Mercer Island Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

The only access to Mercer Island is by Interstate 90 (I-90): from the west, a pair of floating bridges connects Seattle with Mercer Island, and in the east I-90 provides access from the Eastside. Mercer Island is accessed through Exits 7A (77th Ave SE) and 7B (Island Crest Way) from the eastbound lanes of I-90 and through only Exit 7 (Island Crest Way) from westbound lanes.

The transportation hub (bus station) in Mercer Island is the 47.5885-122.232331 Mercer Island Park & Ride on N Mercer Way and 80th Ave SE, alongside of I-90. It is served by:

• Sound Transit, toll-free: +1-888-889-6368. Has regional public transit routes including Sounder trains, Link light rail, and express bus in King County (e.g. Bellevue, Issaquah, Redmond, Kirkland, Seattle, etc); Snohomish County (e.g. Everett, Lynnwood); and Pierce County (e.g. Puyallup, Tacoma). The following routes stop into Mercer Island P&R on their way between Seattle and the eastside: (updated Jun 2023)

• 550 Downtown Seattle - Bellevue
• 554 Downtown Seattle - 142nd Pl SE & I-90 Ramp Stop - Issaquah

• King County Metro, ☏ +1 206-553-3000. Operates bus, streetcar, and monorail routes in King County. Communities within the county served by this operator's routes include Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Mercer Island, North Bend, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila, Vashon Island, White Center, and Woodinville. (updated Jun 2023) They operate the following in Mercer Island:
  

• DART 204 serves as a local shuttle between the Mercer Island P&R (north) and Mercer Island Village Shopping Center (south).
• DART 630 connects downtown Seattle and First Hill to Mercer Island Village Shopping Center via Mercer Island P&R during weekday afternoons and to Seattle during the weekday mornings. Check schedules.

Mercer Island has a Park and Ride near Downtown and I-90. From the Park and Ride, you can take three bus routes to the South end of the Island, near the Mercer Village Shopping Center. There are two major routes that many people use to go to the South end of the island. There is the direct Island Crest Way, which passes through the center of the Island. There is also the more scenic Mercer Way, which is divided into West Mercer Way, East Mercer Way and North Mercer Way. This route goes on the side of the Island and has many curves.

• 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)

Luther Burbank Park is the most notable park on the north part of the island, followed by Pioneer Park in the middle of the island. The former park offers views of Bellevue and Medina, and has public docks, and the latter park is 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.

Many of the greatest views can be seen from the smaller 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.

• 47.591389-122.2251 Luther Burbank Park. (updated Jun 2020)
• 47.5918-122.2442 Aubrey Davis Park (Lid Park). (updated Jun 2020)

There are multiple places to go shopping on Mercer Island. The Mercer Village Shopping Center is at the south end of the island, having a grocery store, several coffee shops, a drug store and other shops that mostly cater to the locals.

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

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

Seattle ←

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→ Bellevue → Spokane