2025 Seattle and Eastside Suburbs Mini-Tour

Tour

You need to login in order to sign up for this ride. ‐‐ Registration opens Mon, 6 Jan 2025 5:00 PM

  • Leader: Robin Howe (robincooksandsews@gmail.com)
  • Leader Phone: 206-899-7255
  • Co-leader:   Dan Carey  206-282-5978
  • Trip Dates: Sun, 28 Sep 2025 -- Sat, 4 Oct 2025
  • Trip Classification: Intermediate
  • Trip Fee: $1125 USD  Note that the fee for this trip is NOT in Canadian Dollars.
  • Trip Numbers: minimum 12 , maximum 20
  • Trip Registration Opens: Mon, 6 Jan 2025 5:00 PM (pacific time)
  • Registration Lottery Ends: Fri, 10 Jan 2025 5:00 PM (pacific time)
  • Trip Registration Closes: Sat, 30 Aug 2025 5:00 PM (pacific time)
Ride Description:
This will be a relaxed and easy-going self-supported tour with lots of things to see and do. Riders need to be prepared to carry their own luggage in panniers. Unless someone can talk a non-cycling spouse or friend into joining us and driving our luggage to the hotels. But don’t count on that.
Begin in the city of Seattle, in the bustling neighborhood of Lower Queen Anne (aka Uptown), right next to the Seattle Center, the site of the World’s Fair in 1962, and a very short distance to the downtown core and the waterfront. Cycle primarily on the best bicycle trails the greater Seattle region has to offer. Travel around the North end of Lake Washington and visit several of the east side suburbs and then return to the City via West Seattle. We will be staying overnight in Bothell, Issaquah, West Seattle, and then returning to the City’s core. There will be several non-cycling activities planned into this tour, including visiting Discovery Park, the Ballard Locks, Chateau St. Michelle Winery, Snoqualmie Falls, Boehm’s Chocolates, the Bellevue Botanical Garden, Alki Point, and the Olympic Sculpture Park. Several group meals and treat stops are included.

  Accommodation Reservations:
Lodging will be in nice hotels and the tour price is based on two persons sharing a room. If you want your own room, there is a Single Supplement fee of $750 USD. Two of our hotels have swimming pools and hot tubs so bring your swimsuits. Here are the hotels:

 

 
If you are arriving by car, you can park your car at the Mediterranean Hotel for $27 per day, including while we are away cycling. Just make sure you arrange for this in advance with the hotel.
Riding Conditions:
Cycling will be primarily on paved cycling trails though some of the route will be on roads, including some sections of busy roads in an urban environment. Most roads we will cycle on will have a bike lane. There are also sections of gravel trail so you shouldn’t be riding super skinny tires. The Seattle area is quite hilly but we will avoid the worst ones. Much of the cycling will also be on beautiful, long, flat cycle paths.
Daily ride distances are not long to allow for plenty of time for sightseeing and finishing the rides early with lots of time to just enjoy relaxing.
The weather in Seattle in late September can be beautiful sunshine, dry, and warmish – or it can be wet and a bit chilly. You will need to come prepared for both nice and inclement weather. 
RWGPS routes will be provided. Everyone will start off together in the morning and regroup at activity or food stops planned into each day. We won’t have a designated leader and sweep so cyclists will ride independently with at least one other person. But we will regroup at each planned stop and make sure everyone is accounted for. 
Please bring a good lock for your bike. We will need to post someone to watch bikes if we must leave them since we will be in an urban environment and will need to be careful.
Fee Includes:

  • Lodging for 6 nights based on two persons sharing a room. (If you are traveling solo and would like a roommate, we will attempt to find one for you. If you are traveling solo and would like your own room and will pay the Single Supplement fee, please notify the leader about this when you register since it affects the number and type of rooms needed.)
  • Maps and GPS routes 
  • Food/Meals: Breakfasts – 3, Lunches - 3, Dinners – 3, Coffee/Pastry/Treat Stops - 2 
  • Group outings and activities
  • Tour of the Hiram Chittenden (Ballard) Locks
  • Tour of Boehm’s Chocolate Factory & Chalet
  • Tour of Bellevue Botanical Garden
  • Credit card stripe fee (3%) of money paid through CCCTS website 
 

Fee Does Not Include:

  • Transportation to and from the starting and ending point of the tour.
  • Meals other than those noted above. 
  • Support Vehicle (nothing is planned)
  • Parking – You can park at the Mediterranean Inn for $27 USD per day.
  • Tour Leader fees (waived by leaders)

Itinerary:

Legend - B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, C/T = Coffee/Treats

September 28, 2025, Sunday
Introductory meeting, and group dinner at Dick’s Drive-In.
Meet at The Mediterranean Inn (425 Queen Anne Avenue North) in Seattle for a meet and greet at 6:00 p.m. and signing of the waiver.  Then, we will walk across the street for a group dinner at Dick’s Drive-In. (Yep, this is a real drive-in with classic burgers, fries, and shakes.)
D
September 29, Monday – Downtown Seattle to Bothell, via Magnolia and Ballard 
47k, 281m elevation gain      Group pastry stop in Magnolia at Petit Pierre bakery, Discovery Park, Hiram S. Chittenden Ballard Locks visit and group tour, and on to Bothell.
Park your cars and cycle out from the hotel. Cycle through Myrtle Edwards Park on a beautiful bike trail to the neighborhood of Magnolia (where your leaders live). Stop for pastries and coffee at a lovely French bakery, cycle by your leader’s home, then on to Discovery Park, one of the largest parks in the City that was formerly a military fort, Fort Lawton. Proceed to the Hiram S. Chittenden (Ballard) Locks where we will have a 1-hour group tour. After the tour, we cycle through the very popular Ballard neighborhood, formerly the home of many Scandinavian immigrants. About 17k into our ride, we will get on the Burke Gilman trail, a wonderful, dedicated cycle and walking trail, that takes us by Lake Union, the University of Washington, and then hugs the northwestern shore of Lake Washington. The Burke Gilman trail will intersect with and turn into the Sammamish River Trail and takes us into the suburb of Bothell and our McMenamin’s hotel located in an old historic school.         There are plenty of places to stop for lunch along the Burke Gilman trail, notably at the University Village Shopping Center or the Town Center at Lake Forest Park shopping area. (Note that the leaders’ favorite chocolate store is located at the latter spot.) Here’s the McMenamin’s description of our hotel: “We revitalized Bothell’s first junior high with pure fun in mind – dining, movies, live music, swimming, games, shopping, tastings and all-around enjoyment for visitors of all ages.“ Our hotel has a swimming pool, movies ($10), and live music some nights.
C/T
September 30, Tuesday – Bothell to Kirkland, Woodinville, Redmond, and Issaquah
51k, 342m      Kirkland waterfront, group lunch at Chateau St. Michelle Winery, MaryMoor Park and the Velodrome, and on to Issaquah. Today we will cycle primarily on the Sammamish River Trail and the East Sammamish Trail but we will also travel on busy suburban streets for some of the route. We head out to the lovely suburb of Kirkland on the shores of Lake Washington. Then on to an early lunch at the Chateau St. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, one of the first wineries in Washington state that was founded in 1912 by a lumber baron. Of course, you may wish to indulge in some wine-tasting at this stop, as well. Continue to Marymoor Park in Redmond and visit the Velodrome. Then, cycle to the East Sammamish Trail that will take us to Issaquah and to our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn at Issaquah. Note that our hotel has an indoor pool and hot tub.
L
October 1, Wednesday – Day Ride to Snoqualmie Falls and North Bend 
70k, 740m      Hotel-provided breakfast, Snoqualmie Falls, group lunch in North Bend, tour of Boehm’s Chocolate Factory and Chalet, and back to hotel.
Enjoy your included “cooked-to-order breakfast” at our hotel. Today our ride will involve several sections of gravel trails on the Sammamish Trail, the Issaquah Preston Trail, Snoqualmie Valley Trail, and the Preston Snoqualmie Trail. Cycle to Snoqualmie Falls, a beautiful 270-foot waterfall, for some sightseeing. Head on to the town of North Bend (where the tv show Twin Peaks was filmed) for a group lunch at the North Bend Bar & Grill. Then cycle back to Issaquah and stop for a group tour and optional sweet treat at the Austrian Boehm’s Chocolate Factory & Chalet that has been in operation since 1942. It’s just a short ride back to the hotel from Boehm’s.
B, L
October 2, Thursday – Issaquah to West Seattle
59k, 685m      Hotel-provided breakfast, visit/tour Bellevue Botanical Garden, I-90 bridge to Mercer Island, and on to West Seattle, group dinner.
Another included “cooked-to-order breakfast” at our hotel. Today, we leave Issaquah and our first stop is the Bellevue Botanical Garden, where we will have a guided tour of this beautiful garden. “The Bellevue Botanical Garden is 53 acres of cultivated gardens, restored woodlands, and natural wetlands. The living collections showcase plants that thrive in the Pacific Northwest. . . . . . The Garden is made up of several smaller gardens to delight and educate our visitors.” You may want to stop for a coffee or a treat or buy a sandwich to-go at the Copper Kettle Coffee Bar on the garden grounds.
Leave the garden and cycle on the dedicated I-90 cycle trail over the floating bridge to the exclusive suburb of Mercer Island. We will circumnavigate the island and then continue over the I-90 bridge to Seattle and on to West Seattle and The Grove Hotel. Tonight, we will enjoy a group dinner at the West of Chicago Pizza Company, which is just a short walk from our hotel. Our restaurant specializes in deep dish Chicago-style pizza and also offers salads and classic Chicago-style Italian sandwiches. Yum!
B, D
October 3, Friday – West Seattle back to Downtown Seattle 
34k, 275m      Hotel-provided continental breakfast, group bakery stop in White Center, Lincoln Park, Alki Point and group lunch, Olympic Sculpture Park, back to Lower Queen Anne and hotel, and end-of-tour group dinner.
Breakfast at hotel. Head off and ride south to the diverse neighborhood of White Center and the Salvadorean Bakery, very yummy, for a group stop. We cycle on to the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal and Lincoln Park where we meet Puget Sound again and then will follow the coastline for the rest of the route.
We will pick up the Alki Trail and take this to the beach community of Alki Point and our group lunch stop at Spud Fish & Chips. Take some time to enjoy the long sandy beach.
Continue on and pick up the West Seattle Bridge Trail, then some various other cycle trails and paths to the Seattle Waterfront and the Olympic Sculpture Park.  Just a short distance back to our hotel. You should be back in time to have a free afternoon. Two tourist sightseeing ideas would be to visit Seattle Center (Chihuly Garden of Glass, Space Needle, the Rock and Roll Museum) or the Pike Place Market. Group dinner somewhere nice near our hotel.
B, C/T, L, D
October 4, Saturday, Depart for Home or Further Travels  

Registration and Participant Selection:
Registration will be on the CCCTS website on the date shown. A computerized lottery system and waitlist will be utilized in the event that the ride is over-subscribed. A $100 (USD) payment is required at the time of registration. The lottery signup will run for 5 days, after which the Ride Leader will review the results. If you are interested in getting your own room and willing to pay the $750 USD Single Supplement fee, notify the leader when you register for the tour.
The selection process will consider the following criteria in evaluating candidates:
  • fitness and riding ability and experience required for the tour,
  • a history of demonstrating safe riding practices,
  • acceptable social behavior.
The leader may interview riders or others who know them to verify their suitability for the tour.
The leader also has the option to prioritize 30% of the tour applicants up to a maximum of 6 people.
  • The leader will notify registrants of their selection status. If the ride is not filled to capacity, registration will continue until the closing dates shown.
  • Tour member selection is done primarily by lottery results but the leader will have the final decision and the right to reject applicants for the tour.
  • After you have been notified you are selected for the tour, the tour fee deposit of $500 (USD) is due on February 15, 2025 date. The remaining $525 USD will be due on July 1, 2025 date. 
In the event of cancellation by a tour member
The registration fee is non-refundable when a member withdraws from a tour.  If a replacement can’t be found, we will refund any fees for costs that could be avoided. However, if there are costs that cannot be avoided, these will not be refunded. (Note that a couple of the hotels require payment in advance from CCCTS so this cost would not be refundable if we can’t replace a cancellation(s).)  
Communicable Illness Information:
    • The CCCTS Communicable Illness Policy takes into consideration regulations and recommendations from Public Health Authority of Canada, BC Centre of Disease Control, and Public Health Ontario. In the case of illness while on tour, it is expected that all participants will follow the procedures outlined in this policy. 
  • CCCTS strongly encourages all participants to be up-to-date on their vaccinations for COVID and all other communicable diseases.  
  • Everyone should bring 3 COVID test kits with them on the tour and take responsibility for self-testing if they feel ill.