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Cycling in the Drizzle: Seattle to Vancouver by Bicycle

At times riding from Seattle to Vancouver I could imagine what a world without cars would be like. Idyllic trails through the forest between cities. Everyone healthier: us and the environment. The trail system is evolving so one can almost imagine this. But then Interstate 5 appears on the horizon and the dream is ended.

It was a cool drizzly day in June when I set out from Seattle on my bicycle for Vancouver. The first day's plan would get me to Bellingham and was the substantially longer day. Despite that I dawdled leaving Seattle a bit and then made my first stop, for breakfast at Starbucks, after only 10 miles in Kenmore, WA at the North end of Lake Washington. From here the route would be mostly new for me. Although I'd biked between Seattle and Vancouver twice before (once in each direction), the previous rides were group rides where a truck was carrying my luggage and there was not much need to pay attention as the route was well marked. They were also rather different routes than the route I had tried to map out the day before at the Seattle Public Library. With my photocopies of those maps in hand and a little info printed from the web in hand, I set out.

The first surprise was how long I could stay on trails. The bike trail North from Seattle continued winding East around Lake Washington and then at Woodinville branched off Northward into a spur I hadn't been on before. This trail brought me into scenic and touristy Snohomish where I saw the last of the cyclists I would see until the end of the day approaching Bellingham. After Snohomish I was especially surprised to see the trail keep going and going. A large new section had obviously just opened and had wonderfully smooth pavement that was a pleasure to roll down. The very wide and quiet trail rolled through forested and rural landscapes almost all the day to Arlington, WA. Since it is a rails to trails conversion, the grades were always reasonable as well.

The end of the trail also marked the first time I got lost. The trail just ended in a small parking lot on a rural road. I knew from asking along the way that I was near Arlington but wasn't sure what way it was and since the trail had diverted me from my planned route, my photocopied maps didn't cover where I found myself. About 10 miles later, after some bad advice, I found myself in downtown Arlington. I think it should have been half that distance but it was made worse by the fact that I thought it would only be a mile or two so I was constantly doubting if I was going in the right direction. The few locals I encountered were friendly enough but no terribly helpful since their idea of directions was to drive directly to the Interstate. Outside Arlington, at a small strawberry field and stand, my odometer rolled over the lifetime 5,000 mile mark. An event I celebrated with a photo and a chicken wrap at the 7-11 in Arlington (fine dining indeed, this was all that was available).

The trail seemed to pick up again in Arlington but that turned out to be a false lead to a unrenovated rail trestle a 1/2 mile up the road. I understand though that they are planning to build the next section of the trail all the way North to the county line someday. Instead I picked and chose among roads that seemed to offer the best route without detouring too much from the direct route. The weather was getting me down, not getting worse but threatening to at any moment so I was wary of stopping, wanting only to reach my destination as quickly as possible. But somewhere North of Mt Vernon I realized my vision was blurring and I was having trouble concentrating. Not good signs. And so into a Texaco for a few burritos (the only thing in the extensive hot food warming display case that hadn't been deep fried) and a 20 minute break.

Getting back on your bike after a break can be a challenge. Your legs are tired, your butt hurts and your motivation is broken. But plow on I did. Stopping only to take a picture at the 100 mile mark in Alger, WA. Not hard to see my annoyance at what I'd got myself into is it? A few more wrong turns and a bunch more miles later I climbed the hill just South of Bellingham, where my pannier fell off zooming downhill into town, damaging my wheel slightly. And I sought the refuge of a cheap motel. Cheap I found in Mac's Motel which had clearly been redecorated last in 1972. When I entered the office I almost walked out again, the smell of cat piss was overpowering. But the room itself was clean, or as clean as a room with thick dark brown shag carpet could get I suppose. And the price was right: Under $30 including tax. Day one total: 116 miles, 186km, 3 fast food stops, 2 liters of Gatorade.

Bellingham itself always surprises me with it's charm and it's big city features for such a small place (including some rather sleazy areas downtown). I attempted a little nightlife but even in little Bellingham on a Thursday night there wasn't going to much happening before midnight and my tired legs weren't up for waiting for that.

I woke up to pouring rain the next day. Now what? I wasn't prepared for this. Didn't have the right clothes. Nor the martyr complex necessary. So I waited and had a very leisurely morning checking out local coffee shops to see if there was anything worthy of a mention in myCoolest Coffee Shop article. By noon it had slowed to a drizzle and I set out Northward again. There were some pretty bits near Birch Bay just South of the border. But generally the second days ride was rather uneventful and about half the miles, especially since I cheated on the last bit and took the Skytrain in from Surrey. Frankly I was tired of the ugliness. The route I took from the border, on or paralleling King George Highway, was butt ugly. Do suburbs get any uglier than Surrey? I thought this sign summed up pretty much what Surrey has to offer.

Route notes:

This is a general idea of the route I took. I recommend getting county level maps with all the small rural roads marked so you can plot your route (or print out a lot of detailed maps online). You can also download the detailed turn guide and route maps for the RSVP (Ride Seattle-Vancouver and Party) ride from the Cascade Bike club but that route is optimized for thousands of riders and support vehicles so it may not be your optimal route.

• Seattle to Woodinvile: Burke-Gilman and Sammamish River trails.
• Woodinvile to Snohomish: There are trails for part of this route but are not quite continuous. You can follow the RSVP route (look for the apple route markers on the pavement) and jump onto the trails where you see them. Make sure to stop in scenic Snohomish.
• Snohomish to South of Arlington: Snohomish Centennial trail. Highly recommended. The last part of this is newly paved and smooth!
• Arlington to Burlington: Hwy 9
• Burlington to Alger: County roads paralleling I-5 to the East
• Alger to Bellingham: Crossing I-5 just North of Alger, then follow country routes paralleling I-5 to the West. Lots of local Bellingham cyclists will begin to appear.
• Bellingham to Ferndale: Marine Drive and Ferndale Rd.
• Ferndale to Border: Vista Drive (NWbound) becomes Bay Rd (Westbound). Right at Kickerville Rd (Northbound), Right when dead-ends at Loomis Trail Rd (eastbound), Left at Portal Way. Follow into Blaine and Border.
• Border to Surrey: I followed Highway 99 for a few miles until the exit for King George Highway. Paralleled King George Highway once got into urban Surrey.
• Surrey to Vancouver: none of the bridge crossings of the South Fraser River are great. I took my bike on Skytrain directly into Vancouver but you could also cycle over the Port Mann Bridge. Do not go on over the Queensborough Bridge into downtown New Westminster. Instead head West into Richmond. Follow Westminster Hwy (which is not a highway but parallels Hwy 91 until you find River Road. Follow River Road all along the River until it ends at No. 3 Road and follow that to Sea Island (the International Airport) and then follow the bike trail over the Arthur Laing Bridge into Vancouver. Follow the signs for the Cypress Bike trail to Downtown Vancouver.

Helpful Links:

• Cascade Bicycle Club, look for the details on the RSVP (Ride Seattle Vancouver and Party) ride including their route map.
• Rails to Trails Traillink USA Trail Search
• The Slow Lane: Bellingham cyclist who has cycled all down the West Coast and posted many helpful route tips including detailed route info for Seattle to Vancouver. I often took a less direct, more scenic route.

Subscribe to TravelBlogsPosted by Doug Dosdall on August 3rd, 2000 in Articles.