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Lake Youngs Trailhead
4.4 ★★★★☆ 74 Google reviews · Running trail in Renton, Washington · Hours vary
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Crushed gravel
- Distance
- 9.5 mi
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Not reported
Confirmed from Lake Youngs Trailhead's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Long trail for walking, running, biking and dog-walking.
What runners say about Lake Youngs Trailhead
“The southern parts of the trail are the most scenic and remote as large portions of the east and (especially) west portions follow roadways.”
“Trail is great for running, lots of hills, not a whole lot of people.”
“Great gravelly trail to walk our dog.”
Man this is a real fun gravel trail, plenty of geocaches, plenty of pokestops, and most importantly, a view of a car junkyard for criminally-involved cars. If you want to see bullet holes in cars, gnarly smashed bumpers, and body-sized windshield holes, this is the trail to hike!
This is a great entrance to the 9.5 mile Lake Youngs trail. There is parking for a couple dozen vehicles and restroom facilities. The trail itself is gravel, wide and well groomed with pleasant scenery surrounding it.
Access to the Lake Youngs Trail that loops (approximately nine miles) around the fenced-off (Seattle city water reservoir) Lake Youngs area. The southern parts of the trail are the most scenic and remote as large portions of the east and (especially) west portions follow roadways.
Good long trail around Lake Youngs. Unfortunately, you'll never get a chance to see the lake. The lake is surrounded by a fence with no access to it. Only good for excise purposes.
Trail conditions & character
“Man this is a real fun gravel trail, plenty of geocaches, plenty of pokestops, and most importantly, a view of a car junkyard for criminally-involved cars.”
“Great place for a hike or walk dogs, quiet, public restroom, two picnic tables I noticed, one grill, trails nice, wide and shaded, ample free parking.”
“9-10 miles if you do the whole lake but we usually enter at one of the many entrance points which gives you different looks from terrain, scenery, and light.”
“Man this is a real fun gravel trail, plenty of geocaches, plenty of pokestops, and most importantly, a view of a car junkyard for criminally-involved cars.”
“Great place for a hike or walk dogs, quiet, public restroom, two picnic tables I noticed, one grill, trails nice, wide and shaded, ample free parking.”
“Great place for a hike or walk dogs, quiet, public restroom, two picnic tables I noticed, one grill, trails nice, wide and shaded, ample free parking.”
Plan your run at Lake Youngs Trailhead
The practical stuff
- AccessHours vary — hours are not posted for this trail, so check before an early or late run
- SurfaceCrushed gravel — the rail-trail classic: softer than asphalt, still smooth enough for tempo work
- Distance9.5 mi as reported — check whether that is one way or a round trip before you commit. Long enough for a real long run.
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadparking, restrooms — reported by runners
- DogsWelcome, per reviewers. Leash rules vary by park — the trailhead sign is the authority.
- Websitewta.org
- Phone(206) 477-4527
- Social Instagram · Facebook
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