Lake to Lake Trail
Bellevue's cross-town trail: roughly 10 miles linking Lake Sammamish to Lake Washington.
Primary access point: Lake Hills Greenbelt trailhead, 15500 SE 16th St
The Lake to Lake Trail runs roughly 10 miles across Bellevue and has no single entrance. The pin, directions, and nearby places below are all for this one City-listed trailhead — not for the trail as a whole.
Quick facts
At a glance
About
About Lake to Lake Trail
The Lake to Lake Trail is Bellevue's cross-town green corridor — roughly 10 miles of park paths, sidewalks, and asphalt connectors that link Lake Sammamish on the east to Lake Washington on the west. The City calls it a pearl necklace of parks, and that is the honest description: it connects nine parks, including Weowna Park, the Lake Hills Greenbelt, Kelsey Creek Park, Wilburton Hill Park and the Bellevue Botanical Garden, Downtown Park, Mercer Slough Nature Park, Meydenbauer Bay Park, and Enatai Beach Park. West of Wilburton Hill the route splits: one branch ends at Meydenbauer Bay Park, the other runs south through Mercer Slough to Enatai Beach Park. You can walk the whole thing or sample a single segment.
Highlights
What makes it special
- Connects nine Bellevue parks and both of the city's bordering lakes
- Boardwalks through the Mercer Slough wetlands on the southern branch
- Passes through Kelsey Creek Park, home to the city's historic farm
- Short, doable segments make it workable for young kids
- A sampler of Bellevue's park system in one outing
What you'll experience
The visit, in detail
The route mixes gravel park paths, paved trails, and quiet residential streets. Between parks it follows sidewalks and asphalt pathways marked by blue City of Bellevue directional bollards. Highlights include the boardwalks through Mercer Slough's wetlands, Kelsey Creek Park's historic farm, and shaded fir groves in Wilburton Hill Park. Most families tackle a two- or three-mile segment rather than the full crossing.
Nearby
What's around the primary access point
Measured from the Lake Hills Greenbelt trailhead, 15500 SE 16th St — not from the trail as a whole.
Parks & Trails nearby
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Lake Hills Greenbelt
4.6Wetland greenway with a working farm and trails.
Lake Hills
Crossroads Park
4.6Neighborhood park with summer concerts and farmers market.
Crossroads
Coal Creek Natural Area
4.7Mining-history trail through a forested ravine.
Newport
Bellevue Botanical Garden
4.8A free 53-acre public botanical garden in Wilburton with the celebrated Perennial Border, Yao Japanese Garden, Ravine Experience suspension bridge, and the annual Garden d'Lights holiday show.
Wilburton
Shopping nearby
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Lake Hills Village
Mixed-use neighborhood center with the Lake Hills library, a primary-care clinic, and independent restaurants.
Lake Hills
Eastgate Plaza
Everyday shopping near I-90 with QFC and services.
Eastgate
Overlake Fashion Plaza
Neighborhood plaza with apparel, services, and a Trader Joe's nearby.
Crossroads
Crossroads Bellevue
4.5Community mall with a famous international food court.
Crossroads
Family Activities nearby
Browse all family activities in Bellevue →Robinswood Community Park
Community park with tennis, fields, and Robinswood House.
Lake Hills
Kelsey Creek Farm Park
Bellevue's 150-acre historic farm park — free admission, live barnyard animals daily, two 1930s-40s dairy barns, playground, and quiet wooded trails minutes from downtown.
Wilburton
Bellevue Aquatic Center
Indoor public pool with lessons and family swim.
Downtown
South Bellevue Community Center
Community center with gym, climbing wall, and indoor playground.
Somerset
Arts & Culture nearby
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Gallery Space at Bellevue College
Rotating exhibitions on the Bellevue College campus.
Eastgate
Crossroads Bellevue Stage
Free live music at Crossroads' Market Stage, mostly weekends.
Crossroads
Bellevue Youth Theatre
City-run youth theater with year-round productions.
Crossroads
Garden d'Lights
Holiday light show at Bellevue Botanical Garden.
Wilburton
Hotels nearby
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Embassy Suites by Hilton Bellevue
All-suite hotel with atrium, breakfast, and evening reception.
Eastgate
Silver Cloud Hotel Bellevue – Eastgate
Local Pacific Northwest chain near I-90.
Eastgate
Hyatt House Seattle/Bellevue
Extended-stay Hyatt House with full-kitchen suites.
Bellevue Club Hotel
An independent 66-room hotel attached to the Bellevue Club — a 200,000-square-foot athletic and wellness campus with indoor and outdoor pools, a full-service spa, and four dining venues, at the south edge of downtown Bellevue.
Downtown
Local Businesses nearby
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Bel-Red Barbers
4.6Bellevue's longest-running barber shop — walk-ins only, seven days a week, in continuous operation on the Eastside since 1959.
Bridle Trails
Ishii Motor Industries Auto Repair
Independent Bellevue auto repair shop on 116th Ave NE — a locally-owned alternative to dealership service, walking distance from downtown Bellevue.
Wilburton
Restaurants nearby
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Facing East
4.5Bellevue's Taiwanese landmark since 2006 — hand-crafted beef noodle soup and xiao chi small plates, now served takeout and delivery from Bel-Red Road.
John Howie Steak
4.7The Bravern's flagship steakhouse — a serious dry-aging program, one of the deepest wine lists on the Eastside, and the Downtown Bellevue business-dinner room chef John Howie built.
Downtown
El Gaucho
4.6Pacific Northwest classic steakhouse — tableside service, prime beef, and the tuxedoed room that has defined Bellevue special-occasion dining for a generation.
Downtown
Daniel's Broiler
4.6Downtown Bellevue's classic steakhouse on the 21st floor of Bellevue Place — USDA Prime beef, a serious wine list, and the piano bar that has anchored Bellevue business dinners for decades.
Downtown
Nightlife nearby
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Bellevue Brewing Company
Family-friendly brewery and restaurant.
Lake Washington Cellars
Local winery tasting room.
Downtown
Civility & Unrest
Cocktail bar inside W Bellevue with creative drinks.
Downtown
Cypress Lounge & Wine Bar
Refined wine bar inside The Westin Bellevue.
Downtown
Coffee Shops nearby
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Mercurys Coffee Co. — Bellevue Roastery & Bakery
4.7Bellevue's flagship organic coffee roastery — a 5am-to-8:30pm daily café where Mercurys roasts its beans, bakes its pastries, and hosts the Eastside's most consistent everyday coffee crowd.
Bridle Trails
Newport Hills Coffee
4.5Neighborhood drip-and-pastry with a loyal regulars.
Newport
Third Culture Coffee
4.7A design-forward Downtown Bellevue café where a serious specialty-coffee program meets a signature matcha bar, global pastry case, and a plant-filled room built for slow mornings and long remote-work sessions.
Downtown
Caffe Ladro Bellevue
A downtown Bellevue outpost of the beloved Seattle-based, farm-direct specialty roaster — expertly pulled espresso, honest brewed coffee, and house-baked pastries a block from Bellevue Downtown Park.
Downtown
Things to Do nearby
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Meydenbauer Center
4.4Bellevue's premier convention, conference, and performing arts venue — 36,000 square feet of column-free ballroom, a 410-seat theatre, and a full block of meeting space steps from light rail.
Downtown
Lucky Strike Bellevue
4.3Upscale bowling, billiards, and craft cocktails.
Downtown
Attractions nearby
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KidsQuest Children's Museum
4.6Downtown Bellevue's hands-on children's museum for ages 0–10 — 25+ STEAM exhibits, a two-story climber, a full water gallery, and daily programming, all a short walk from the light rail station.
Downtown
The Bellevue Collection
4.7Downtown Bellevue's three-building shopping, dining, entertainment, and hotel campus — Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square, and Bellevue Place connected by covered skybridges into one walkable destination.
Downtown
Bellevue Square
4.5The two-level, 200-store centerpiece of The Bellevue Collection — connected by sky bridge to Lincoln Square, Bellevue Place, and downtown Bellevue.
Downtown
Lincoln Square
4.5Downtown Bellevue's entertainment, dining, and lifestyle complement to Bellevue Square — cinema, chef-driven restaurants, a public plaza, and the W Bellevue, all under one covered roof.
Downtown
Practical
Know before you go
This is a route, not a single trail — expect road crossings and short on-street sections between park segments. There is no single entrance: the City lists several suggested trailheads, including the Lake Hills Greenbelt at 15500 SE 16th St and Wilburton Hill Park and the Bellevue Botanical Garden at 12001 Main St. The Winters House visitor center trailhead at Mercer Slough is closed until further notice due to Sound Transit construction. Blue City bollards mark the route; download the City's trail guide map before you go. Strollers work on most segments, though some gravel stretches favor all-terrain wheels.
Details
Hours & contact
More like this
Related family activities
Chism Beach Park
Wooded Lake Washington beach with lifeguards in summer.
Old Bellevue
Bellevue Family YMCA
Family YMCA with pool, gym, and child watch.
Crossroads
Robinswood Community Park
Community park with tennis, fields, and Robinswood House.
Lake Hills
Kelsey Creek Farm Park
Bellevue's 150-acre historic farm park — free admission, live barnyard animals daily, two 1930s-40s dairy barns, playground, and quiet wooded trails minutes from downtown.
Wilburton
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