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Health & Fitness

Nearby Cycle Rides--Alki Bike Trail

Less that an hour from Enumclaw, the Alki Bike Trail in West Seattle is an easy way for locals to get a saltwater beachside ride.  It is probably the most popular route in Seattle, and for good reason00a four-mile waterfront ride jutting out into Puget Sound, with panoramic views of the water, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, the downtown Seattle skyline, and Mount Rainier. Popular means crowds, but you can avoid them by going off-season and starting at Jack Block Park rather than famous Alki Point.

In fact, most people even from Seattle have never heard of Jack Block Park. It is not even listed on the Seattle Parks and Recreation site, since it is administered by the Port rather than the City, like similarly unknown Smith Cove Park at the north end of the Elliott Bay Trail. Unlike tiny Smith Cove, Jack Block stretches its 27 acres around a point. It features the switchback climb up a steep promontory and across to a tower, offering spectacular views across the water in front of you and a working industrial port behind you. The site also includes a dock, pocket beaches, restrooms, and free parking. Look for the unique entry on Harbor Avenue. It looks like the access road to an industrial park, and that you don't belong there.

Heading west from the park, the Alki Trail skirts the beach around West Seattle.  The level ride takes you through linear Seacrest Park, the most popular scuba diving spot in Seattle, several piers, and waterfront restaurants.  We opted to eat afterwards, driving up the hill to an Indian eatery.  It is hard to get good goat curry in Enumclaw.

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Here are two videos of our ride on the Alki Trail:

https://vimeo.com/78088844

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