy so riding north to hit the PC is probably not going to happen. Taking a bus, plane, or ferry maybe.

What is the STP like? I am considering taking it to Centralia and picking up the PC there. Given the huge crowd the organized ride there draws I have to assume it is a nice ride, right?

I'd also possibly consider just flying into Portland, but wanted to do at least a bit of Washington.

Btw, we did drive a bit of the Columbia gorge before we started the TA and it was quite scenic.

Not to discount 101, but if you have the time, the Columbia River Gorge is not to be missed.

Oh no do NOT ride the Columbia Gorge westbound. Wind. wind wind wind wind wind.

I think i did this - take US12 directly to the Coast, at Gray's Harbor - from Port Orchard to the coast, but someone else was in charge of the map on that trip, so I'm not sure.

Flying on to Bellingham connecting in Seatac is often cheaper than terminating at Seatac. Bellingham is the start of the ACA Pacific Coast route.

You can take the light rail with your bike into Seattle and then take a ferry from there to Bremerton. From Bremerton you can make your way over to the Olympic peninsula. IMO it might be worth it to take the loop around the peninsula and spend some time hiking in the Olympics, visit the Hoh rain forest, etc.

The area around sea-tac is a freaking mess, and not doesn't seem that great to ride around, though I haven't tried. Personally I think the light rail/ferry is the best option, plus the ferry ride is a pleasure.

Looking at the route it seems to skip some very nice sections of the coast, mainly the olympic peninsula coast. To me it would be a shame to miss that!

Flying on to Bellingham connecting in Seatac is often cheaper than terminating at Seatac. Bellingham is the start of the ACA Pacific Coast route.

Good to know. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Southwest or Frontier fly there. I try to use them when I can because they seem to have about the only equitable bicycle as baggage policy. Not an absolute show stopper though.

You can take the light rail with your bike into Seattle and then take a ferry from there to Bremerton. From Bremerton you can make your way over to the Olympic peninsula.
The light rail/ferry combo sounds interesting. Any particular recommended route from Bremerton? My bias is toward a somewhat direct route.

Other than where I stop for the day, I am likely to limit off bike excursions to an hour here and a couple hours there.

Well it looks to me that the ACA route goes right through Bremerton, so I'd say that taking the light rail/ferry is a pretty direct route!


That's the info I can give you. I know bikes are allowed on the light rail and the ferry, but I'm also new to the area so I can't give specific directions from Bremerton. That said, if the ACA route indeed passes through Bremerton then the directions should be on there and somewhat straight forward.

I'm still sticking with my original statement that you might be missing something to not loop around the Olympics. If you have an extra 5-7 days it would be worth it IMO.

+1 to the Ferry idea to Bremerton. Then I'd suggest taking the south shore road along Hood Canal from Belfair over to highway 101, at which point you could decide whether to follow it north and around down the coast. Or just take back roads to Aberdeen. Have fun.

i would also STRONGLY recommend taking the light rail to downtown, then a ferry to bainbridge or bremerton island, wa, to start the coast ride. you will be riding country roads within an hour of getting to downtown utilizing the ferries to cross over to the woodsy side. seatac to centralia, i can't recommend the scenery or the traffic, to be honest.

if you want all the coast, take the bainbridge island ferry instead of the bremerton ferry, they both leave from the same dock downtown, the banbridge boat is also only a half hour trip, not an hour.

its a nicer ride to the counterclockwise from Bainbridge on the 101 around the olympics.

the ferry is shorter, and there's a lot better riding and amenities heading out of banbridge versus the bremerton route. trust me.


road cues to get you to the Pacific Coast route. not all the roads, but main ones you can connect the dots on.

From Bainbridge, thru the town, High School Road, Fletcher, Miller, Manzanita roads to the Agate Pass Bridge, Lemolo shores road to Pouslbo, bakeries in Poulsbo!!!!

Big Valley Road, camping at Kitsap Memorial State Park very near Hood Canal Bridge day 1- about 20 miles from the boat terminal if that, maybe only 16?
good distance for a half day from airport) . 104, to the 101 the next day, great camping just outside of Port Angeles at Salt Creek County Park. also camping at Sequim Bay state park (kind of dreary, salt creeks much better)

from Salt Creek, you can ride over the hill to Lake Crescent thru Joyce (stop at Joyce Country store fer sure!) or along the 112/113 for more of the coast and reconnect with the 101 at Sappho. from Sappho you are onto Forks and the standard campsites for bicyclists along the pacific coast (Kalaloch, the beaches, etc)...


otherwise, south out of bremerton to the south end of hood canal, and decide on north or south on the 101 at that point if you're pressed for time. either will be scads better than riding out of seatac thru pugetopolis suburbia.... blech.

have a great time!!!

south out of bremerton to the south end of hood canal, and decide on north or south on the 101 at that point if you're pressed for time. either will be scads better than riding out of seatac thru pugetopolis suburbia

I agree , But Bekologist isn't the traffic from Bainbridge Island to the Hood Canal Bridge a bit heavy as well. It's been a long time since I've been in that area. I tend to favor the route from Belfair to Potlach as way to get to highway 101. Having said that highway 3 to belfair is loaded with cars a lot of time as well. In any case IMO I agree that the Ferry is the way to get out of Seattle if heading west.

no, the backroads out of bainbridge as i described the key ones are absolutely pastoral. and low traffic. Best route to the coast route north across the Olympic Peninsula out of Seattle is via Bainbridge.

no, the backroads out of bainbridge as i described the key ones are absolutely pastoral. and low traffic.

Thanks, I'll give it a try myself fairly soon.

...here's a video of some of the back road route off of Bainbridge and onto the Pacific Coast 101 counterclockwise.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y47KHvXNR9U

this is about 3 miles from where the ferry drops you off, after just a half hour boat ride from Seattle.

This way to the coast is MUCH nicer than riding thru Tacoma!!!

And the boat ride is definitely worth it to someone visiting the area the first time, as its beautiful as well.

^^ Yep. I live near Centralia. You want to take the ferry out of Seattle and go West. Seattle to Olympia is all pretty much urban these days.

Scrockern8r: Have they finished that rails to trail project out of Chehalis along highway 6 that goes through Pe Ell to the coast? If they have or ever do, it'll be a great way to make it to the ocean.

Pete,

Bekologist's recommendations are 100% correct. I've ridden in and around almost all the Seattle-area routes being discussed here, and he is right:

1. Take the light rail from SEATAC to downtown.
2. Then take the ferry to Bremerton or Bainbridge.
- Take the Bainbridge ferry if you're headed up and around the Olympic Peninsula
- Take the Bremerton ferry if you just want to head south/southwest toward the coast out of Seattle.



If you are scheduling to stay overnight in downtown Seattle, let me know. There is a hostel right across the street from the light rail stop in downtown Seattle, or every other hotel option you can think of. I'll give you restaurant recommendations as well and maybe buy you a beer depending on your schedule.


By the way, I was just glancing at the ACA map you posted on your journal at CGOAB. I really don't understand why the ACA routes people from Elma, Washington, over to Centralia and then straight south before headed west to Astoria. If it were me, from Elma I'd head west toward the coast, and then down toward Astoria. I've not done those roads on a bike, but have in a car, and I don't really think the scenery along the ACA-recommended route is any better than heading toward the coast, and its 50 extra miles or so. Maybe Bekologist or someone else knows; I don't get it.

does the ACA Route avoid the Astoria bridge and put people over at Longview? the astoria bridge would be that reason, i think. the Longview bridge is much more tolerable for bicyclists.

if you're going south out of bremerton to connect direct to the 101 and the pacific coast in oregon, there's really very few alternatives except the Old Belfair Valley Road just at the tail end of the bay at Bremerton, then the option to Elma out of Shelton on the satsop-cloquallum roads and on Elma backroads, then on to the 101 to Astoria.

The ACA route avoids the Astoria bridge by crossing the Columbia by ferry at Westport. The inland route through Washington is just OK, but actually not much worse than the Olympic Penninsula where other than in the park, one is often among old clear cut.

BengeBoy knows of what he speaks.

Consider buying "Bicycling the Pacific Coast" by Kirkendall/Spring. It outlines some options. The last time I checked it had some parts that were a little out of date, but the basic route considerations are the same.

One of the nicest places to bicycle is the San Juan Islands, especially in the summer. There's a vibe there that is amazing. One reason to extend your route to Bellingham is because you can get the feel for the islands while still riding north to south. You ride south out of Bellingham on Chuckanut Drive - really nice road, though without much shoulder. Then head over towards Anacortes. Turn left on the road that goes south to Deception Pass/Whidbey Island. You can either continue south down Whidbey, take the ferry across to Mukilteo, and go down through the Seattle area (big city, but pretty bike-friendly); or turn right to the ferry across to Port Townsend, then go south on the west side of Puget Sound, bypassing the metro area.

I rode out of Seattle by taking the ferry to Bremerton. From there I rode alongside Hood Canal and camped at Twanoh State Park - beautiful! Then I joined the route described in the Kirkendall/Spring book and followed it all the way to Santa Cruz, CA.

Thanks to all of you! Great info.

I am leaning toward the ferry ride to Bremerton, but will still consider Bainbridge.

BTW I was planning on doing the coast as my first tour back in 2007, but a chance to do the TA with my daughter sidelined that tour so... I own a copy of "Bicycling the Pacific Coast" but haven't looked at it in a few years. I will reread it as soon as I find where I put it.

Yeah, i can understand why the ACA avoids the Astoria crossing.

Staeph1, the olympic addition would add at most 4 or 5 days to the trip and put you riding thru one of the most beautiful corners of the United States. I think the ride along the 112/113 to Sappho is one of the true American classic coastal highways.

enjoy your ride whichever way you go, staehpj1.

the direct route will avoid some beautiful riding and beautiful roads with very light traffic thru one of the world's heritage parks.

There are some trail alternatives between discovery bay and port angeles to even further pastoralize the ride counterclockwise on the Olympic Peninsula.

Bremerton southbound to the coast is pretty, but not a showstopper like the north route. World class, UNESCO world heritage site worthy scenery.

The ACA route avoids the Astoria bridge by crossing the Columbia by ferry at Westport. The inland route through Washington is just OK, but actually not much worse than the Olympic Penninsula where other than in the park, one is often among old clear cut.

Yes, I think that's it. I've driven across the Astoria bridge in a car, and read a number of accounts from cyclists who've crossed it. I think it requires you to just grit your teeth and cross it; don't be shy about taking the lane; and don't get rattled if traffic backs up behind you. It would be a nerve-wracking 20 minutes or so...but, if it were me, that's the route I'd choose. I know these are "brave words" for a guy sitting behind a keyboard right now.

Another option would be to stand at the bridge and hitch a ride across w/a pickup or RV.

I'm just not a huge fan of the inland route. Though, as noted, the routes closer to the sea go through a lot of unattractive clear-cut forest, lots of rolling hills.

Yes, I think that's it. I've driven across the Astoria bridge in a car, and read a number of accounts from cyclists who've crossed it. I think it requires you to just grit your teeth and cross it; don't be shy about taking the lane; and don't get rattled if traffic backs up behind you. It would be a nerve-wracking 20 minutes or so...but, if it were me, that's the route I'd choose. I know these are "brave words" for a guy sitting behind a keyboard right now.

Another option would be to stand at the bridge and hitch a ride across w/a pickup or RV.

I'm just not a huge fan of the inland route. Though, as noted, the routes closer to the sea go through a lot of unattractive clear-cut forest, lots of rolling hills.

It's just that last bit of the bridge just before Astoria while you are climbing. The cars get first impatient, then murderous. When I got off, I had to sit for a while to compose myself. I think hitching from the entrance to the bridge on the Washington side is a good idea. But I thought the sign with the bike on it with the words "share the road" was an invitation to try.

Pete, if you ride the Olympic Penninsula, be sure to spend a day or two in the park. If you go the main route, divert to Mt St Helens.

I like the idea of hitching a ride over the bridge, I hadn't really considered that possibility till now.

A rest day or camping near Lake Quinault would immerse a rider in the Olympics. some of the biggest trees in the world, great sideline for a campsite or a rest day. a person could ride up the road, then easily walk their bike thru the big trees to a campsite out of site on a wilderness camping permit.

There's even a very passable (if somewhat overpriced) restaurant in the middle of the wilderness as lake quinault has a national park lodge, a not very visited one either, its not like Yosemite or Yellowstone out at the Quinault

Moclips also has a great place to stop for hotel stops or food, the ocean crest lodge. a hotel with a restaurant and an AMAZING private collection of native handicrafts, its like a museum if you stop for food at the Ocean Crest in Moclips.

and after that, its a short kick to the rest of the standard pacific coast cycling route from ocean shores.

Well I pulled the trigger on an airline ticket (Southwest arriving SEA Sat Aug 27 at 1:35 PM). I am tentatively committed to taking the light rail to Seattle and the ferry to Bremerton. Does anyone have comments or suggestions for logistics for the first day or two.

Since I have never visited Seattle, I thought I might like to see it just a bit, so I thought about spending one night there. I am open to suggestions regarding timetable, route, attractions, and places to stay between the airport and Centralia. It looks like the ferry and the light rail run frequently so I am guessing that won't be a major issue.

The light rail drops off downtown. Pick any downtown hotel in close proximity to the Pike Place Market. If you can stay right at the Market, it will put you within a two minute ride of the ferry terminal in the morning, and is the absolute best place to start seeing seattle.

The food, the history, the views, the crafts, the flowers, the fish and chips, the crumpets, its sublime at the market.

I'd recommend the Inn at the Market for first rate accommodations, Green Tortise Youth Hostel is right at first and pike as well.

There are a dozen hotels within a six block ride of the market. The downtown Westin, the Sheraton are first rate as well. plenty of "motor hotels" between downtown and the seattle center, these hotels would all be a ten to fifteen minute ride to the ferries as well. The Inn at Queen Anne is bicycle friendly, historic, and affordable, but a little further from the Market then i would like for a visitor,but its quite reasonable.

Pensione Nichols at the Market is a B & B.

Start at the Market. Pike Place Market is a world onto itself.

Monorail picks up five blocks from the Market and goes to the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project. Downtown there's the Seattle Art Museum and stunning public library. Pioneer Square is historic old Seattle along with the Pike Place Market, and is only 8 blocks or so downhill on First Ave. from the Market.


There's also the waterfront the funkiness on the wharfs, good hotels there too, quick ride to the ferries, and a great sculpture garden at the north end of the downtown waterfront.

With a day in Seattle, these are the spots. Enjoy!

Definitely agree w/Bekologist -- stay downtown for an evening, and see the sights for a day.

All kinds of hotel/motels downtown, and there is now a second hostel:

http://www.hostels.com/hostels/seattle/hostelling-international-at-the-american-hotel/36172

I've checked out the lobby before, and looked at reviews on Tripadvisor - seems OK.

It's literally right across the street from the International District (Chinatown) light rail stop. Surrounded by great Asian restaurants, easy bus, foot, or bike access to the rest of downtown, and you're a two-minute bike ride from the ferry.

For a quick visit to Seattle I would:
- Visit the Klondike Gold Rush national museum in downtown Seattle (Pioneer Square)
- Pike Place Market
- Eat gobs of Asian food in the International District
- Ride your bike up to Fremont, look around Fremont, then ride to Ballard, look around Ballard, then cross the Ballard locks, look at the boats, back through Discovery Park and Magnolia. This would be an afternoon on your bike worth doing. I'll post a route here later.
- Downtown sculpture garden along the Elliott Bay bike trail
- Visit Elliott Bay Cycles (home of Davidson custom bikes); it's right next to Pike Place Market.
- If you're a music fan, visit the Experience Music Project (home of Jimi Hendrix Museum); poke around Seattle Center