Lake Youngs doesn’t deliver what you may think when first hearing its name: a view of a lake. But it does deliver a good time and a great place for beginning off-road bikers to get started.

The trail loop follows a chain-link fence in mostly straight angles around the lake. The lake is part of the Seattle watershed, so there is a thick buffer of trees and undergrowth, along with the fence (and No Trespassing signs every few yards) separating everyone on the trail from any glimpse of water.

The loop is about 9.5 miles around and the trail surface is mostly gravel, with some dirt. The path is wide enough for two bikes side-by-side for most of the distance. There are no obstacles for bikers to overcome (unless you count the numerous piles of horse droppings) and no tight or twisty turns, which is why this is a great ride for beginners. The only challenge here will be the hills.

After a short ride from the parking lot to the trail, head left when you reach the T and start around the loop. There are quite a few turns; but as long as you follow the chain-link fence it’s hard to get lost. Most of the first half of the ride is up and down easy hills.

With about three miles left, the trail follows along 146th Avenue Southeast and has a long gradual uphill stretch. The toughest part of the trail is right at the end of the loop. A short, steep hill that many bikers will have to walk, especially after riding for more than nine miles.

There are about 800 feet of elevation change for each loop, and all of the hills are fairly gradual except the last one. There’s plenty of parking and crowding shouldn’t be a problem because the trail is so wide. Overall, Lake Youngs is a fun ride that is great for beginning bikers and bikers looking for some hills to work out on.

How to get there: From the intersection of Benson Drive South and S.E. 176th Street, turn east onto S.E. 176th Street, which eventually turns into SE Petrovitsky Road (3.4 miles). Take a right onto S.E. Old Petrovitsky Road and follow a short distance until you see a gravel parking lot and the park on the left of the street. The trailhead is at S.E. 184th Street and S.E. Old Petrovitsky Road.

Lake Youngs trail

Difficulty: 2

Ridability: 8

Scenery: 4

Ease of access : 9

Lasting impression: Great ride for beginning off-road bikers or riders who like their challenge in the hills, not the obstacles.

Lake Youngs is the first in a series of profiles on Renton trails.