A view looking down an old railroad bridge made of iron on the Willapa Hills State Park Trail. The rails have been replaced with boards and a bicycle is leaning on the rail on the right side. To the left the Willappa River is seen flowing under the bridge and the blue sky above is filled with fluffy white clouds.

Washington State Scenic Bikeways

State Parks has completed the development for the new statewide Scenic Bikeways pilot program. Our management of the program includes overseeing the route nomination, evaluation, and designation process, as well as coordinating the implementation of Scenic Bikeway routes with partners and stakeholders. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is the decision-making group with authority to designate a proposed route as a Scenic Bikeway.

This program involves participation from the public who have the opportunity to nominate routes they think should become Scenic Bikeways.

Scenic Bikeway nomination window opens Oct. 1

The first Scenic Bikeway nomination window will open on Oct. 1 and close Nov. 30, 2025. The pilot nomination round will move up to 15 proposed routes forward for consideration.  

The button below will go live Oct. 1. We can't wait to see your nominations!

 Nominate a Scenic Bikeway route

What is a Scenic Bikeway?

A Scenic Bikeway is a bike route made up of shared use paths, bike lanes, and/or roadways which have notable scenic, cultural, historic and/or recreational value. Wayfinding signage will be posted along Scenic Bikeways and route maps will be developed. This program encourages local economic development by highlighting routes that have opportunities to eat and drink, stay overnight, and fix your bike. Scenic Bikeways may be located anywhere land managers provide their consent. 

Designating a Scenic Bikeway 

There is a multi-step process to designate a Scenic Bikeway which is described below. For more information including nomination questions and evaluation criteria, please read the Scenic Bikeways Program Manual. 

Step 1: Nomination 

Any individual may nominate a route using an online form. Routes must be contiguous, fully constructed and be pleasant routes for riding bikes. Nominations will require a map of the proposed route, information on how to access the route, photos and a description of the scenic, cultural, historic and/or recreational value of that route. Nominations will be open from October 1-November 30, 2025 and can be accessed by clicking this link. 

Step 2: Presentations

Proponents of selected routes will make presentations to State Parks staff and advisory task force members. Presentations will be 20 minutes long with 10 minutes reserved for questions and answers; all presentations will be held virtually. This step will take place in March 2026. 

Step 3: Memorandum of Understanding 

State Parks, all bikeway owners along the route, local destination marketing organizations, and other parties involved in the route's implementation will draft a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to document the roles and responsibilities of each party. This will include a sign plan and installation, marketing, mapmaking, maintenance and funding. This step is expected to take place between April-June 2026. 

Step 4: Designation 

Recommended and thoroughly vetted routes will be presented to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission for formal action. Initial designations are expected between July-September 2026. 

Step 5: Implementation

With Commission designation, State Parks and partners will carry out their respective parts of the MOU. This step is expected to begin in October 2026. 

This route nomination process will repeat as resources are available. 

Scenic Bikeways Advisory Task Force

The Scenic Bikeways Task Force is an advisory group that works with Parks staff throughout the development and early implementation of this new program. State Parks seeks to incorporate community knowledge throughout the process to create a program that welcomes a broad group of recreational visitors. 

Task force duties include:

  • Reviewing and discussing draft processes, such as evaluation criteria for proposed routes
  • Reviewing and evaluating route proposals

Current task force members:

Chris Brewer Marilyn Hedges Christ Thomsen
Debra Byrd Donald Holguin Jeff Watson
Steve Durrant Shrey Sangal Grace Young
Lisa Giacchino Russ Schwartz  

Background

The statewide Scenic Bikeways Program was established by the state legislature through Revised Code of Washington (“RCW”) 79A.05.800.

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Contact Us

Department Scenic Bikeways Program
Email ScenicBikeways@parks.wa.gov