Bridle Trails State Park

This is better for horses than walking. Still nice though.

Wonderful respite minutes away from Laquinta hotel in Kirkland. Watch out for horse droppings… But beauty & serenity it is well worth the hike.

I just read all the other reviews with some amusement. I live right by the park — I walk around the corner and am in the woods, and I take my dog for long walks (or myself) every day. I don’t know about making a social trip to come here but living next to it is heavenly.
I don’t understand the complaints about loudness and kids running around yelling. I’m over there A LOT at all hours, all seasons, and I’ve never heard such a thing. I have a well trained, large dog and we always say hello, step aside, and wait patiently for equestrians to pass. (I used to ride, long time ago, so I’m fine with that.) I occasionally still get some scowls or wary looks from someone on horseback now & then (who apparently has had a bad experience with people with dogs but I know the rules, so…) HOWEVER, I would say that being aggressively barked at by dogs in residents’ yards can be infuriating. (I go through some paths which are right on the edge of people’s properties.) But still not enough to ruin my zen.
I’d say the most people I’ve ever passed, in 6 years of living here, during any hour long walk in Bridle Trails is 6 or 7. And that’s a LOT. It’s usually 2 – 3 if that. The solitude is lovely. Every time I long to be living in a more urban setting again, that longing disappears once I walk the 1 minute distance to the woods. I feel very lucky, indeed, for having this sanctuary nearby!

Large park, various trail options. Lots of horse poo and live horses to be mindful of!

I enjoy visiting this hidden gem so much so that I volunteered in 2013 for an Earth Day clean up. It has the aesthetic of the forests in one of the larger state parks, without the hassle of the drive for those living in Eastside suburbs.

This park was designed for equestrians first & walkers/​runners second. Keep that in mind before complaing about the horse poop.
Riding horses here has become less enjoyable w/​unannounced kids running down trails screaming, plus lack of common trail etiquette. Announce yourself when coming from behind anyone, pass on right, travel trail left shoulder to left shoulder just like a two way road and do not stand blocking across the trail. I thought those things where common sense on any trail, nope I was mistaken. Find another place to walk if you cant deal w/​the horse aspect. Especially since there are not many places for horses but hundreds for walkers.

Large park with trails on the East side? Count me in! My boyfriend and I came to Bridle Trails feeling particularly antsy and sluggish after work one afternoon. The park is almost completely wooded, so don’t be put away by any sun because you’ll likely only catch a snatch of the rays.
There are multiple trails (of varying lengths and inclines), so you get to choose one according to what you’re in the mood for. The one we picked took about 45 minutes (at a leisurely pace) and wasn’t very intense at all. In fact, it was the perfect amount of exercise – we were able to stretch our legs and work up an appetite before heading to Redmond for some Chinese food. Do know that horses are allowed to ride these trails as well, so watch out for their excrement as you walk!

Escape somewhere peaceful and quiet. Trails are marked and easy to maneuver. Plenty of room for everyone to enjoy. Bring the family, let the kids breath some fresh air.
Parking is easy.

Bridle Trails is a slice of heaven tucked between Bellevue, Redmond, and Kirkland. The park is easy to get to by car, on foot, or by horse. The trails are peaceful, and the lush interior gives the park a magical feeling. The park is designed for equestrians, but it’s also great or walking, jogging, running, and hiking when you don’t want to go far. Just watch your step for horse droppings and be sure to yield to equestrians.

Great park for a run or walk all times of year. It is surprisingly quiet for being between Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond.
The trails are well marked and the park has put a lot of work into trail maintenance over the past few years. Ranger Mary is a sweetheart.
The bridle trails 50k held every January is a blast.

The 3 marked loops are great for running. Well beware of horse shit but it is manageable Nice trails in the shade

SO MUCH HORSE POOP. I was constantly looking down at the ground to avoid stepping in equine shit that I developed a headache. Besides that little quibble, the trails are comfortably wide and the woods are lovely. You can enjoy the sun-​dappled paths on a nice day without getting too warm.

This large, densely forested park lies at the junction of Redmond, Bellevue and Kirkland. The longest loop trail around the perimeter is 4 miles, and there are dozens of criss-​crossed side trails leading through the middle. It is easy to get lost if you don’t carefully stay on the main trail because of the undergrowth and trees — I would use the east-​west powerlines as a way to stay halfway oriented. This is a wonderful jogging park, that is mostly flat, with a few rolling hills. During Monday-​Friday, one typically encounters 0 – 2 people, despite the large metropolitan surroundings. On the weekends there are a few more folks at the equestrian rings on the west side.
After visiting the park during several seasons, I developed an objection to the way several neighboring property owners have adopted an attitude that the park is their private backyard estate — which it is in a sense, given its emptiness and solitude. When parking in gravel turn-​ins near the Tennis club on the NE side, I was literally chased off by a loud, cranky homeowner who was said that people only park there so they can go smoke dope in the woods and he would call to have me ticketed (to me in my running shoes, on park land rather than adjacent to a house). On the east side, homeowners petitioned to get no parking signs installed all along the neighborhood streets. I think keeping the eastern side of the park so empty with these policies could even create a security risk if anyone were to get lost in the trails near dark (as the reviewer above pointed out), or someone were to get injured on a horse out there. While most of us enjoy watching the equestrians, people should realize that if other user groups were democratically given an opportunity to develop their hobbies in sections of the park, such as mountain biking and off-​leash dogs, there would be far more people here.

if you don’t have time to get a long way away from civilization this park will do in a pinch. actually… it’ll go a few steps beyond. this park is a densely wooded area in the middle of kirkland. it has criss crossing trails that run through the middle of a wonderfully beautiful forest. i found it absolutely breathtaking. a fantastic place to put your ipod on and go run until you are lost in the maze of zig zagging trails. then find your way out. if you are more wealthy than i am i suspect this is a great place to horseback ride as i found myself hopping over a bit of horse poop (though not excessive). in fact this was the only aspect that knocked this park back from 5 stars. one thing to keep in mind… if you are running or playing in this park after dark… it gets VERY DARK. you will not find your way out until the sun comes up. my advice is to head for the perimeter which is fairly well lighted before it gets to dark. from there you can finish your run, horseback ride, or drunken hike… ENJOY!!!