Troll to Troll: Vashon and Maury Islands from West Seattle

Let's meet at the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal for a 32-mile tour of Vashon and Maury Island at a Moderate (14-16mph) pace, bringing greetings from West Seattle Troll to the Vashon Troll. Be in the bicycle loading area at the end of the dock before 9:00am to board the 9:10 ferry. We'll have the required safety briefing once we land on Vashon, and roll out when that's done and the cars have unloaded to avoid traffic on the hill up from the ferry dock.  All riders must attend the safety briefing to participate.

Please note, if you are driving to the ride -- please park in the upper parking lot at Lincoln Park (8001 Fauntleroy Way SW - marked on RwGPS map) and bike down. Parking is not available at the ferry terminal itself and the lower Lincoln Park lot closest to the ferry dock is frequently full and has a 4hr limit that is aggressively enforced. Depending on the ferry schedule, we could be slightly longer than 4hrs and the upper lot does not have a time limit. 

Typically bikes load first a few minutes prior to the sailing time, but please follow ferry worker instructions on whether to ride onto or walk onto the ferry and where to place the bikes as there are designated areas at both ends. Once we arrive on Vashon, we'll unload, pull off to the side to let the cars pass and then have our safety briefing and last chance for restrooms for awhile.

The ride starts with probably our toughest climb of the day right from the ferry dock so gear down and get spinning. We'll then cruise on down Vashon Highway to Cemetery Road and then drop down to the beach before crossing the causeway onto Maury Island. We'll head on past the golf course and begin our second climb of the day up to the Maury Island Nature Reserve Scenic View point. After pausing for water and photos, we'll descend rolling hills to the Pt. Robinson lighthouse, our second vista of the day that also has port-a-potties. Note, there is a short, optional to walk or ride ~100yd gravel path from the end of the road to the lighthouse and/or visit to the neighboring Troll. After Pt. Robinson, we'll finish ride along the rolling curves on the north side of Maury Island and head over to Burton for optional coffee and food stop at Burton coffee stand and the Burton general store. We'll continue to Jensen beach park restrooms and complete the Burton lollypop loop before heading back up Vashon Highway towards the ferry. We'll aim for either the 12:40 or 1:40 ferry return depending on pace, number of stops, and group interest. Note there's an 100minute gap in the schedule after 1:40, so we don't want to miss that one.

We will climb and descend hills at our own pace, and we will regroup occasionally. We'll also limit our speed on any multi-use paths to the legal maximum (usually 15 MPH, occasionally 10 MPH).

Restrooms are available at the start of the ride both at Fauntleroy and Vashon ferry terminals as well as on the ferry itself. We will stop along the way for restrooms at miles at Pt Robinson (14.1) with additional options to stop at restrooms at Jenson Beach (22.2), Vashon coffee roasters (26.3), or Vashon library (28.0) if needed. We’ll also stop for coffee/snacks at Burton coffee stand at mile 20.6 or Vashon coffee roasters (26.3) depending on interest.

Bring a spare tube and tools to fix a flat, just in case. Other things to bring: phone; ID; cash and/or credit card for ferry ticket; ORCA card; water and a small snack. Please have full fenders if the roads are wet, or you may be asked to ride at the rear of the group.

Note: If weather conditions meet the weather cancellation criterion listed above or if there are unforeseen hazardous riding conditions such as smoke or other unexpected events, the Ride Leader will cancel the ride and all registered riders will be sent a notification email. If the ride is cancelled at least two hours before the start, Ride Leader(s) will not be at the start location. Please check before leaving for the ride.

We hope you can join us!