Lake Meridian to Cedar River Loop Ride

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Kent, WA, US

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Route Overview

Kent Bicycle Advisory Board

Highlighting great rides in the Kent Washington area!

22 mi.

1,035 ft.

This route packs lots of scenery in a 22 mile close-to-town ride! From a scenic river with great picnic spots to wildlife views from an uncrowded single track, there is a lot to enjoy here!

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Route Details

This route is 60% paved road and trail, and 40% gravel and hard packed dirt, so you will need a gravel bike, commuter bike, or some tires with a bit of width and tread. The Pipeline trail section has some short but steep hills; nothing too extreme. Suitable for intermediate riders if suitably equipped.
## The Route
From the Lake Meridian trailhead of the Soos Creek Trail, ride 0.7 miles north on the trail, then follow some suburban and rural roads a little over 5 miles out to Maple Valley. The road stretch here has mostly good shoulders for riding except after you cross under Hwy 18 where you run into a very narrow shoulder for a brief stretch.

In Maple Valley, cross Maple Valley Highway and turn right in the parking lot. You are looking for the Green to Cedar Rivers @photo[Trail access](14013624) located behind the 76 station mini mart (note the curb and poorly placed sprinkler head in the photo). From there you ride North for a half mile to the junction with the Cedar River Trail. From this @photo[fork](14021583), the left turn would take you down 12.5 miles of paved trail to Lake Washington in Renton. **Take the right turn** which takes you up 5.2 miles of unpaved trail, through the [Big Bend and Landsburg Reach Natural Areas](https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/water-and-land/natural-lands/ecological/big-bend-landsburg.aspx), to trails end at Landsburg Park. This stretch is a gradual uphill for about 5 miles, with hard packed dirt that rides fairly smoothly with a remarkable lack of potholes. There are a few picnic tables scattered along here that are great for taking a break.

From Landsburg, you cross the river on Landsburg Road SE, and find the @photo[Pipeline trailhead](14021245). The trail on this side of the river has lots more gravel on it, so this is where those bigger tires can be helpful. This trail runs Northwest a little over 4 rolling miles back to Maple Valley before ending at an Amazon Fulfillment Center. We turn off at 233d Way SE, so if you get to Amazon, you have gone too far. Most of the pipeline Trail has a single-track option running alongside or nearby, so you have some options if you are feeling sporty! From Maple Valley, you retrace your way back to the Soos Creek Trail and Lake Meridian.

## Ammenities

You might want to stop and enjoy some refreshment before you ride back to Kent because Maple Valley has great places for food and drink:
* @poi[Starbucks](89349482)
* @poi[ Crown Donuts](89347264)
* @poi[Imbibe Bottle House & Taproom](89347263)
* @poi[Mini mart](89296229)
* @poi[DaVine Whiskey & Wine](89549314)
#

And many more...

Lake Meridian to Cedar River Loop Ride

Route Overview

Route Details

Other routes by Kent Bicycle Advisory Board

Soos Creek Trail

Lake Meridian Lake Youngs Loop

Julie's Coffee Ride

Tour de Kent

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