Two Trailhead Direct Routes Start May 25

King County Metro has announced that the 2024 season of Trailhead Direct service starts on May 25, operating weekends and federal holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day) through the summer (ending September 15) with routes serving the Issaquah Alps and the Mount Si area. Trailhead Direct is operated by Metro in partnership with King County Parks, the Seattle Department of Transportation, and with promotional support from Amazon.

Image courtesy of King County Parks.

Trailhead Direct will provide service every 30 minutes from the Sound Transit Capitol Hill Link station to stops at trailheads near Mount Si, Mount Teneriffe, and Little Si. Hourly trips will start at the Mount Baker Transit Center and go to Margaret's Way, Squak Mountain, Chirico Trail-Poo Poo Point, High School Trail, and East Sunset Way.

Trailhead Direct started as a pilot project in 2017 using 19-seat transit vans in an effort to reduce overcrowding and illegal parking at trailheads in the Issaquah Alps. The service was renewed for following years, recording 20,373 boardings in 2018 and 35,838 boardings in 2019, when Metro operated four Trailhead Direct routes. The service was cancelled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and restarted with two routes in 2021. Serviced was reduced to just the Mount Si Route for 2022 and 2023.

This year, service will be provided by a mix of vehicles ranging in capacity from 14 to 32 seats and will have a rack for either two or three bikes. Fares are the same as typical King County buses, and similarly can be paid with either by cash, ORCA, or TransitGo pass.

The Mount Si Route

Start point:Bus stop at Broadway and East Denny Way across from Sound Transit's Capitol Hill Link light rail Station.

End point:Bus stop at East John Street and Broadway East, adjacent to Sound Transit's Capitol Hill Link light rail station.

The bus will also stop on Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle near the University Street Link light rail station and the North Bend Park-and-Ride. The Eastgate Park and Ride stop in Bellevue will be closed for the 2024 Trailhead Direct season.

The Issaquah Alps Route

Trailheads:Margaret's Way,Chirico Trail-Poo Poo Point,Squak Mountain, theHigh School Trail, andEast Sunset Way

Start and end point:Mount Baker Transit Center Bay 2 across the street from Sound Transit's Mount Baker Link light rail station on Rainier Avenue South.

The bus will also stop at the Issaquah Transit Center. As mentioned above, the Eastgate Park and Ride stop in Bellevue will be closed for the 2024 Trailhead Direct season.

To keep up with updates, riders can sign up for email updates on the Trailhead Direct website, or simply follow their various social media accounts on Instagram,Facebook, andTwitter.