BurkeGilman Trail among nation's best, according to USA Today

Managed by King County Parks and Seattle Parks, popular trail is named a ‘top urban bike path’ -- connects to Sammamish River Trail

The Burke-Gilman Trail – a mainstay for alternative commuters, weekend warriors and families enjoying a stroll on a warm evening in King County – has been named one of the best urban bike paths in the country by USA Today newspaper.

“The national media is discovering what thousands of walkers, runners, and bikers have known all along – that King County parks are a treasure, and the Burke-Gilman Trail is just one of the jewels in our system,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

USA Today noted the Burke-Gilman Trail’s plentiful access, flat terrain and tremendous views as reasons for this trail’s inclusion on a list featuring fewer than 20 trails across the nation.  Read More >>

King County Parks continues to invest in upgrades to the Burke-Gilman Trail and many other portions of its 175-mile regional trail system. Just last year, King County completed a public safety project to redevelop a 2.2-mile-long section of the oldest portion of the trail in the county’s jurisdiction.

Rebuilding the trail from the ground up improved trail-user safety by widening the trail to 12 feet with soft surface shoulders, improving traffic controls and intersection treatments at crossings, installing lighting and more.

Other upgrades made during the King County Parks project included a new stormwater system, retaining walls, slope stabilization, replacing a bridge over a creek, and planting native vegetation.

The Burke-Gilman Trail forms the backbone of King County Parks’ regional trail system in north King County.

Managed by Seattle Parks from its start at Shilshole Bay and running through the Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, University District and View Ridge neighborhoods, the Burke-Gilman Trail is managed by King County Parks through the cities of Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and Bothell.

In Bothell, the Burke-Gilman Trail connects to King County Parks’ Sammamish River Trail, which links to King County Parks’ East Lake Sammamish Trail in Marymoor Park. Learn more at http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/trails/regionaltrailssystem/burkegilman.aspx.