Like a bright pendant hung between two ribbons of water, Bellevue connects Lake Washington to Lake Sammamish.
Residents and visitors will be able to explore that scenic connection during the annual Lake to Lake Greenway Trail Walk, a guided walk on Saturday. Participants must register the morning of the event from 8-10 a.m. at Mercer Slough Blueberry Farm, 2380 Bellevue Way SE. Preregistration is not available.
The event is sponsored by Bellevue Parks & Community Services, American Volkssport Association and Northwest Striders, and is free for the general public. The cost for Volkssport members seeking walking mileage is $3. All participants will receive a route map and written walking directions during registration.
The route is approximately 9.3 miles (15 kilometers) and takes about four hours to walk. Highlights include open space, forests, wetlands, gardens, historic buildings, farms and neighborhoods. Park sites along the trail include Weowna Park, the Phantom Lake Loop, Lake Hills Greenbelt, Kelsey Creek Farm, Wilburton Hill and Mercer Slough Nature Park.
Limited parking will be available along the west side of the Mercer Slough Nature Park on Bellevue Way, and will be identified by Volkssport Association signage. A shuttle will run every 30 minutes, from 8-10 a.m., from the parking area to the start of the trail at Weowna Park’s lower trailhead, at 565 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy. SE. The walk will end back at the Mercer Slough Blueberry Farm.
Park staff and volunteers from the Northwest Spine Clinic will be at “relief stations” at the Larsen Lake checkpoint and at the finish line. Other attractions along the walk will include the King County Master Gardener’s Harvest Festival from 10 a.m. to noon at the Lake Hills Urban Demonstration Garden, 15500 SE 16th St.; and the 123-year-old Fraser Pioneer Cabin at Kelsey Creek Farm, 410 130th Place SE, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The walk is not suitable for small children or strollers and dogs will not be allowed on the shuttle. For more information, call 425-452-2565, e-mail MSEEC@bellevuewa.gov or visit www.bellevuewa.gov/cobcalendar/default.aspx.
