North Lake WA Loop from Big Finn Park in Kirkland (Moderate)

Join us for a Clockwise loop around Lake Washington!

This is a Moderate-pace ride (14–16 MPH), but the hills will make it feel considerably harder. Please bring a front white light and rear red tail light as we could be riding part way in the dark.

The route highlights scenic Lake Washington, with beautiful views along the ride through Kirkland, the 520 Trail, and the Burke-Gilman Trail. Expect a variety of surfaces, including:

• Wide paved trails
• Busy roads connecting the trail sections
• Quiet Neighborhoods streets
• Plenty of challenging hills on this ride! We’ll ride clockwise down Juanita Drive Hill. On the way back, we will not ride back up Juanita Drive. Instead, we’ll ride partway up Simonds Road NE, turn right onto 75th Ave NE, and continue up toward a massive hill climb on 81st Pl NE. Be prepared for that climb—it will be hard!

Meeting Point

We'll meet at Henry David Thoreau Elementary School at 8251 NE 138th St in Kirkland which is near Big Finn Park. It will be dark when we get back so can't park at Big Finn.

Please arrive ready to ride at the scheduled start time. We'll begin with a required safety briefing and roll out once it's complete. All riders must attend the safety briefing to participate.

Ride Pace & Regroups

We'll regroup at:

• Intersections
• The bottoms of hills
• The tops of hills

On multi-use paths, we'll keep our speed at the legal maximum—typically 15 MPH, and occasionally 10 MPH where required.

Restrooms & Water

• Start: Water and restrooms are available nearby at Big Finn Park.
• Around Mile 6: We will stop at the Kirkland Marina for a restroom/water break.
• Around Mile 16: We have the option for a restroom/water break at the Metropolitan Market.
• Around Mile 24: We will stop at Log Boom Park in Kenmore for a restroom/water break.

Bring a spare tube and tools to fix a flat, just in case. Other things to bring: phone; ID; cash and/or credit card; ORCA card; water and a small snack. 

Note: If weather conditions meet the weather cancellation criterion listed in the Weather Status or if there are unforeseen hazardous riding conditions or other unexpected events, the Ride Leader will cancel the ride and all registered riders will be sent a notification email. If the ride is cancelled at least two hours before the start, Ride Leader(s) will not be at the start location. Please check before leaving for the ride.

We hope you can join us!