BIKE THE BLOOM:

Special tickets were available for those who bicycle
the Bloom! This new ticket offered an especially fun way to enjoy
the environment, join up with other cyclists, and tour the Bloom
at your own pace.

Bike the Garden Tour $20.00: TICKETS>>

Biking onto the Ferry

At the Seattle ferry terminal, bikes ride through the car toll booths and act just like a car, stopping and paying a fare. The cost is $1.00, plus the passenger ticket of $5.70. After the toll booth, cycle across the parking lot and stop in front of the cars. Ferry personnel will direct you to ride onto the ferry. Once on the ferry, cycle to the front and park your bike against a railing - there are often ropes to secure it.

When you arrive on Bainbridge, bikes ride off before cars. If you are on a ferry at low tide, the exit ramp will be steep, so be sure to gear down. Ride up the ramp and follow the road as it goes gently uphill for about 1/3 mile to a stop light. Unfortunately, once the motorcycles and cars start exiting, the traffic can be quite busy. If you are not used to traffic riding, wheel your bike on the sidewalk.

Returning to Seattle

When you return to Seattle, you do not have to pay again, as you have already paid for a round trip ticket. Cycle through the car toll booths without stopping, staying to the right of the vehicles waiting to board, and head down to the covered parking area right next to the on-load ramp. Wait there to board the ferry.

Biking to the Festival Site to start the tour

After exiting the ferry, you will be riding up Olympic Drive. At the stop light turn left and cycle west about 2 blocks along Winslow Way, the main street in downtown Winslow. Turn right at the stop sign and bike up Madison Avenue, a gentle uphill grade. After 1 mile and 1 stop sign you'll be at a roundabout; circle 3/4 of the way around and go uphill on High School Road to Bainbridge High School, the Festival Site. Total mileage from the ferry is about 1.5 miles.

You may also bike to the Festival Site from the Edmonds-Kingston ferry. The bike ride is about 20 miles of often busy roadway, with a variety of shoulders. Once you cross the Agate Pass Bridge to the island, follow the highway south to High School Road, turn right and go about 1/2 mile, through the roundabout, to the Festival Site at the high school. You do have the option of boarding a Kitsap Transit bus (Route 90 Poulsbo/Bainbridge) at the Agate Passage Park and Ride (on the north side of the bridge, on Hwy 305, at the casino parking entrance) and getting off at High School Road on Bainbridge. Kitsap Transit vehicles can transport up to 3 bicycles per vehicle. For further detail and schedules, go to www.kitsaptransit.com, and note that schedule start times vary on Saturday and Sunday.

The Tour

Directions to the gardens, along with an island map, was given to all cyclists at the Festival Site. All of the gardens were in the northeast quarter of the island, an area of gentle to steep rolling hills. As a bicyclist, you may have visited the gardens in any order, unlike those taking the bus, so you may have wanted to visit the gardens in a reverse order, starting with the one closest to the Festival Site. By doing this you might have experienced smaller crowds, although some of the music, food vendors, and sustainable gardening practices demo's may not have been set up at that time.

Three of the gardens were in the Ferncliff/Manitou Beach area, a region of fairly flat roads and comfortable traffic within 2 miles of the Festival Site. To reach the other two gardens you will need to ride up a long hill, North Madison Avenue, which can have a lot of traffic and has no shoulder. It is approximately another 2 miles to reach the most northerly garden. From the festival site to all of the gardens and back again is about 8 miles. Remember the ticket is good for both Saturday and Sunday, providing you with one visit to each garden.

General Bike information

It is always recommended that you lock your bike. There are bike racks by the front door and on the east side of Town & Country Market on Winslow Way; in Winslow Green at the corner of Madison Avenue and Winslow Way; and in the Winslow Mall on Winslow Way (great public restrooms here, also). The island has two full-service bike shops: Bainbridge Island Cycle Shop is in Winslow, off of Winslow Way, below Eagle Harbor Book Company, and Classic Cycle is in The Village shopping area, near Safeway, on High School Road at Hwy 305.

A nice area of flat riding and beach access is on the south end near Lynwood Center and Ft. Ward State Park, where you'll find the Treehouse Café, Walt's Lynwood Center Market, and Lynwood Theatre. You may cycle west, along Crystal Springs, or south, along Pleasant Beach Drive, for a lovely ride.

The classic island ride is the 33 mile perimeter Chilly Hilly route. You basically follow the main roads that circle the island, including Ferncliff, Sunrise, Miller, Fletcher Bay, Lynwood Center, Rockaway Beach, and Eagle Harbor Drive. A very fast rider can do it in 2 hours.

Safe Riding and Island Bike Laws

• Helmets are required
• Cycling on sidewalks is legal, but remember that pedestrians have the right of way
• Be visible and predictable
• Stop at all stop signs and stop lights
• Take the lane if a road is too narrow to ride safely next to a car

OTHER TRANSPORTATION RESOURCES:

Bainbridge - Seattle Ferry Schedule
Bainbridge Island Map

Detailed Bainbridge Island Maps can be purchased from the Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce:
Tel: (206) 842-3700
bainbridgechamber.com

Kingston-Edmonds Ferry Schedule
Kingston to Bainbridge Buses (91)

Bainbridge Island Taxi: 842-1021

Special Thanks to Dana Berg of Squeaky Wheels
for organizing this information for bicyclers
attending the Garden Tour.