Seattle Forrest

It feels like confessing to murder, but I just don't like Green Lake. Most of the times I've been there, or nearby, it's been a negative experience, on balance. And not terrible; it's a minor annoyance, not a root canal, which might be why I've never heard anybody else say the same thing.

The path is as crowded as the streets, and full of pedestrians walking shoulder-to-shoulder from one end of the paved trail to the other, or setting up tripwires with their dogs' leashes. Joggers run in a zigzag pattern, with headphones on, unable to hear you coming. It's flat enough to go 25 mph, but 5 mph is often a stretch. Everything looks just similar enough that you can miss your turn if you aren't paying attention, and bordering Aurora means you may as well do another lap. The roadway is almost as bad, mostly because of traffic around Stone Way and Greenlake, and also because it's an unpredictable mix of friendly drivers and people tired of their commute who just want to make the next light and be done with it.

I know, I know: "tell us how you really think! " But I've just recently put my finger on it, and realized that when I come up on the edge of the lake, I feel like I'm in danger of falling into a bowl, and having to work extra hard to get out. And, now that I've realized why I'm never happy to see this park, I'm starting to take alternate routes to avoid it ... I go home through part of Ravena Park instead, and love it.

Am I the only cyclist who feels this way?

CliftonGK1

Nope. I'm not a big fan of GrnLk either.
Except on a warm summer day when I'm out riding with no specific timeline. Then it's nice to roll along at 5mph and enjoy the view. Similar to rolling the SRT/BGT; it's crowded, especially near the park areas (Marymoor all the way up to where the attack chickens hang out) but if you're not in a hurry, bikini top rollerblade season makes for a pleasent ride along that section.

Seattle Forrest

Attack chickens...??

buck mulligan

I haven't done it in years, but I used to ride Green Lake late at night. It was a completely different experience - very otherwordly.

MillCreek

That would be the famous attack chickens of Bothell. At the trailer park at the Bothell Landing. They will peck at you fearlessly, paying no attention to their relative place on the food chain.

PS: I avoid Green Lake as well due to the pedestrian traffic around the path.

vaticdart

I ride through there all the time (usually the coming off 75th going east, then onto Winona, then onto East Greenlake Dr N) and find it to be fine, even on a warm weekend afternoon. Yes, it's congested, but how is that surprising? It's a lake, in a city, and a city is full of people, and the people want to go to the lake. You're riding through a gravity well of interest, it's not surprising that there's a lot of marbles rolling around.

The trail around the lake? Why would you even ride on that during the day? Complaining about that is like complaining about the Burke-Gilman being too slow on a nice weekend afternoon.

Seattle Forrest

I'm not surprised that Green Lake is crowded; I just don't like the place, partly for that reason. And I find that taking the road is almost as bad as the trail, although that's somewhat because I commute from the north, and take Stone Way when I find myself caught in this gravity well's orbit. The intersection of Stone Way and Green Lake is horrible. Even going to the front of the line, you're surrounded by angry cars who know they have a good shot of being here for another light cycle.

Also, it's a distinctly Seattle thing to have a street named East Greenlake Drive North... But I got used to the confusion over that years ago. It's sort of like when somebody suggests meeting on 15th and whatever, and that isn't enough info.

CliftonGK1

They have learned to get out of the way if you zap 'em with an Airzounds! (Everyone else leaves you a pretty clean path, too. hehehe)

Heh. In Woodinville, I work on NE North Woodinville Way.

Kneez

I have yet to encounter these chickens. They must like you guys better.

CliftonGK1

Oh man, you're missing out! I saw a couple of them go after a marathonner Team In Training group one day.
It's funny because, well... they're chickens. Who the hell expects to get attacked by a chicken?

Bekologist

i think john forester wrote of the feral chickens in his scathing review of the burke gilman/sammammish trail system! jk

the best thing about green lake is the summer scenery. do not go fast. do not ride the pathway unless you are going at a latte sipping speed. get to the road, its not bad at all.

i like green lake even from the road, what - a problem there ???

I agree, the traffic confluence is lame at stoneway/50th, but the stone way/green lake corridor has so much improved in the last decade and a half i've been riding in seattle.

Tourmalet

I have seen the chicken on SRT. It was definitely a WTF moment. One good kick would hurt them bad.

Attack chickens:


Still, chicken are better than damn Canada Geese. Honk-honk mother****er.

zacster

Why would anyone even try to ride around Greenlake? Even when I lived in Seattle in the 80s it wasn't considered a place to ride except for kids following their jogging parents.

CliftonGK1

Oh man, the geese on the SRT right by the chicane before/after the Woodinville Village townhomes! Honestly, I have come close to a wipeout due to the amount of goose crap on the trail at that turn.

ngateguy

+1 it is way to crowded for a bike and it is only a couple of miles long so why bother. I do like to walk around it on a nice sunny day. As far as the roads around it I don't really find them a problem on ther bike.

Seattle Forrest

I stopped in Portage Bay once to snack on some bread and cheese, and was surrounded by an angry gang of Canada geese. But that's not too surprising ... geese are known for their attack prowess. I had a friend who was bit ( he described it as more painful than he expected ) and then chased by some geese who were getting intimate when he walked by them.

But I'll have to check out the attack chickens next time I bike around the lake. It'll be a great story. And I'll be able to approach the (human) ladies with "So did you watch any Alfred Hitchcock movies? I was on my bike one day..."

Tourmalet

This is why we should stay off MUPs:

https://www.kirotv.com/news/23197172/detail.html

I have this image in my head: they yelled "on your left" and she jumped left and wiped them out.

It is tragic.

Of course, favorite second half-cousin will come out of woodwork and sue both cyclists and the shop which sold them the bikes.

woodway

Yup. And the geese are back now. Suckers stand right in middle of the trail and seem very unconcerned about the bike traffic flowing by. Don't forget about the bunny rabbits near City Hall in Redmond. They love to dart out as you come by and swerve away at the last second. I ran one over last year - felt bad for about two seconds.