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7:42 pm in Redmond

Redmond, on two wheels.

Redmond calls itself the Bicycle Capital of the Northwest, and the trail along the Sammamish River shows why. An unofficial invitation: its parks, its story, and a ride you can take from here.

Ride along ↓ Ride the river

Places along the way

  1. A curving gravel shoreline with a strip of grass and tall trees meets calm lake water under heavy clouds.

    1 Morning, Lake Sammamish

    Idylwood Park

    Seventeen acres on the shore of Lake Sammamish, with a swimming beach, a fishing pier and room for a picnic. It is the only free way down to the water on the whole lake, and more than 42,000 people come each summer.

    Open in Maps Photo: Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0

  2. A pale concrete cycling track curves up into a steep bank around a green infield, with evergreen trees beyond.

    2 The top of the lake

    Marymoor Park and its velodrome

    King County's most popular park spreads over 640 acres at the north end of Lake Sammamish. Its velodrome opened in 1975: a 400-meter concrete oval, the only one in Washington, where riders race on summer Friday nights.

    Open in Maps Photo: Robert Ashworth, CC BY 2.0

  3. A narrow paved path runs between grassy banks under a clear blue sky, beside a long line of tall column-shaped poplars.

    3 Along the river

    The Sammamish River Trail

    Ten paved miles follow the river from Marymoor Park to Bothell, where the Burke-Gilman Trail carries on toward Seattle. On clear days the valley opens up to the Cascade foothills and Mount Rainier.

    Open in Maps Photo: Robert Ashworth, CC BY 2.0

  4. A wide green lawn under a blue sky with white clouds, with a row of tall steel frames across the middle.

    4 Through the middle of town

    The Redmond Central Connector

    Trains ran through the heart of town on this line from 1889 to 2008. Now it is a 3.9-mile trail, finished in 2025, and Redmond was the first city to complete its whole piece of the Eastrail.

    Open in Maps Photo: HominyGrits007, CC BY-SA 4.0

  5. A large white wall with the words Downtown Park in black letters, with young trees and a paved walk in front.

    5 Noon, the town square

    Downtown Park

    Redmond's town square opened in 2018: two acres of raised lawn, a splash pad, and a pavilion called Buoyant whose water wall glows with light shows after dark.

    Open in Maps Photo: HominyGrits007, CC BY-SA 4.0

  6. A low log cabin with a mossy shingled roof and a small porch sits among tall evergreens, with a green lawn in front.

    6 Under the big trees

    Anderson Park

    Redmond's first park: the town bought the land in 1928 for one dollar, and in 1938 New Deal workers built its log cabins and picnic shelter. The whole park is on the National Register of Historic Places.

    Open in Maps Photo: LycheeJelly1, CC BY-SA 4.0

  7. A long line of cyclists in team jerseys races around a street corner under leafy trees on a sunny day.

    7 Every July

    Derby Days

    Redmond's summer festival began in 1939 with a bicycle derby around Lake Sammamish. On Saturday morning children ride decorated bikes in the Kids' Bike Parade, and then comes the Grand Parade.

    Open in Maps Photo: Sam.Meyer.Marton, CC BY-SA 3.0

  8. A small white farmhouse with dark green trim and a vine-covered porch stands on a lawn, with tall evergreens behind it.

    8 Evening on the farm

    Farrel-McWhirter Farm Park

    A 68-acre city farm where children can meet the animals and the ponies, free, every day. Elise Farrel-McWhirter, a keen horsewoman, left it to the city when she died in 1971, and its old barns and silo still stand.

    Open in Maps Photo: Davidmcarson, CC BY-SA 4.0

The end of the trail, for now.

Take the ride yourself, or go back a few thousand years.

The game Ride the river A lap of the velodrome, then the river trail: pedal in rhythm, shift for the wind, ring your bell to pass, and stop for the geese. The story From the first peoples to today Willow people and treaty days, Salmonberg and Melrose, a one-dollar park, a bicycle derby, and trains across the lake.