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.

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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.