Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Washington Vashon Vashon Island Bike Tree

Vashon Island Bike Tree

A bike being "eaten" by a tree is the real Vashon legend behind popular children's book, "Red Ranger Came Calling."

Vashon, Washington

Added By
Rachel James
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/vashon+island
  http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/vashon+island
  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/1412
Image from Berkley Breathed’s, “Red Ranger Came Calling”.   Little, Brown Young
  sierra28 / Atlas Obscura User
February 2023  
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A rusted, dated bicycle is suspended inside the trunk of a tree, roughly 7 ft. off of the ground. It's as if the towering giant had tried to absorb or "eat" the two-wheeler and quit, defeated halfway through the process, leaving the bike carcass suspended within the living wood forever.

There are many stories and just as many questions about how the bike ended up in its awkward predicament. A boy tied it to a tree before going off to war, never to return. A child chained it there and got busy growing up, so the tree took it into an embrace. Artist, cartoonist and author Berkeley Breathed, who grew up on Vashon Island, wrote his version of what happened in a children's book called Red Ranger Came Calling, weaving it into an elaborate Christmas story.

While many are enchanted with the tree and its strange captive, some think it's a hoax. Many have speculated that there is no way the tree could have "picked up" the bicycle if it had been left leaning against it on the ground, as trees do not, by nature, grow up from the trunk, but from the top. The less cynical have pointed out that since the bike seems to be from the 1910s, the tree could have easily been a sapling, and a forked branch may have been weaved between parts of the bike and lifted it up over the decades.

Either way, the bike remains, suspended inside the knotted wood, and is a popular stop for hikers and bike lovers alike.

Related Tags

Plants Natural Wonders Nature

Know Before You Go

The bike tree is off of Vashon Highway (which runs between the Seattle and Tacoma ferry ports on either end of the island) on the northeast corner of the Vashon Highway and SW 204 St. intersection, about 50-60 ft (very rough guesstimate) into the woods to the south of a King County metro bus stop on the highway.

Community Contributors

Added By

Rachel

Edited By

dklimke, torivashon, MagnumPI, sierra28...

  • dklimke
  • torivashon
  • MagnumPI
  • sierra28
  • Qlyss
  • lauramaroldo67

Published

February 27, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2007/09/vashon-island-bike-tree.html
  • http://www.wheretogonext.com/feature/225141
  • http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/4226/
Vashon Island Bike Tree
20304 Vashon Hwy SW
Vashon, Washington, 98070
United States
47.422998, -122.46008
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Fence of Doors

Vashon, Washington

miles away

Oscar the Bird King

Vashon, Washington

miles away

Landmark on the Sound

Des Moines, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vashon

Vashon

Washington

Places 2

Nearby Places

Fence of Doors

Vashon, Washington

miles away

Oscar the Bird King

Vashon, Washington

miles away

Landmark on the Sound

Des Moines, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vashon

Vashon

Washington

Places 2

Related Places

  • Cape Flattery

    Neah Bay, Washington

    Cape Flattery

    At the most northwestern point of the contiguous United States lies a trail leading through an ancient forest to stunning cliff-side vistas and massive oceanside caves.

  • The Enchanted Forest

    Whitethorn, California

    Enchanted Forest

    A grove of "candelabra redwoods" deep in California's Lost Coast.

  • Gryteskogen Troll Trees

    Lund NO, Sweden

    Gryteskogen Troll Trees

    This collection of Dwarf beech trees were once believed to be enchanted trolls in disguise.

  • The ghost forest in the fog.

    Neskowin, Oregon

    Neskowin Ghost Forest

    The eerie remnants of an ancient forest were hidden under the sand for centuries.

  • Trail at Craggy.

    Black Mountain, North Carolina

    Craggy Gardens Rhododendron Tunnels

    Gnarled canopies of pink and purple wildflowers arch over the trail to the summit.

  • A tree with exposed roots.

    Soest, Netherlands

    Lange Duinen

    This large sand dune in the Netherlands is home to wind-whipped trees with "floating" roots.

  • Râpa Roșie.

    Municipiul Sebeș, Romania

    Râpa Roșie

    Romania's "Red Ravine" is a little-known natural wonder that bears a resemblance to the Grand Canyon.

  • The Tambopata Research Center

    Tambopata, Peru

    Tambopata Research Center

    One of the most remote lodges in the Amazon offers rare wildlife encounters and undisturbed views of the Peruvian rainforest.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.