rural transit

View from cliffs above Maury Island Marine Area looking out over western Puget Sound down to the shoreline below

Week Without Driving 2026: Transit Trek with King County Parks

Join me and King County Parks on a Transit Trek to one of my favorite places, Maury Island Natural Area, Marine Park, and Dockton Forest on Thursday, October 1.

The outing takes place on the first day of the 2026 National Week Without Driving.

What: A Transit Trek Trip Audit

Maury Island is one of the best examples of a stunning local hiking and camping destination that is currently transit trekkable. Transit access has improved since we hiked this with Washington Trails Association in 2024 in the form of a more frequent weekday schedule for King County Metro route 119 and Water Taxi service. The water taxi now runs weekends, opening up much of Vashon’s pleasures to transit-reliant people. But the 119 continues to run only on weekdays, and is the only transit route serving Maury Island.

We’ll hike Dockton Forest and Maury Island Natural Area, with the option to extend the hike to Maury Island Marine Park. We’ll spend some time talking about current access to the area for nondrivers and what changes would increase and improve access. I’ll also review some of the other transit-accessible destinations on Vashon Island.

When: October 1, 2026

This is an all- or most-of-the-day outing. Check back for more details and to RSVP, including information for those starting from Tacoma using the Talequah Ferry.

How: Hiking boots on the ground and ORCA cards in hand

Check back to complete the RSVP form and get details about meeting up, preparing for the trip, and, if you want to, volunteering to help with the audit. You can see the audit volunteers helped put together at the Grand Forest hike on Bainbridge a couple years back at this link to get an idea of what we’ll produce.

Who: You

Info to help you decide if this is a trip you feel comfortable joining:

  • Attending is free, but participants are responsible for their own transit fare, lunch, and so on. Please note when RSVPing if you need assistance with fare; I’ll see what I can do.
  • I suggest that folks wear masks when we’re riding the bus together (about 25 minutes each way).
  • We’ll go rain or shine, but extreme weather or poor air quality may cancel.
  • Check back for details on estimated miles we’ll be hiking. There is only very mild elevation gain in the forest with overall elevation changes of 400 to 600 feet. Read a trip report here for more details.
  • Restroom access at Fauntleroy terminal, on the ferry, at Vashon Island Terminal, at Dockton Park, and some portapotty access during the hike.
  • Kiddos are welcome, but note the mileage and short but abrupt elevation changes on this hike. It’s probably best for older kids who can handle the mileage. That said, see the trip report above, which included a 6-year-old.
  • Dogs: Metro allows dogs on board at driver discretion, so most dogs may be able to make this trip. Dockton Forest and the marine area are both dog-friendly; leashes required. Ferry policy is here.
  • Service dogs are always permitted on transit.
  • These paths are generally not wheelchair friendly, though those who use some motorized mobility devices may find the forest trails reasonably navigable. The beach sections of the hike are generally not navigable for mobility devices.
  • For deaf or hard of hearing participants, please note your access needs in the RSVP form. While I don’t have the budget to hire an interpreter, I will do my best to work with you to find a good alternative. 
What to Bring
  • ORCA card or cash for fare
  • Dress for weather. We’ll go rain or shine, but extreme weather may cancel. 
  • A mask to wear on our two bus rides, which will be more crowded than usual
  • Snacks and water (water fountains at both ferry terminals, on the ferry, and at Dockton Park marina)
  • A sack lunch if you plan to eat on our quick lunch break during the hike
Handy Links
A dark brown cat sniffs a promotional pin for Trailhead Direct's Mt. Si route that is sitting on a topographic map of the Mt. Si trailhead. But her head obscures the actual trailhead.

Trailhead Direct and Hurricane Ridge Season is Almost Here

These two seasonal shuttle services start May 24, 2025

The weekend of May 24 kicks off the annual start of at least two seasonal shuttles in the Salish Sea region designed with hikers in mind. Both run through September 1.

Trailhead Direct

Trailhead Direct wooshes citydwellers from a few key light rail stops including (NEW this year) S. Bellevue Station and Eastgate Park & Ride directly to at least seven trailheads in the Issaquah Alps, Cougar, Squak and Tiger Mountain area. If you’re willing to walk short distances, it’s also easy to discover several other trailheads that this weekend & holiday service will open up to car-free hikers. Right now I’m keeping my fingers crossed that earlier routes like Mailbox Peak will finally return after a pandemic-induced driver shortage, which would open up some pretty incredible car-free backpacking opportunities.

Cost

Standard Metro fare ($2.75 ish); use an ORCA card, exact change in cash, or whatever other fare payment options Metro currently offers (there are too many to keep track of these days).

Hurricane Ridge Shuttle

The Hurricane Ridge shuttle makes my heart sing because it offers daily service, not just weekend and holiday service, showing once again that smaller cities and less-resourced counties can and are lapping Seattle and King County — hey, I love them, I live in them, but I also love to see underdogs doing things better. The shuttle runs several times a day from Port Angeles up to Hurricane Ridge, has capacity for two or three bikes (call the agency to confirm), and puts some epic hiking in Olympic National Park (ONP) into reach for car-free folks.

Pro-tip for bikepackers from the Seattle area: Take the early run of the Clallam Transit Strait Shot from the Bainbridge Ferry Terminal to Gateway Transit Center Ferry Terminal in Port Angeles. From there, hop on the Hurricane Ridge Shuttle to deliver you to your chosen trailhead.

Cost

You must purchase an entrance pass to ONP before boarding, then pay up to $1 in Clallam Transit fare. The Clallam Transit link above helpfully provides more details and links on purchasing ONP passes.

Sign Up & Support

Support Transit Trekker here. And Sign up to get notified when The Transit Trekker Manual: Washington State is available.

Header image My cat’s head obscures the Mt. Si Trailhead on my Rattlesnake Mountain region topographic map, next to which I’ve placed a Trailhead Direct pin featuring the Mt. Si route.

tree-topped cliffs above a beach on a cloudless day

Transit Trekker in Coupeville — More Car-Free Adventure

I can’t say no to public libraries, so on Thursday, June 5 at 3:30 p.m. I’ll be presenting another Car-Free Adventure talk at the Coupeville branch of Sno-Isle Libraries. I’ll be sharing resources for planning your own car-free adventures and details for a few transit treks near and far. You know I’m a fan of using bicycles to transit trek, so we’ve invited a local transit agency and a local bike shop to join, and, I hope, to offer the post-event opportunity to practice putting bikes on and off bus bike racks. TBD! I’m not yet sure if registration is required to attend, so pencil in the date and check back. UDPATE: No registration required — just show up. See the library’s event page at this link for questions about ADA accommodations and other library-specific information.

The library is located at 788 NW Alexander St in Coupeville on Whidbey Island.

Take Transit

Island Transit Route 6 stops directly in front of the library, in both directions. Between Clinton and Oak Harbor, northbound and southbound runs of route 1 stop a short walk from the library on Coveland St. near Alexander St.

Ride Your Bike or Roll

I find Whidbey’s backroads fairly mellow to ride. Island County posts PDF and GIS version of its bikemap here. If you take the Coupeville ferry from Port Townsend and wait for the traffic to dissipate, Engle Rd into Coupeville is likely to be low-traffic and pleasant for most of the way.

Sign Up & Support

Support this work here.

Sign up to get notified when The Transit Trekker Manual: Washington State is available.

Header image Ebey’s Landing trail along the shore looking northwest