If you've grown tired of the rumble strips, stop signs favoring driveways, and four-abreast power walkers on the Burke-Gilman Trail, the Cedar River Trail offers a great alternative. Beginning in downtown Renton, it runs 12 miles east to Maple Valley (plus another five, unpaved, beyond that). The posted speed limit is 15 mph and the grade is subtly uphill (you're following a river, after all). But the path is more green, shaded, and rural than the BGT. The river oxbows back and forth, and there are nice underpasses beneath SR 169. Slugs and eagles abound. On your left, cows and horses. On your right, trailer parks and suburban megachurches. (Watch out for errant golf balls as you pass Maplewood Country Club.) Fly fishermen and equestrians flank both sides of the path, which is far less ruffled by tree roots than the BGT. If you have beefy tires, push to the trail's end on the even gravel surface. Most turn around at the Maple Valley parking lot. After that, your return trip is a sweet, gentle descent to Renton. ?Brian Miller kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/trails