Origins and Extensions
The trail can trace its origins to the founding of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway on 15 April 1885, by ten men headed by judge Thomas Burke and Daniel Gilman. In its heyday Burke and Gilman's road extended from Downtown north to Arlington and east to Rattlesnake Prairie above Snoqualmie Falls. Taken over by the Northern Pacific Railway in 1890 (or 1892), the line became part of the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1970, and was abandoned in 1971. In 1978, the first 12.1 miles (19.5 km) of the right-of-way, from Seattle's Gas Works Park to Kenmore's Tracy Owen Station, was opened as a public trail and named after the founders of the railroad. From Jerry Wilmot Park, south Woodinville, the King County Regional Trail continues along much of the old Burke and Gilman SLS&E line as the Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail, past Duvall, through Carnation to Snoqualmie Falls, with the rail trail continuing east from North Bend as a cross-state trail from Iron Horse State Park. The Snoqualmie Falls-North Bend link of Burke and Gilman's old SLS&E has become the line of the Northwest Railway Museum.
As of 2006, there are extensions of the Burke-Gilman Trail at its western end: connecting the short and long segments between the Ballard Locks and 11th Avenue, and a northern extension along Shilshole Bay from NW 60th Street to Golden Gardens Park, and planning for connecting between the Ballard Locks and downtown Ballard at 11th Avenue NW and NW 45th Street. A major point of contention regarding the remaining "missing link" project is the industrial nature of the Salmon Bay waterfront, through which this portion of the trail would pass. Many business owners are concerned about the safety and liability issues inherent in the convergence of trains, trucks, cyclists, and pedestrians, while the city and citizens groups claim the dangers are being exaggerated. The trail overall can at times be busy and even crowded.
Note: All Seattle urban trails provide an off-road path or sidewalk for pedestrians (separated from motor vehicles); for bicyclists, urban trails consist of off-road shared use paths, on-street striped bike lanes, and signed routes in the street right-of-way, where due caution is warranted.
Read more about this topic: Burke-Gilman Trail
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