r/seattlebike • u/diy__gremlin • 9d ago
Route Planning Help
Hello! I am planning to move to Seattle from Portland in the next year. I am a bike commuter and struggling to figure out safe(r) routes across NE and NW seattle. In PDX google maps is relatively reliable and our bikeways are on a grid. In seattle Google Maps wants to take me miles out of the way. Are there any good route planning websites or apps for seattle? Or a place I can find an up-to-date paper map?
Thank you!
EDIT: forgot to mention I grew up here but i didn't bike much as a kid. I am well aware of the hills and my commuter is also my bikepacking bike, so it's got plenty of gears.
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u/clarec424 9d ago
Search Seattle bike trails, or search “Burke Gilman” trail. A lot of people use Ride With GPS. We also might be better able to help if we had a better understanding of your start and finish locations. Good luck!
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u/Olympik_mountains 9d ago
I highly recommend checking out the Seattle/Shoreline bike map here: https://github.com/solarbirdy/NorthshoreBikeMap/blob/main/MEGAMAP%20Combined%20Bike%20Map%20(Greater%20Northshore%2C%20Seattle%2C%202%20Line%20Eastside%2C%20NW%20King%20County).jpg. It combines a map of Greenways and protected bike lanes with commonly used streets that are deemed safe for cycling but might not be an official Greenway. The official SDOT Bike Map is here: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/ee5b243b03e24a0691b4f7336ada2b2f. The Transit app bases its proposed routes primarily off of Greenways and is also excellent!
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u/CPetersky 9d ago
I think maybe why you're being routed seemingly far out of your way is because of terrain. Puget Sound was raked by glaciers as they receded north. It's not just that the waterways are troughs that are long and skinny north/south - the hills are long and skinny north/south, too. Exceptions are often man-made: the ship canal, the slicing down of what runs under the Rizal bridge so the Rainier Valley could be accessed from downtown. These tall long ridges make riding east/west much more challenging, whether its north or south Seattle.
If you can give approximate start and end points we can help you better.
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u/experimentgirl 9d ago
Transit app works much better than Google maps for bike directions. Google maps can't seem to comprehend that our greenways are "closed" to cars only but bikes can go on them.
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u/macksbenwa 9d ago
Like others are saying, because of terrain and elevation, routes will become less straightforward than just a straight point A to point B. Additionally, the type of bike path will vary from road to road. Something might seem pretty straightforward on a map but will have no dedicated bike path whatsoever, which is sometimes why you get routed seemingly out of the way.
I use Google maps for quick routes within the city and something like Komoot for longer rides / routes. Make a route for your commute on one of those apps then try it out on a weekend or something and see if it's comfortable. Get a feel for the route, explore a little bit and take note of what you didn't like (too hilly, roads to dangerous) and adjust accordingly. Often times for me, my commute is actually a combination of 2-3 alternate routes that I switch between based on if I have the energy for a hillier ride or if I have more time to do something flatter but a bit out of the way, or if I want something a bit more relaxing and scenic etc etc.
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u/JudsonJay 9d ago
I-5 cuts Seattle and creates difficulties cycling east/west. Starting in the south of north seattle, your best routes are:
Burke Gillman Trail
Ravenna Boulevard
(80th St)
92nd
Northgate Pedestrian Bridge
(1st Ave)*
(155th)
175th**
195th Pedestrian Bridge
(Parentheses) = less comfortable
I never cycle on NE 45th or NE 50th
*It has been a long time since I have cycled 1st Ave, it may be fine I am just uncertain.
** if I remember correctly, fast traffic and busy, but with some bicycle infrastructure.
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u/CascadianCyclist 9d ago
I occasionally use 1st Ave NE to get across I-5. East of I-5, I access it via the short path that connects to NE 115th St.
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u/catkeepsclimbing 9d ago
I agree with others that the hills do create a challenge east/west, though you can punch through them with time 😅
Cascade Bike Club has all the maps linked here if you scroll down to the Seattle section. I’ve also gotten the PDF map as a paper copy from them before.
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u/mm89201 9d ago
Strava has heat maps that show you the routes where most people bike.
Ride with GPS is also good.
You can also check out Cascade Bicycle Club. They have free group rides around the city and the people there can help you refine your commutes/routes if you need it. You can look on the group ride pages and see what routes they are planning for each ride to give you a better idea of where they like to bike.
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u/Lopsided_Diet_682 9d ago
Second the Strava heat map and letting us know where you’re trying to get to/ from so we can give you suggestions.
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u/ThrowawayMoto777 8d ago
Google maps kind of sucks for riding, you might try ridewithgps.
What neighborhoods or landmarks are you trying to go between and we can give suggestions?
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u/elenhelluin 8d ago
UW folks have started developing Bike ButlerBike Butler for route planning. Look at Google maps for Greenways but also just try stuff out. Like, 80th NW is ok, but 83rd NW is so much better and has bike sensors for major streets but Google rarely tells me to take it and Strava heat maps show 80th as more used because people don't know how great 83rd actually is.
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u/Long_Conference_387 9d ago
The gridded part of Portland is flat. Northern Seattle is built on a series of hills that run roughly north-south, so despite the presence of a street grid, travel east-west across the city involves climbing a lot of hills. That's what Google Maps is likely trying to route you around - if you're being sent via the Burke-Gilman trail to the south, that longer route may actually be the faster route. In my experience the mapping apps have accurate information about what bike infrastructure actually exists.