Our club launched the Light Rail Challenge in 2019 with series of several new walk routes along the Light Rail line. We are once again offering books for purchase, but in a limited run. See the What’s New tab for information on how to purchase a book.
And if you’ve signed up for the Challenge and haven’t finished your book yet – there’s still time. Just get back out there on the “Light Rail Trail” – we are holding your award patch, so that we may honor you upon completion.
Challenge Criteria: Challenge participants shall purchase a Challenge Book (note, we are once again offering books for purchase, in a limited run, see the What’s New tab), and shall complete a minimum of 12 different qualified walks (see below), and record them in their Challenge Book. Participants shall register and pay event credit fee for each completed walk. For a walk event to qualify, the route shall start or finish at a Light Rail Station, or shall walk by the entrance to a Light Rail Station, or shall walk alongside or cross the Light Rail tracks, or any combination thereof. All the walks on the list below are qualified, and some upcoming Traditional Events may qualify over the course of the Challenge – watch the “What’s New” tab on this site for information. For descriptions of the qualified Year-Round Events, go to the “Light Rail Walk Series” tab on this site. Walkers may choose any length of route, when varying options are available, as long as the route meets the criteria as described. Clubs are encouraged to create new walks for the Light Rail Challenge. Interested clubs can contact Emerald City Wanderers for their events to be added to the list.
Current List of Current Qualified Year-Round Events – North to South:
- University of Washington – Y0351
- Historic Capitol Hill (Capitol Hill Station) – Y3037
- Downtown / Waterfront (International District Station) – Y0011
- Beacon Hill Station – Y2415
- Columbia City Station – Y2414
- Othello Station – Y2467
- Rainier Beach Station – Y2466
- Tukwila Station – Y2416 (goes north to Highline Garden)
- McMicken Heights (also starts at Tukwila Station, goes south) – Y2652
- Angle Lake Station – Y2394
- Luther Burbank Park (passes site of future Mercer Island Station) – Y1051
- Federal Way Parks (passes site of future Federal Way Station) – Y1021
List of Past Qualified Traditional Events and Retired Year-Round Events:
- Northgate – Traditional Event, held May 14, 2022
- Easter Walk (10K route only) – Traditional Event, held April 16, 2022
- Ghost Walk – YRE (retired 2022)
- SoDo Station – YRE (retired 2022)
- Easter Walk (10K route only) – Traditional Event, held April 3, 2021
- Leap Day Walk – Traditional Event, held February 29, 2020
- Labor Day Walk – Traditional Event, held August 31, 2019
- Fourth of July – Traditional Event, held July 4, 2019
- Celebrate 10 Years of LINK Light Rail – Traditional Event, held April 13 & 14, 2019
- Capitol Hill to International District – Traditional Event, held April 13 & 14, 2019
- Des Moines Creek Trail – YRE (Earlier, this walk qualified for the Challenge when there was an alternate start location from Angle Lake Station. However, the current route no longer offers the alternate start at the Station, so this walk no longer qualifies for the Challenge.)
Challenge Books: Participants shall record their completed qualified walks in their Light Rail Challenge Book, and upon completion of the Challenge, send completed books to:
Jane Clark
5700 6th Ave. S., #206
Seattle, WA 98108
Books will be checked per the criteria, and returned to participants along with the patch.
Timeline for the Challenge: Book sales began on January 1, 2019, and the first run quickly sold out. For a limited time, we are offering a second run for those wishing to purchase a book. See the What’s New tab for information. We have a patch reserved for all participants who purchased a Challenge Book, and will continue to distribute them until as participants complete the Challenge, for as long as the walks in the Light Rail Walk Series continue to be sanctioned.
Watch the What’s New tab on this site, as the successful participants will be posted in the “Light Rail Hall of Fame”!