My way to Ballard

By Jackie Harris

Not too long ago I decided to go outside and enjoy our beautiful summer weather from my bike seat. I took one of my favorite routes, from the Admiral District to Fremont via downtown and Ballard. It's a nice route that's fairly easy.

I've experimented with a lot of potential routes out of West Seattle and this one really works for me. I head north on California Avenue Southwest and turn at Hamilton Viewpoint. Head down California Way Southwest until it meets Harbor Avenue Southwest near Salty's on Alki.

I like this route because the traffic is fairly light on California Way. However, there isn't a dedicated bike lane and the road is narrow with no shoulder, which makes this the scariest stretch on my route. Also it is a steep hill with a blind corner at the top and the pavement is lousy, so I go a little slower than necessary. There is a sidewalk on one side, but the curb is too high to hop in an emergency.

It's still my preferred route out of the Admiral District. Going west on Admiral Way toward Alki Point is scary because the hill goes on forever and traffic is heavy. I take that road home because I'm slow enough that drivers can move around me easily. But heading down there are many blind turns so I avoid that stretch if possible. Also heading that way forces you to ride the length of Alki Beach, not fun in the summer. I've had more accidents along that stretch than I have in all of my other riding combined. It's dangerous because people tend to congregate on the bike path instead of the sidewalk.

I avoid Admiral Way eastbound (toward the West Seattle Bridge) for many reasons. The sharrows are useless because they don't seem to affect the way people drive on that road. At the top of the hill there's a blind corner and the traffic is always heavy. At the bottom the road leads onto the upper bridge, where bikes aren't allowed. You can avoid this by taking the alley that empties out by Luna Park Caf/, but the lights, signals and traffic in that area are tricky to navigate.

There are other options as well, such as using Fairmount Way or Ferry Avenue. Both are incredibly direct and also drop you off by Salty's, but both are very steep and narrow. I always have visions of flying over my handlebars whenever I look at those hills.

Once I'm on Harbor Avenue I cross the street and use the bike trail. It goes along the left side of the mess under the bridge and is off the road, which I appreciate. I follow it behind the Chelan Caf/ then I cross at the light. I cross again where Delridge Way empties into that area, and it's back onto the bike trail right over the lower level bridge.

On the other side I cross Spokane Street and follow the trail up to East Marginal Way South, right under the Alaska Way Viaduct.

On Marginal Way there are bike lanes on both sides of the street. The pavement is pitted but the bike lane is nice and wide. And there is less traffic on this stretch than on other streets going toward downtown. I can follow this bike lane all the way through Pioneer Square where it then becomes an off-road bike trail. At the waterfront navigating the bike path becomes tricky because people try to use it as a sidewalk. If it is too crowded I just hop onto the street and ride in the direction of traffic flow.

The beauty of this route is that it goes all the way though downtown. The bike path continues through the Olympic Sculpture Park, Myrtle Edwards Park, and Elliott Bay Park. It's an easy and well-marked crossing under the Magnolia Bridge and then back onto the trail on the west side of Interbay.

Some of the stretch is dedicated bike trail and some is mixed-use, but the area is industrial so there is very little car traffic. This route is so popular that I often join up with other cyclists on this stretch. The hills are gentle, the pavement is decent, and the road is wide so cars and trucks have plenty of room to pass me. I'll follow it along 20th Avenue West, then up Gilman Avenue West.

At this point I can either stay on West Government Way or cut over to West Commodore Way. Government Way has the better bike trail and is a pretty neat ride, but there is a terrifying wooden footbridge over rail tracks to cross and an incredibly steep hill at the end. Commodore has fewer hills but no bike lane.

Both routes end at the Ballard Locks. A little piece of advice-walk your bike through the Locks. If you're caught riding though, you might get a $75 fine.

Once through the locks I ride east on Northwest Market Street to the intersection of 24th Avenue Northwest, Market Street, and Shilshole Avenue. I turn right onto Shilshole, which is technically part of the Burke Gilman Trail. I absolutely hate this stretch. The area we have to ride is extremely narrow with drops and the road is rutted. Once I go under the Ballard Bridge I follow Northwest 45th Street and continue along the Burke Gilman Trail until I get to Fremont.

In Fremont I cross the bridge and take Dexter Avenue North all the way to downtown via 4th Avenue (there's a bike lane on the north side of the street.). I turn right at Jackson Street then I take Occidental way to Safeco Field. Then back to the waterfront trail via South Royal Brougham Way. I follow the waterfront trail back to Spokane Street, back over the lower bridge, and around Alki Beach.

Finally I go south on 63rd Avenue Southwest, and take Admiral Way back home.

Jackie Harris is the newspaper's calendar editor and may be reached at jackieh@robinsonnews.com