Kirkland, WA Road Trips

Kirkland was established in 1888 by Peter Kirk with a vision of being the "Pittsburgh of the West". Today, it is the home of Northwest University, and one of two summer training camps for the Seattle Seahawks. It is perhaps most widely known as the former corporate headquarters of Costco, from when they launched their "Kirkland Signature" brand.

The Seattle skyline and Olympic Mountains from one of the many waterfront parks.

Check out the many art galleries in downtown Kirkland near the waterfront. 1 Yarrow Bay Marina, 5207 Lake Washington Blvd. N.E., ☏ +1 425-822-6066. Hourly powerboat rentals. Hours vary. 2 Flatstick Pub, 15 Lake St. Suite 100, ☏ +1 425-242-1618. Su-Th noon-midnight, F Sa noon-2AM. Minigolf bar with local beers on tap. Happy hour M-F 3PM-6PM. Yappy hour M-F 6PM-7PM, all day Su. (updated Mar 2019) 3 Juanita Bay Park, 2201 Market St. Wetland park on the shore of Lake Washington; features some short and relaxing wetlands boardwalk trails and picnic areas. 4 Marina Park. Located in the pedestrian friendly downtown area, it hosts many small art galleries, coffee shops and restaurants. (updated Feb 2025)

1 Lynn's Bistro, 212 Central Way. Excellent Sunday brunch. 2 Cactus, 121 Park Ln. 3 Santorini Greek Grill, 106 Central Way, ☏ +1 425-822-0555. Excellent gyros and other Greek food. 4 Sarducci's, 955 6th St S. Hometown favorite sub shop; autographs on wall attest to its frequent patronage by Seahawks players when training camp was nearby 5 Spud Fish and Chips, 9702 N.E. Juanita Dr, ☏ +1 425-823-0607. Local tradition in the Jaunita neighborhood, right across the street from a pleasant lake beach park. Very greasy but delicious. Coffee & Cone, 1 Lakeshore Plaza, ☏ +1 425-522-3374. 11AM-9PM. Small business that sells coffee and several icecream flavors (including some uncommon ones like huckleberry). (updated Apr 2025)

1 Thruline Coffee, 136 Park Ln. 6:30AM - 9PM (Last call at 8:30PM). The flagship coffee shop for Thruline Coffee, who provide coffee beans to numerous local businesses and coffee bars in the area. Friendly, relaxed, atmosphere, internet is always free, and you can stay for as long as you like. 2 The Grape Choice, 9 Lakeshore Plaza. This favorite local wine shop has monthly selections at their tasting bar, and any wine can be bought by the bottle for drinking in the store or on the patio. Every Wednesday, they host a different, usually local, winery for a $5 flight of their top wines. 3 Chainline Brewing Co, 503 6th St S, ☏ +1 425-242-0923, [email protected]. M-Th 4-10PM, F 2-10PM, Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-8PM. The first brewery to open along the Cross Kirkland Corridor Trail. (updated Mar 2019)

1 Courtyard Seattle Kirkland, 11215 NE 124th St, ☏ +1 425-602-3200, fax: +1 425-602-3220. 2 Heathman Kirkland, 220 Kirkland Ave, ☏ +1 425-284-5800. 3 Motel 6 Kirkland North, 12010 120th Pl, ☏ +1 425-821-5618, fax: +1 425-821-7459. 4 Woodmark Hotel Yacht Club and Spa, 1200 Carillon Point, ☏ +1 425-822-3700. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. $200.

Like many American suburbs, by far the most convenient approach is by car: State Route (SR) 520 connects Kirkland to Seattle, via the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (the world's largest floating bridge) on Lake Washington. SR-520 serves as the southern border between Kirkland and Bellevue. The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge is tolled; see details below. Interstate 405 (I-405) is the outer loop of Interstate 5 that runs from Lynnwood to Tukwila (and the airport), through Bellevue. Keep in mind that rush hour traffic can be very daunting: expect a 45 minute to 1 hour drive from both ends of the freeway to Kirkland. There are tolls for the SR-520 floating bridge and the express lanes of I-405, with rates that vary by time of day and traffic levels. There are no toll booths. If the vehicle has a "Good to Go" sticker on the windshield, the toll is deducted from a prepaid account. Otherwise, transponders take a picture of the license plates, front and back, and mail the bill to the registered owner. Intercity bus services from beyond the region stop in Seattle.

The downtown area is small and very walkable. King County Metro, ☏ +1 206-553-3000. Runs bus, streetcar and monorail routes within King County. Serves Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Mercer Island, North Bend, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila, Vashon Island, White Center, and Woodinville. $3 for 2 hours ($1 seniors 65+, Free youth 0-18). (updated Sep 2025) Sound Transit, toll-free: +1-888-889-6368. Runs express and intercity public transit routes across the Seattle area, including Sounder trains, Link light rail and express buses (routes 510-596). Serves King County (e.g. Bellevue, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Seattle), Snohomish County (e.g. Everett, Lynnwood), and Pierce County (e.g. Puyallup, Tacoma). (updated Jun 2023) Route 532 to Everett and Bellevue Route 535 to Lynnwood and Bellevue The transportation hubs (bus stations) are: 1 Kirkland Transit Center on 3rd St at Central Way. The Kirkland TC offers routes with service to Downtown Seattle (*255 & Link); Univ of Washington in the U-District (255); Bellevue (245, 250); Redmond (250); Woodinville (230, 231); and other surrounding cities. 2 Totem Lake Transit Center and 3 Totem Lake Freeway Station at NE 128th St & I-405. Totem Lake Freeway Station offers bus connections to Everett (532); Lynnwood (535); Snohomish via Monroe (424 in PM); Downtown Seattle (311 & 424 in AM); Bellevue (237, 342, 532, 535) and Woodinville (237, 311, 342 & 424).