The plan:

We ended up parking at Thorndyke and Halliday, so we didn’t start on the loop. We crossed the Magnolia Bridge but had to turn back before Expedia because the path was unpassable, so we decided to explore as we doubled back. We got a far-less-than-encouraging view of the crumbling structure under the Magnolia Bridge, which we had just crossed. We walked along the water on W. Marina Place, U-turned and picked up the beginning of the Elliot Bay Trail at Smith Cove Park, which got us back to the car. Total: 3.6 chilly but entertaining miles.