#IRON HORSE BIKE TRAIL DIRECTIONS FULL#

There were short stretches of loose gravel and some pot holes to negotiate, but for the most part the riding was easy and freed us up to talk with each other and enjoy the scenery. It climbs at a railroad grade, so it was pretty mellow, even with a load. There was no tire skinnier than 35mm on the ride.ДЇrom Rattlesnake Lake we rode East on the trail, which is generally trending uphill. I was riding my new Surly Ogre with 2.3 inch tires and Laura was riding her monstercrossed Vaya with 45mm Vee Rubber tires. The trail is unpaved gravel which is very rideable but is more enjoyable with some fat rubber. We started riding at the trailhead at Rattlesnake Lake (about 43 miles from Seattle). It was great to hear his insight about the potential and challenges of the trail. It just means we will travel to places that are easy to get around without driving.ДЄfter taking the bus to Seattle, we all gathered the next morning and got a lift from Steve, who actually wrote his graduate thesis on the Iron Horse Trail and is active in mapping and advocating for the trail. Our generation may not be into owning cars, but it doesnвЂ™t mean we donвЂ™t like to travel.

#IRON HORSE BIKE TRAIL DIRECTIONS FULL#

Also interesting to note was that the bus was full of Gen X/Y riders. WeвЂ™ve taken the Bolt bus where they have accommodated upto 6 bikes sans bike rack. For us, this illustrates that accommodating bikes is more about attitude/policy than hardware. Interestingly, the buses donвЂ™t have racks but instead allow you to place them in the luggage area UNBOXED.

The coaches are newer, have WiFi and MOST importantly arenвЂ™t jerks about taking bikes. For those that donвЂ™t know, the Bolt is a generally less sketchy Greyhound (though it operates The Hound umbrella). There are some odd trip reports here and there, but nothing with photos that really give you a flavor of the trail. Surprisingly, for a trail of its length, proximity to Seattle and general potential for awesomeness, there is very little information about it. We have been eyeing the Iron Horse Trail for quite some time because it looked like an intriguing gravel ride and because it seemed to have good bike tourism bones. When we heard that our friend Jason from Swift Industries was planning a little weekend bike touring / fly fishing extravaganza for the 4th of July AND that we would be riding a portion of the Iron Horse Trail, we couldnвЂ™t say no.

Iron horse bike trail directions