alt="images"/> Counties
Latah (ID), Whitman
Endpoints
SE Bishop Blvd. (Pullman, WA) to Farm Road (Moscow, ID)
Mileage
7.1
Roughness Index
1
Surface
Asphalt
The Bill Chipman Palouse Trail stretches 7.1 miles through the rolling wheat fields of the Palouse region, offering a convenient, paved connection between Washington State University and the University of Idaho.
The trail follows a piece of corridor from the former Union Pacific Railroad (constructed by the Columbia & Palouse Railroad in 1885), which transported passengers from Colfax to Moscow. The last passenger train ran in 1957. Now, the wide, mostly flat pathway—a respite from the area’s many hills and valleys—accommodates nonmotorized users of all types, with additional trail connections at either end.
Along the route from Pullman to Moscow, 13 original railroad bridges cross Paradise Creek. Opportunities abound to spot birds and other forms of aquatic wildlife thriving in and near the water. Trail users will also find emergency phones, restrooms accessible for people with disabilities, benches, bike racks, and interpretive signs describing the history, agriculture, and ecology of the region.
Crossing state lines and directly linking two universities, this trail bridges the 7-mile gap between Pullman, Washington, and Moscow, Idaho.
The Bill Chipman Palouse Trail overlaps with the Pullman Loop Trail for approximately 1 mile, starting near the Chipman trailhead at Bishop Boulevard. From here, you’ll cross Paradise Creek to a cirque of benches and an interpretive station at Birdhouse Depot. Magpies are common; the stream also provides a habitat for hawks, falcons, and more than 100 other bird species.
As you travel farther along the gentle uphill grade, you’ll come to the next point of interest, a giant grain elevator. A greenway buffers you from the four-lane highway to Moscow, as do the lovely waysides with interpretive signs and benches along the corridor. Grab some water at Neil Wayside near Pullman. This dry, unsheltered path is often windy heading eastward.
The trail culminates at Farm Road in Moscow. Continue east on the 2-mile Paradise Path through the north and east edges of the University of Idaho campus and up Paradise Creek to the Moscow city limits. Here, you can connect with the paved, 12-mile Latah Trail to Troy, Idaho.
CONTACT: tinyurl.com/billchipman
DIRECTIONS
To get to the west end of the trail from US 195 near Pullman, WA, take WA 270 for 3.4 miles (following signs to remain on WA 270), and turn south (right) onto Bishop Blvd. (From the east, Bishop Blvd. is at the first light going into town.) After approximately two blocks, turn left into a small parking area. The trail begins at Bishop Blvd. Parking in Pullman is available at the Quality Inn lot or on Derby St. near Koppel Farm.
To get to the Moscow, ID, trailhead from US 195 near Pullman, WA, take WA 270 (ID 8) approximately 11 miles into Moscow. Turn north (left) at Farm Road, and park in the Palouse Mall parking lot. Cross back over ID 8, and go west onto the path. All property to the south of ID 8 is part of the University of Idaho and not available for public parking.
2 Burke-Gilman Trail
County
King
Endpoints
Golden Gardens Park at Seaview Ave. NW (Seattle) to 102nd Ave. NE near Woodinville Dr./WA 522 (Bothell)
Mileage
18.8
Roughness Index
1
Surface
Asphalt
The Burke-Gilman Trail is as much a thoroughfare for commuting to work and the University of Washington as it is a staple for social recreation and fitness. Built in the 1970s, the trail was among the first rail-trails in the country and helped inspire dozens of similar projects around the nation.
Golden Gardens Park and the Sammamish River Trail mark the boundaries of the Burke-Gilman Trail, once a line of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway (SLS&E). Created in 1885 by two prominent Seattle residents, Thomas Burke and Daniel Gilman, the SLS&E was purchased by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1901. Heavy traffic by the logging industry sustained the line through 1963, and the corridor became inactive in 1971. The heavy traffic continues as trail users make their way from Puget Sound to Lake Union and Lake Washington.
Inducted into Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Rail-Trail Hall of Fame, the Burke-Gilman Trail is a must-visit during any trip to Seattle.
You can start your journey at Puget Sound at the Golden Gardens Park entrance, on the east side of Seaview Avenue Northwest. Reach the Northwest 60th Street Viewpoint by traversing the waterfront and marina for just over a mile. Signs direct you to cross Seaview Avenue and head 0.7 mile to the Ballard Locks. The sidewalk along Seaview Avenue, now Northwest 54th Street, connects to Northwest Market Street in downtown Ballard. To reach the 1-mile on-road portion of the missing trail link, turn right at Shilshole Avenue Northwest. Turn left onto Northwest Vernon Place, and then turn right onto Ballard Avenue Northwest. A right onto 17th Avenue Northwest returns you to Shilshole Avenue, where the road is painted for cyclists and becomes Northwest 45th Street after crossing under the Ballard Bridge. Return to the sidewalk and trail at 11th Avenue Northwest and 45th. Leaving Puget Sound, you will find yourself in a park beside the Fremont Canal that connects the sound to Lake Union. Past the steps waits Fremont, a great area for food, gelato, a glimpse of the famous Fremont Rocket, a Vladimir Lenin statue, and an infamous troll statue. This brings you to Lake Union, 5 miles from Golden Gardens Park. The trail turns right onto North Northlake Way at North 34th Street, guiding you to the historic waterfront of a former coal gasification
