Best route to Mount Rainier?

Look, I’m not originally from Washington, D.C., so right now I’m just kind of winging it, trying to piece together some decent cycling routes using Google Maps and a lot of trial and error. 🙂

My main priority is staying away from cars as much as possible; I want low-traffic roads and, if I can swing it, unpaved paths whenever they're available.

I live on the east side of the city.
So far, I’ve mapped out a pretty great route that kicks off where Vukovarska turns onto Main Street (lol), where a pedestrian path starts heading northeast; you cross through Borongaj, then the road continues toward Branimirova, where I take a slight turn west and follow a trail until I hit that gas station on Branimirova, then loop back toward Ravnice 1, head up through the plains, and eventually come out onto Maximira. From there, I keep going up past the agricultural college, hit St. Simon's, go through Upper Kustošija, pass through Chret, hit The Den, and finally find myself at the base of Mount Rainier.

Now, where should I head next to reach the summit? Basically, I’m looking for a more scenic way to get there without making the ride unnecessarily difficult.

On top of that, can anyone describe a similar route that lets me escape the city entirely without having to dodge heavy traffic?

Gregory Miller4 said:Look, I’m not actually from Washington, D.C., so right now I’m basically just playing trial and error with Google Maps to try and stitch together some decent cycling routes. 🙂

My main priority—and this is non-negotiable—is staying away from cars. I want low-traffic roads, and if there’s an unpaved path available, even better!

I’m based in the eastern part of the city.
So far, I’ve mapped out a pretty solid route that kicks off right where Vukovarska bends onto Main Street (lol)—there’s a pedestrian path heading northeast from there, you cross through Borongaj, and then the road keeps going toward Branimirova. From there, I veer a bit west and hit a walking trail that brings me out right by the gas station on Branimirova. Then, I loop back via Ravnice 1, head up through the plains, and eventually pop out onto Maximirs. I keep pushing up past the agricultural university, hit St. Simon's, go through Upper Kustošija, pass through Chret, reach The Den, and finally find myself up near the base of Mount Rainier.

Now, the big question: where do I go from here to reach the summit? I’m looking for a route that’s scenic but won't absolutely destroy my legs.

What you’ve laid out sounds like the perfect urban trek from Main Street over to Broadway—honestly, I ride that stretch at least twice as often as I work actual business days. Once you’ve reached the top of The Den, that’s really where the climb toward Mount Rainier begins. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to stick to hiking trails, there are a few paths leading straight to the peak—I think they’re called the John Smith and Miller's trails, if I recall correctly. The first one branches off from Cathedral Hill, and the second starts from the parking lot in Suburban Heights.
Alternatively, you could just take the main mountain road all the way to the top.

Jamie Palmer said:What you’ve laid out there sounds like the perfect route through town, starting from Main Street and heading over to Broadway (I actually make that trek twice as often as I work actual business days). Once you finally reach the top of The Den, that’s where the road up toward Mount Rainier really kicks in. If you’re looking to get off the pavement and hit some hiking trails, there are a few paths leading toward the summit—I believe they’re called the John Smith and Miller's trails, if my memory serves me right. The first one starts near Cathedral Hill, while the second one branches off from the parking area in Suburban Heights.
Or just take the mountain road straight to the peak.

And where on earth is Broadway? I can't seem to find it anywhere on the map.

Gregory Miller4 said:Wait, where on earth is Broadway? I'm looking at my map right now and I can't find it anywhere.

Maybe try searching for St. Simon's instead.🙂>

jadetiger962 said:Give it a shot over by St. Simon's🙂

Found it, right on the east side of Central Park!

You should really give Great Trail #1 a shot🤣

And make sure you check out this thread too

Gregory Miller4 said:Look, I’m not actually from Washington, D.C., so right now I'm just playing around with Google Maps and trial-and-error to try and map out some decent cycling routes myself.🙂

My main priority is staying far away from cars—basically avoiding heavy traffic and sticking to backroads or unpaved paths whenever I can get them!

I live over on the east side of town.
So far, I’ve scouted out one killer route: you start where Vukovarska hits Main Street (lol), then pick up this pedestrian path heading northeast, cut through Borongaj, and head toward Branimirova. From there, I veer slightly west and take the trail until I pop out near the gas station on Branimirova. Then it's back onto the flats, heading up towards the outskirts until I hit Maximair. I keep going up past the agricultural college, hit St. Simon's, go through Upper Kustošija, pass through the woods at The Den, and finally end up near the base of Mount Rainier.

If you're hitting the woods at The Den and Forest Hills,
you've actually got a few different ways to play it from there.

You could cut through The Den toward Oak Ridge and then take a road via John Smith or just find another trail nearby.

Alternatively, if you head into Forest Hills, you can loop toward Markham and then catch those gravel paths leading out toward Hunjka.

From Markham, you can also push east toward the edge of town and head into Videwater. Once you're in Vidowood, there's a nice dirt stretch that takes you straight toward Green Valley.

Every single one of these loops has plenty of detours. If none of these hit the spot, just give me a shout and I'll whip up a few more options for you.😉

John Thompson872 said:Give Trail No. 1 a shot instead.🤣

And you should probably dig through this thread too.

Someone finally caught on to how much they're ripping us off.🤣

Steven Cooper3 said:The Den is trash and you're in Forest Hills now.
From here, you've got a few ways to go.

You can cut through The Den toward Oak Ridge and take the road by John Smith from up there, or just grab another trail.

If you head into Forest Hills, you can hit Markham and then catch the gravel path toward Hunjka.
From Markham, you can head east toward the Markham thorns and then out to Videwater. From Vidowood, there's a gravel stretch leading toward Green Valley.

Every one of these routes has alternatives. If none of this works for you, let me know and I can map out some other options. 😉

I drove it out—it’s decent. There’s actually a spring near the old quarry. I stayed on the pavement up to Mount Whitney, then hopped back on the gravel toward Upper Kustošija. Once you hit the Kustošija District, you've got three choices. Go straight (mostly downhill) toward 1.9 milesFifth Avenue, veer left (a steady climb toward the Miller and Lukšić areas along Sixth Avenue), or go right (a steeper climb than the left side) to reach Upper Sparrow. From there, it's mostly downhill unless you swing into Pustakov at the cross. Then you're looking at three more options: straight down—which is a serious drop (50+ feet)—there's a sharp bend (a textbook 90-degree turn) that leads back to Upper Sparrow, or veer slightly uphill before a long descent that hits the Kustošija District and then Fifth Avenue. It's a mess of intersections and turns, but you always end up back on Fifth Avenue, or if you hit Pustakov and head toward Mount Rainier, unless you miss those side paths that lead—guess where?—right back to Fifth Avenue.🙂
Basically, all roads lead to Fifth Avenue.

Patrick King7 said:drove out, felt awesome—there’s actually a spring right near that old quarry! I hit the pavement heading up toward Mount Whitney, then cut back onto the gravel paths toward Upper Kustošija. /cut

The route you just mapped out is seriously top-tier 👍

here are a few more ideas if you want to head up that way
- That singletrack/forest road combo that runs from Hunjka over to the Bureaucrats' Meadow
It's a Great Trail, not too punishing
- Hunjka-Danjka-Shumarev Grave to Old Barn Hiking Trail
A hiking trail that's getting clipped in a few spots by logging crews or leftover debris from their work; the stretch from Shumarev Grave to the barn is mostly gravel
- Hunjka Snow Queen Bureaucrat run
A forest trail where you basically just head west and ride until you hit the Snowy Guy area

Those are my picks, and honestly, they're way better than sticking to the main road 😉

Steven Cooper3 said:The route you mapped out is actually solid. 👍

Here are a few other ideas for up there:
- A singletrack/forest road running from Hunjka to the government meadow.
The Great Trail isn't too demanding.
- Hunjka-Danjka-Šumarev grave to the old Barn Hiking Trail.
It's a hiking trail, but parts of it are blocked by logging work or debris left behind. From Shumarev grave to the barn, it's just gravel.
- Hunjka Snowy Queen through the meadow.
A forest path. Just head west and ride until you hit the Snowy Guy.

Those are much better options than hitting the main road, at least in my book. 😉

Yeah, the route is great. I think it was about 60 miles up to 44 miles, and most of that—pretty much all of it—was on gravel!!
Gotta try those suggestions. Better to stick to the woods than the pavement. 🙂