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Mercer Island, WA Road Trips

Plan drives from Mercer Island, WA with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.

Downtown Mercer Island, WA, WA

Photo: JOHN CALLERY

Trip Routes

3

Longest Drive

274 mi

Spokane, WA

Quickest Drive

4h 8m

Pasco, WA

Plan Around Mercer Island, WA

Popular Incoming Routes

Useful if Mercer Island, WA is the arrival point and you want the strongest routes into the city first.

Continue From Mercer Island, WA

Good next legs if this city is only one stop in a longer road trip.

Trips from Mercer Island, WA

Mercer Island, WA by the Numbers

Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

Population

25,282

Median Income

$202,359

Median Home Value

$1,884,200

Median Age

45.8

Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.

Mercer Island, WA at a Glance

Elevation

338 ft

Area

6 mi²

Sister Cities

Thonon-les-Bains

Notable People from Mercer Island, WA

A sampling of people born in Mercer Island, WA.

Mary Wayte

Mary Wayte

1965

American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, sports broadcaster

Quin Snyder

Quin Snyder

1966

American basketball coach

Katie Hall

Katie Hall

1987

American bicycle racer

City data from Wikidata (Q954095), available under CC0. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under their respective licenses. See our methodology for details.

Traveler Guide to Mercer Island, WA

Mercer Island is a city in King County, Washington, consisting entirely of an island in Lake Washington. Once known as "East Seattle", it has become one of the region's most upscale residential communities.

Great views can be seen from the small parks which dot the island. These include Groveland Park, Clarke Beach Park, and the westernmost edge of Lid Park, which sits on top of I-90.

1 Aubrey Davis Park (Lid Park), 2030 72nd Ave SE (on top of I-90). (updated Jun 2020) 2 Luther Burbank Park, 2040 84th Ave SE. The most notable park on the north part of the island, offering views of Bellevue and Medina. Has public docks. (updated Jun 2020) 3 Pioneer Park, Island Crest Way & 68th St (in the middle of the island). A nature preserve serving as a nexus for the many miles of trails on the island. There are horse stables just south of Pioneer Park if you are in the mood for horse riding lessons. (updated Feb 2025)

Pom Proem Thai (78th Ave). Anise Thai (On Mercer Way). Yuzen (Middle of the island). Japanese.

Mercer Island has no hotels or motels. If you need one, your best bet is to hop on I-90 to either Seattle or Bellevue, as both cities have multiple, varied options for overnight stays.

Interstate 90 (I-90) is the only access to Mercer Island. Bridges connect with Seattle to the west, and Bellevue and the rest of the Eastside to the east. Exits 7A (77th Ave SE) and 7B (Island Crest Way) from eastbound lanes. Exit 7 (Island Crest Way) from westbound lanes. 1 Mercer Island Station, 2510 77th Ave SE (along I-90, at 80th Ave SE). The transit hub of Mercer Island, with a light rail stop, bus station and a Park and Ride at N Mercer Way. (updated Apr 2026) Link light rail - The 2 Line runs from Downtown Redmond to the east via Bellevue, and from Lynnwood City Center to the northwest via Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline and Seattle. Adult fares are a flat $3.00, regardless of distance; children 18 and under ride for free. A train runs every 8-15 minutes from 5:00 to midnight. 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) The following routes stop into Mercer Island P&R on their way between Seattle and the eastside: 550 Downtown Seattle - Bellevue 554 Downtown Seattle - 142nd Pl SE & I-90 Ramp Stop - Issaquah King County Metro, ☏ +1 206-553-3000. Runs bus, streetcar and monorail routes within King County.

I-90, Mercer Island Park and Ride, and most businesses are at the north end of the island. There are two major roads to the south end of the island: Island Crest Way, which passes through the center of the Island. The scenic Mercer Way, which is divided into West Mercer Way, East Mercer Way and North Mercer Way. This route goes along the edges of the island and has many curves. There are three bus routes to the south end of the Island, near the Mercer Village Shopping Center. King County Metro DART 204, ☏ +1 206-553-3000. DART 204 is the only Metro bus route within Mercer Island linking Mercer Island P&R in the north to Mercer Village Shopping Center in the south via 77th Ave SE, SE 40th, 86th Ave SE and Island Crest Way. (updated Jun 2023)

Travel tips adapted from Mercer Island on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.

Trips to Mercer Island, WA

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