Urban Walk - Cross Kirkland Corridor Trail

Trip

Urban Walk - Cross Kirkland Corridor Trail

Join me for this conditioning urban walk that begins and ends at Totem Lake Park. This 7-mile walk will include the Cross Kirkland Corridor, Forbes Creek Crossing, Forbes Creek Stairs, Juanita Bay Park, and Juanita Beach Park.

  • Moderate
  • Moderate
  • Mileage: 7.0 mi
  • Elevation Gain: 400 ft
  • Pace: 2.5 - 3.0

  • Note This is a conditioning urban walk, which means I will keep a steady faster pace the entire walk. You may wish to load up a pack with extra weight but manage to maintain the pace range this walk is posted at. 

Walk Overview:

  • 7-miles with approximately 400 feet of elevation gain
  • We will maintain no less than 2.5 mph. (hills I expect to take a bit slower)
  • If you prefer to walk faster than 3 mph, or less than 2.5, this is not the walk for you.  If you prefer a more leisure urban walk experience, this may not be the trip for you.
  • We will not stop a lot other than at the parks, but will stop as needed for brief rests, views and group pics. This is zone 2 training: steady, able to maintain conversation, yet feel like we're conditioning!  
  • Terrain: gravel pathways, pavement, metal slatted boardwalk, and wood stairs.
  • We will do the Forbes Stairs up and down TWICE
  • Most of the elevation gain is on the stairs, and on 116th where there is a steady grade for about 1.4 miles

Trip Plan: 

  • Start at Totem Lake Park
  • Get on the Cross Kirkland Corridor for the next 1.4 miles
  • Weave our way through residential, along Forbes Creek Crossing
  • Stop at the Forbes Creek Stairs and go up and down TWICE 
  • Continue on to Juanita Bay Park with views of Juanita Bay
  • Continue to Juanita Beach Park and walk along the cement boardwalk with views of the bay (restrooms available)
    • We will stop there for a snack and brief break and to enjoy the views
  • Continue our loop on 116th where we have a steady grade for about 1.4 miles to connect back to the Cross Kirkland Corridor, finishing off at Totem Lake Park where we will debrief before heading to the cars. 
    • Note that 116th is the busiest road we will be on. Heavy traffic and louder than the rest of the walk. We will have to maintain single file for most of that 1.4 mile stretch.  We will be on a sidewalk. 

Trip Goals:

  • To build endurance and conditioning 
  • That we have fun, rain or shine
  • To complete a 7-mile loop in a beautiful area of Kirkland 

Trip Expectations: 

  • That you're on time at the parking lot prepared and ready to be social and engaging.
  • That we stay together as a group (to see one another at all times) and build community and trust with one another. 
  • That you prepare for a long urban walk, with plenty of nutrition, hydration and stamina.
  • That we treat one another with respect, compassion and understanding.

Trip Style: 

  • I'm an inclusive leader: compassionate and approachable
  • While destination focused for this walk, I also appreciate nature and pointing out the beauty that we see around us.
  • I'm a leader who appreciates engaged participants where teamwork and community are priority
  • I am firm and definitive with logistics and my expectations, yet willing to provide flexibility if the situation allows

I acknowledge that the Southern Salish Sea Region lies on the unceded and ancestral land of the Coast Salish peoples, the Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Skykomish, Snoqualmie, Snohomish, Suquamish & Tulalip tribes of the Puget Sound Salish People, and that present day City of Kirkland is in the traditional heartland of the Lake People and the River People. We honor with gratitude the land itself, The First People-who have reserved treaty rights and continue to live here since time immemorial- and their ancestral heritage. -    I encourage you to look further than a land acknowledgment and engage in education about the native population. 

  • Place: Totem Lake Park, Kirkland: Coordinates: 47.71199, -122.17782
  • Time: 8:30 am - this means parking no later than 8:15 to be ready to circle around for introductions and go over the walk details.
    • I do not wait for participants beyond the 8:30 start time. 
  • There is parking on either side of the road, with no time limits on a holiday. Restrooms available.
Route/Place

Cross Kirkland Corridor Trail


Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

Water, snacks, appropriate outerwear, and sturdy shoes.

Trip Reports