Fremont Bridge – Gas Works Park loop from Ballard

Bike touring routes & trails

Fremont Bridge – Gas Works Park loop from Ballard

Easy

4.9

(9409)

9,410

riders

Fremont Bridge – Gas Works Park loop from Ballard

01:04

17.7km

130m

Cycling

Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 3, 2026

Tips

Cycling is not permitted along parts of this route

After 7.45 km for 59 m

After 8.76 km for 55 m

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

3.59 km

Burke-Gilman Trail Missing Link (Ballard)

Highlight (Segment) • Cycleway

This is the famously missing link section of the BG Trail. A shameful example of how a small, misguided and greedy group of people can prevent a city and the vast majority of citizens from creating a safe, secure bicycling route from one end of the city to the other. This is the only section of undeveloped trail where we need to use the roadway because businesses here have used every legal shenanigan (and some illegal ones too) to prevent its completion. This fight has been going on for 50 years. It is highly recommended that cyclists make full use of the roadway here and create as much traffic slowdown as possible to cause as much disruption as possible to the businesses on the water side of the street. Guerrilla warfare and solidarity with all riders!

Tip by

7.59 km

Fremont Bridge

Highlight (Segment) • Bridge

Careful when riding North-to-South. If you want to continue on the Chesiahud Lake Union Loop trail, you need to use the long three-stage crosswalk across 4th Avenue BEFORE crossing Nickerson St/Westlake Avenue. The trail branches off the sidewalk to the East side of Westlake Ave. If you cross after that intersection, you will need to cross back again to get on the trail rather than the street.
Riding South-to-North, beware of cars cutting you off by turning right at the "Waiting for the Interurban" statue. They don't seem to look out for cyclists right there.

Tip by

7.77 km

Fremont Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

The Freemont Bridge opens an average of 35 times daily to let boat traffic pass. It is the busiest drawbridge in the U.S. and connects the Freemont and Queen Anne neighborhoods. It is a great location to sit on the Burke-Gilman Trail and watch the boats go through this picturesque Seattle landmark.

Tip by

8.78 km

Waterway 21 viewpoint

Highlight • Viewpoint

This viewpoint of Waterway 21 is a picturesque spot to take in the sights of the Northlake Shipyard, Lake Union, and the beautiful Seattle skyline. From here, you can get an up-close look at the impressive commercial boats and the charming pleasure crafts that dot the waters below. It's the perfect place to stretch and soak up the stunning views before heading out for a run.

Tip by

9.01 km

Gas Works Park

Highlight • Monument

Gas Works Park was developed on the site of a former coal gasification plant on the shores of Lake Union, directly across from downtown Seattle. In 1965, the city purchased the 19-acre tract for parkland. The park, with its Great Earth Mound peak, was opened to the public ten years later (constructed from on-site excavated material). The location provides unsurpassed views of the lake and metropolitan skyline. The boiler house was converted into a picnic shelter with tables and fire grills, while an old exhauster-compressor structure was turned into an open-air play barn with a maze of brightly painted machinery for kids. In 2013, the Gas Works Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Tip by

9.27 km

Gas Works Park

Highlight • Monument

Walk your bike up to the top of the kite-flying hill for a great view of downtown Seattle across Lake Union. Tuesday nights in the summer is the "Duck Dodge" sailboat race series. Ridiculously huge amounts of boats racing around a tiny lake, dodging ducks.

Tip by

17.7 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

15.6 km

1.08 km

517 m

506 m

Surfaces

12.9 km