Route Alert: Cedar Park

A well-hidden stairway on the Cedar Park route has long been a favorite of ours. On our first encounter, this particular stairway was easy to miss, dropping quickly away from NE 42nd Avenue into a generous cover of trees and shrubs.

An initial flight of just 27 steps ended in a very narrow asphalt pathway running through a shallow ravine. We wondered (in an excited way) where this path was taking us! We could hear a brook running alongside the path, and then see it cross underfoot just as we came to a final flight of stairs dropping down to the Burke-Gilman Trail. 

Well the news is that for now, this stairway is closed for replacement by the City. It's a significant part of the route, so if you just bought the book and are raring to try some routes, we suggest you do other ones until about the end of the year, when the city says the job should be done.

The new stairs are located just a few feet south of the old ones, but in keeping with the city's stairway construction policy they'll be wider, have more substantial double handrails, and they'll include a runnel on the side so bicyclists can roll their wheels up and down. There will be more steps too; we made a preliminary count of 46 steps compared to 27 with the old stairway. The old stairway will be removed.

This will change the character of this part of the route, since a couple of trees were removed and the area has been cleared to make way for a new stairway alongside. It's safe to say that the stairway will be more visible and in-the-open. It also might be useful to bicyclists who want to get through this part of the neighborhood down to the Burke-Gilman trail. All those things are good for the 'hood, but we will miss the old, mysterious, "hidden" stairs.

Here are a few pictures showing the construction and other views of the route that we captured on a sunny November day.

 

Stairway Access to the Aurora Bridge

Seattle stairs lead to all kinds of interesting places. In Fremont, the famous Bridge Troll sits under the Aurora Bridge, munching on a Volkswagen. Steps head up either side of the distracted troll, and brave walkers can take them up to the northbound or southbound sides of the bridge. From there a narrow sidewalk, just a couple of feet away from whizzing traffic, takes you high over the Ship Canal to Queen Anne. On that end, opposing stairs allow you to get back to Fremont, with views from the opposite side of the bridge if you desire.

We'd never walked the Aurora Bridge, and on this crisp, sunny November Sunday we finally decided it was way past time. We parked in Fremont next to the Ship Canal and headed back toward the Farmer's Market to start our urban hike.

This is the quintessential Seattle stairs adventure: steps allowing unique access to an incredible scenic byway, in this case one that carries you high over the Ship Canal. We got gorgeous late afternoon views of Fisherman's Terminal on the west, Lake Union and Gasworks Park on the east, and the surrounding mountains - including, on this day, Mt. Rainier in all its hulking glory.

In the Fremont chapter, the book details a side trip with a visit to the Bridge Troll and other attractions in the commercial part of the neighborhood. To add spice and create your own urban adventure, just sneak around the Troll and take the bridge over to Queen Anne and back!