King County Parks and Recreation, Washington

Burke-Gilman Trail

The Burke-Gilman Trail runs more than 18 miles from Shilshole Bay in the City of Seattle to the City of Bothell where it intersects the Sammamish River Trail. Part of the “Locks to Lakes Corridor,” the BGT is a paved, off-road facility over its entire length with the exception of an on-road segment in Ballard. The trail crosses Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, the University District and View Ridge within the City of Seattle, as well as the cities of Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and Bothell. The trail is managed by Seattle within the city limits south of Northeast 145th Street and by King County outside Seattle. The trail follows a historic railroad route near the Lake Washington Ship Canal and north along Lake Washington to the Sammamish River. Along the way it passes the Hiram Chittenden Locks, Fremont Canal Park, Gas Works Park, University of Washington, Magnuson Park, Log Boom Park in Kenmore, Wayne Golf Course in Bothell and Blyth Park in Bothell. King County’s best-known regional trail, the BGT is highly popular with cyclists, joggers, skaters and strollers. It is also an important nonmotorized route for weekday bicycle commuters between Seattle and the Eastside. The trail provides great access and views of the Ship Canal, Lake Union, Seattle neighborhoods, suburban cities, Lake Washington, and points east via other regional trails.

Details

Length: 18.8 miles
(Seattle and King County)

Surface: Paved with soft surface shoulder.

Access Points: Gasworks Park, Matthews Beach Park, in Log Boom Park.

Permitted Use: All non-motorized uses are permitted except equestrians.

Accessibility: The trail is ADA accessible. Disability access at: Gasworks Park and Log Boom Park.

Burke-Gilman Trail Redevelopment - $5,166,498
The Burke-Gilman Trail is King County's most heavily used regional trail and non-motorized corridor for recreation and commuting. The trail facilitates thousands of trips per day and one-third of its weekday use is for commuting. The redevelopment project from NE 145th Street to Log Boom Park has been in planning and design for several years, and has been assisted by a Citizens Advisory Group with broad representation from within the city of Lake Forest Park. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2008 after the completion of the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) and permitting process, which are currently underway. The project will improve the safety and effectiveness of the trail including a widened surface with soft-surface shoulders as well as enhanced traffic controls, sight distances and drainage facilities. Other improvements include replacing the pedestrian bridge over Lyon Creek and installing new trail amenities. Recently, the redevelopment project has been the subject of a decision by the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board that defined the trail as an "essential public facility." The project has strong support from regional user groups such as the Cascade Bicycle Club and Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

For questions about the Parks and Recreation Division, please contact Kathy Nygard, Assistant to the Director

For questions about the Web site for the Parks and Recreation Division, please contact Eli Brownell.

Parks and Recreation Division
201 S. Jackson Street, Suite 700
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-296-8687
Fax: 206-296-8686
TTY: 711 Relay Service

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Burke-Gilman Trail

Burke-Gilman in the News

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