Some runs are workouts. Others become places I want to return to.

The routes below are some of my favorites so far. Most are trail runs and mountain days around Issaquah and the Snoqualmie Valley, but the list has grown to include favorite hikes, bike rides, pickleball courts, and runs farther from home.

This is not a ranking or a complete trail guide. It is a growing collection of places I remember because the route, landscape, effort, or day itself felt special.

Pacific Northwest Running Favorites

Ancient Lakes

Ancient Lakes feels like running in a completely different state.

Instead of the wet forests and long green climbs of western Washington, the route moves through open desert, basalt cliffs, coulees, and lakes hidden inside a dry landscape. The huge sky and exposed terrain make it feel remote very quickly.

It is a beautiful place for a long adventure, especially when the weather cooperates. It is also a route where water, sun, wind, and fueling deserve real attention. That combination of beauty and self-sufficiency is a large part of why the run stayed with me.

West Tiger 3 and 2

West Tiger is one of the most useful running areas near home. It is close enough for regular training but steep and substantial enough to feel like a proper mountain day.

Connecting West Tiger 3 and 2 creates a satisfying mix of sustained climbing, forest trails, and runnable sections. It is the kind of route that works both as an adventure and as honest preparation for longer mountain objectives.

There are more dramatic destinations in Washington, but accessibility matters. A great route that can become part of normal life is often more valuable than a spectacular route that happens once.

My TigerClaw Version

This is my own version of a TigerClaw-style day: fewer extras, plenty of climbing, and a route built around the parts of Tiger Mountain I wanted to run.

It is not a casual sightseeing loop. The appeal is repetition, vertical gain, tired legs, and the mental negotiation that begins when another climb is waiting. Routes like this are useful because they make endurance training simple. Keep moving, keep climbing, and let the mountain expose every weakness in pacing and fueling.

It was hard, direct, and exactly the kind of run I wanted that day.

More Issaquah and Snoqualmie Valley Routes

The three runs above have full Strava tracks, but they are only part of the local map. These are the other routes I keep coming back to or want in the regular rotation.

• Rattlesnake Ledge: A dependable climb from Rattlesnake Lake with a view that still feels like a reward, no matter how familiar the trail becomes.
• Deep Creek: Quiet forest running and a good escape when I want the trail to feel more remote than the drive there suggests.
• Boulder Garden Loop: Technical enough to demand attention and short enough to combine with other Tiger Mountain trails.
• Grand Ridge: Rolling, runnable singletrack that works well for steady mileage without turning every outing into a summit attempt.
• Tokul: A broad network with enough variety to keep exploring. I especially like connecting toward the Snoqualmie Valley Trail and the old railroad bridge on the way toward Fall City.
• Rattlesnake Crossing: A useful link for building longer Snoqualmie Valley adventures rather than treating each trail system as a separate destination.
• Little Si: A compact mountain outing with enough climbing to be a real workout and an easy fit before or after the rest of the day.

Tiger Mountain Variations

Tiger Mountain in Issaquah deserves its own list because changing one junction can create a completely different day.

• Section Line: A direct dose of climbing that is excellent for strength, vert, and learning not to start too hard.
• Cable Line: Steep, simple, and honest. It is one of the clearest local tests of uphill fitness.
• Poo Poo Point: A classic route with a satisfying viewpoint and several ways to make the return longer.
• Bootleg and the TMT: A fun pairing of narrower trail and the longer rhythm of the Tiger Mountain Trail.
• The full TMT: A proper point-to-point or shuttle adventure across the mountain, with enough distance and terrain changes to feel much larger than a normal local run.

Cougar Mountain from Sky Country

Sky Country Trailhead is a great starting point for stitching together Cougar Mountain loops. The network makes it easy to choose between a shorter recovery run and a longer, hillier day without repeating the exact same route.

Favorite Long Hikes and Mountain Days

Some of these work as trail runs, some are better as hikes, and some depend entirely on the day. I like having objectives where pace is secondary to time outside.

Tour de Rattlesnake

This is the big one: start at Rattlesnake Lake, follow the Snoqualmie Valley Trail through North Bend to Snoqualmie, climb toward Snoqualmie Ridge and Snoqualmie Point, and then cross Rattlesnake Mountain to return to the lake.

At roughly 30 miles, it connects places that are usually experienced separately. The appeal is the full journey: rail trail, towns, sustained climbing, ridge travel, and the satisfying feeling of completing a large loop under your own power.

Mountain Objectives

• Mount Defiance: A long forest climb leading to a rugged summit day with a real sense of elevation.
• Kendall Katwalk: A dramatic section of the Pacific Crest Trail where the journey along the ridge is as memorable as the destination.
• Mount Si: The local benchmark: sustained climbing, familiar switchbacks, and a reliable way to measure mountain fitness.
• Mount Teneriffe: A bigger and quieter-feeling neighbor to Mount Si, ideal when I want a longer day and more vert.
• Snow Lake: A beautiful alpine destination that makes an excellent hike when there is time to slow down and enjoy the basin.
• Granite Mountain: A steep, substantial objective with the kind of summit reward that makes the climb worthwhile.
• Mailbox Peak: Famous for a reason. Whether taking the old trail, the new trail, or combining them, it is a serious uphill workout.
• Silver Peak: A rewarding Snoqualmie Pass outing that feels wild without requiring a huge approach.
• Snoqualmie Mountain: Steep, rugged, and much more of a mountain adventure than the distance alone suggests.

Tiger Claw

Tiger Claw is the May race that turns Tiger Mountain into a choose-your-own-adventure endurance challenge. My embedded route above is my own version, but the race itself remains one of the most creative ways to connect familiar Tiger trails into a very hard day.

Favorite Local Pickleball Spots

Pickleball has become another reason to get outside, meet people, and move without making every activity an endurance project. These are the local spots where I most enjoy playing:

• Issaquah Highlands: Convenient, social, and easy to fit into an evening close to home.
• Mercer Island: A fun change of scenery and a good meeting point for friends coming from different directions.
• Snoqualmie Ridge: Mountain views and a relaxed setting make even casual games feel like a small outing.
• Snoqualmie High School: A familiar community spot where the people are as much a part of the experience as the games.
• Tibbetts Valley Park: Central, accessible, and useful for an impromptu local session.
• Green Lake: A lively Seattle option that pairs pickleball with a walk or run around the lake.

Favorite Bike Routes

These rides are less about chasing speed and more about linking parks, towns, trails, and familiar places into a good day on the bike.

• Marymoor Park and Lake Sammamish: Start around Redmond’s Marymoor Park and continue around Lake Sammamish for a varied loop with water views and plenty of places to pause.
• Issaquah to Woodinville and back: A satisfying out-and-back that connects the Eastside by trail and turns familiar suburbs into a substantial ride.
• Fall City to Carnation: A quieter Snoqualmie Valley ride with farms, river scenery, and small-town stops along the way.
• Snoqualmie Pass and the Iron Horse Trail: A gravel-friendly mountain ride where the old rail grade makes it possible to cover serious distance through the Cascades.
• North Lake Washington loop from Seattle: An urban ride with bridges, neighborhoods, parks, and long stretches near the water.

A California Waterfront Run

Silicon Valley Waterfront

Not every favorite run needs a mountain.

The Silicon Valley waterfront offers almost the opposite experience from Tiger Mountain: open views, flatter terrain, long uninterrupted stretches, and enough space for the mind to wander. It is especially good while traveling, when I want to explore without turning the run into a complicated logistical project.

Waterfront routes have their own rhythm. The pace becomes steadier, the horizon stays open, and the miles accumulate almost quietly. It is a useful reminder that a memorable run can come from simplicity.

Running Through Würzburg

Running is one of my favorite ways to understand a city. It connects neighborhoods that feel separate when traveling by car, turns landmarks into part of a route, and makes familiar places look different.

Würzburg is particularly good for this. The Main River gives every run an easy reference point, while the hills, vineyards, churches, fortress, and old city provide plenty of reasons to leave the flat path.

Steinburg

The climb toward Steinburg trades the river and city streets for elevation and views over Würzburg.

It is a compact route with a satisfying reward. The city gradually opens below, and a normal run starts to feel like a small hill adventure. This is exactly the kind of route I look for while traveling: easy to begin from town, distinct enough to remember, and finished before it consumes the entire day.

Käppele and the Residence

This route connects two very different sides of Würzburg.

The Käppele brings the climb and the view. The Residence brings the formal center of the city, its gardens, architecture, and history. Linking them on foot creates a route that moves between quiet elevation and busy city streets without needing much distance between the two.

It is part workout and part moving sightseeing tour, which is often the best combination for a city run.

Fortress and the Main River from Zellerau

Starting from Zellerau makes the fortress and the river feel connected to ordinary life rather than separated into tourist destinations.

The route combines the climb toward Marienberg Fortress with the easier rhythm of running beside the Main. One section asks for effort and attention; the other lets the legs settle and the city pass by.

That contrast makes the loop work. It contains a landmark, a hill, familiar streets, and enough river to finish with a calmer stride.

The List Is Still Growing

I still want to add favorite routes from Munich, Vienna’s Prater, and Budapest. Those cities each offer a different kind of running: broad parks, river paths, historic streets, and the pleasure of seeing more before breakfast than I would normally see in an entire day.

The common thread is not speed or distance. These are routes and gathering places that gave me a stronger sense of place.

That is what I want this collection to become: a personal map of trails, cities, climbs, courts, and waterfronts worth returning to.