Trail Route: Coal Creek trail from Coal Creek Parkways trailhead to Red Town trailhead
Trail Report:
The trailhead of this hike is located right off Coal Creek Parkway between 405 and Newcastle. Its a small dirt parking lot which fits about 6-7 cars.
There was alot of winter damage in the Coal Creek Park, you can see lots of knocked over trees and erosion around the trail. The hike starts out very close to Coal Creek. After leaving the trail head you can hear the parkway for a while, but soon it fades away as you get deeper into the park.
The trail is very well packed and seems well traveled over the years. The first half mile is very enjoyable and is mostly flat - making for a nice creekside adventure.
Last I visited, the lower bridge crossing Coal Creek was still not passable. There is a notice from Jan 2008 still saying they are awaiting funding and tests before its replaced.
After the bridge the trail becomes very forest-like, and less creekside. The area is full of deer, birds and small forest animals. The trail becomes fairly narrow at this point.
The primrose trail is closed and is not accessible as an alternate trail from the Coal Creek trail.
Past the Primrose trail, the route follows and old railroad road. On the way you pass an old engine turnaround point and see some of the railroads remains in the creek to the left.
The trail route leads back to the creek and passes North Fork Falls which still running strong.
As you reach the top of the trail, is easy to miss the small grove area which has a very nice display with information on the area's history and the coal mining railroad that used to occupy the trail area. As you go up the trail, make sure to stay RIGHT and cross the creek to reach this grove area.
There is also a very cool mine shaft as you continue to the end of the trail.
The trail continues up to a meadow area that is across the street from the Red Town Trailhead which serves Cougar Mountain and its great trail system.
To return to the Coal Creek Parkway trailhead, simply turn around and re-trace your route back down. The elevation change is only 460 feet, and there are no steep hills. Its a very nice creekside hike for anyone. Once the work is complete on the bridge it will be a great hike again.
Basics:
Area - Coal Creek Park (Near Bellevue, Washington)
Trails - Coal Creek Trail (N1), Cougar Mountain Regional Trail map
Elevation - Gain of 460 feet - start at 180 ft to top of 640 ft
Length - 6 miles out and back - 2 hours easy hike
Trail - Trail varies from single track to gravel roads. A couple good stops along the way. Well marked and maintained.
Bikes - Not allowed on this hike
View - no true views, but lots to look at -- waterfall, railroad history, coal mines
Getting There - Take I-90 to Coal Creek Parkway - head east. The trailhead is on the east side of the road before you reach Newcastle.
Fee- None, free parking
Other Trails - Only real connecting trail on this hike is closed. This hike does lead to the Cougar Mountain trails system.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Coal Creek Trail
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tiger Mountain - West Tiger Mtn #3
Trail Route: follow West Tiger Mountain #3 trail to the summit
Trail Report:
Most guide books, including my favorite, do a good job of warning this is a very popular trail. I did a drive by on a early March weekend and saw cars overflowing the parking lot all the way back to the freeway -- so I decided to do this hike on a weekday.
I thought a Tuesday morning would be a good time...but found I was not alone. There were about 12 cars in the parking lot at 9:30am and I must of passed at least 20 people (half with dogs) on the hike. Everyone was friendly -- but this was not a un-crowded hike.
That being said -- this trail has a real payoff, unlike most of Cougar and Squak hikes. So I think it was well worth it -- however, I am not sure I would do this hike on the weekend. This was my first hike on Tiger, so I was a bit concerned about finding the trail without a map. But this basic hike is well marked and unlike Cougar, there really aren't that many inter-connecting trails.
Just follow the "west tiger #3" trail signs out of the parking lot and the lower level.
Once you pass through a bike barrier, you are on the main trail. For the first mile, its a real uphill grind. The trail is fairly wide and basically a dual trail width for 90% of the hike. The trail is one of the best maintained I have seen recently. Since its so popular, its easy to understand why the trail is so established and well worn. During this time of the year, there were a couple of filter views of Issaquah and Lake Sammamish in the distance.
There are about three junctions along the way. They are all well marked, but if in doubt -- just follow the widest uphill trail.
After the first mile, the trail mellows out and becomes much more enjoyable. At the point pictured below, you have basically passed the steepest part and have a easier hike to the summit.
One interesting part is the intersection of the Cable Line trail, it follows the main trail up to the summit. Some maps show this as a trail -- and it looks like a very confusing intersecting trail option. BUT this is not a real trail and is full of rocks -- plus its not even an a real good option to the summit.
After passing the Cable Line, the snow became more appearent on the trail. I was lucky and it had snowed earlier and lots of hikers had already made tracks on the snow to show the route to the summit. From this point to the top, the hike gets a bit steep and narrow, but you are so close to the top its easy to push through it! (Dont let your friends quit at this point)
Right before you reach the top, there is a fantastic open view to the East. The trail is very narrow and has a steep falloff at this point.
After a couple more steep bits, you reach the top of Tiger Mountain 3 with a Summit of 2522 feet.
The day I did this hike, it was very cloudy so there was no fantastic view...but it still was a great summit with a real clearing so you can take a break and enjoy being at the top.
I was thinking about going on to Tiger Mtn #2, but the snow covered over the trail at this point and I wasnt sure where the trail headed. In any case, I turned around and headed back down.
On the way back, I took some time to enjoy some of the sounds of the mountain. There were lots of birds and creeks running sounds on the lower half of the mountain.
If it wasnt for the crowds (even on a Tuesday!) it would be my favorite hike.
One warning - the summit is at 2520 feet, so it will be snowing if the forecast calls for "snow in the foothills".
Summary:
Current trail condition: Mostly dry, some mud patches at midway, and snow on the trail near (and at) the Summit. Hiking boots were ok.
Crowded, but enjoyable hike with well maintained trails. Lots of dogs (not sure why) and parking can be an issue on busy weekends. The route is well marked and easy to find, although I would always travel with a map (Green Trails: Tiger Mountain 204S) or a good local guide book, like this one. The summit has a great view, its a bit of a steep haul but dont quit -- its well worth it. Views of Seattle, Tiger Mtn 2, and Mount Rainier from the summit. Filtered views along the way during the winter.
No fee and free parking lot -- if primary lot is full, you can park on the paved road before the white gate and walk in.
Great hike, but I would do it on a weekday to avoid the crowds.
Basics:
Area - Tiger Mountain (Near Issaquah,Washington)
Trails - Green Trails map: Tiger Mountain 204S
Elevation - Gain of 2,000 feet - start at 480 ft to top of 2,522 ft
Length - 5 miles out and back - 2.5 hours moderate uphill
Trail - Wide dirt trail, limited stops along the way. Well marked and maintained.
Bikes - Not allowed on this hike
View - A couple along the way, with a BIG view at the top
Getting There - Take I-90 to Exit 20. The Entrance is on the south-side of the freeway.
Fee- None, free parking
Other Trails - Many, all main trails are well marked.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Cougar Mountain- Bear Ridge Trail
Date of Hike: March 2008
Hike Route: Bear Ridge (E3) -> West Tibbetts Creek (E10) -> Protector Trail (E9) -> Shangri La (E1) -> West Tibbets Trail -> Bear Ridge
This is a great hike if you want to stay away from the crowds. There is only space for three cars in the parking lot off of SR 900. The lot is located after the Talus intersection and before milepost 20 on SR900.
The hike is a basic lollipop, with the first mile of the hike being almost all uphill gaining about 600 feet from the start of the hike.
At the beginning of the hike, there are a couple left turns to keep on the Bear Ridge Trail. These are well marked.
Since it was March, the forest was pretty barren, which provides for some interesting views normally hidden by dense brush. I should say there are no real "views" on this hike, but there are some nice filtered views of Tiger Mountain when you get up above 800 feet.
The Bear Ridge trail is the only way to get to "Fantastic Erratic" Glacial Boulder. Its a nice place to stop and take a break along the way.
As you continue past the Boulder, you can see back toward Tiger Mountain for some nice sunrise views, if you start early enough. The Bear Ridge trail meets with the West Tibbetts Creek trail which continues up toward the Tibbetts marsh area of the mountain.
The West Tibbetts trail goes up to about 1200 feet, when you turn right on to the Protector trail (via a short connection on the Tibbetts Marsh trail). This 0.3 mile trail seems to be used very seldomly and is fairly narrow but offers some nice hiking with a cool redwood glen walk through. The county trail map shows a look-out point on the Protector Trail, but I didnt see any point -- maybe I missed it.
The Protector trail meets up with the Shangri La Trail at "Pulper Junction". The Shangri La trail is fairly wide and provides some more nice filter views of Tiger Mountain during the winter.
The Shangri La Trail crosses a couple feeder creeks during the winter -- not sure these would be active during the summer. Considering it had rained the day before, the trail was very dry for having so much water running on small creeks nearby. There were only a couple muddy points, but really most of Cougar Mountain's trails are pretty dry even after a winter storm.
On the way back you return via Bear Ridge Trail. There is an option to return via the West Tibbetts Creek Trail - but I didnt do that on this hike.
Here is a short video of one of the creeks running by the trail:
If the parking lot is full, you can continue west on SR 900 to two other trailheads:
Squak Mountain Connector Trail (you can choose to go to Squak or Cougar Mtn from here)
Wilderness Creek Trail (large paved parking lot)
More Photos from Hiking on Cougar
Basics:
Area - Talus Open Space / Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (Near Issaquah,Washington)
Trails - (Trail Map)
Length - 4 miles lollipop - Two-hour easy hike (moderate uphill on the first mile)
Trail - Lollipop, dirt trail, limited stops along the way. Well marked and maintained.
Bikes - Not allowed on this hike
View - Not really any true "views" but there are some interesting spots along the hike
Getting There - Google Map
Fee- None, free very limited parking
Other Trails - tons! There is a longer version of this hike on page 33 in This Book
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Cougar Mountain - Wilderness Creek to Far Country Lookout
Date of Hike: January 2008
Hike Route: Wilderness Creek Trailhead > Long View Peak Trail > Deceiver Trail > Shy Bear Trail > Far Country Lookout loop > Shy Bear Trail > Wilderness Creek Trail
This hike is similar to other Cougar Mountain hikes, semi-steep start with gentle trails once you reach the top of the park. Winter is a great time to do this hike, since the views are better and spots of snow and ice make for an interesting hike. There is still plenty of "green" on this hike, thanks to moss, ferns and evergreen trees. It also seems like more wildlife is out and about -- maybe they are just more visible since there was less tree cover to hide within.
The Wilderness Creek Trailhead is off SR900 between Renton and Issaquah. There is parking for about 10 cars. The hike starts off going uphill for almost all of the 1.5 mile length of this trail. Along the way are some well-constructed log bridges and walkways.
At the end of Wilderness Creek Trail, there is a right turn onto the Long View Peak trail which has a log walkway above the marsh area.
Long View Peak offers a small lookout spot. It looks out onto Renton and the Southcenter area. You can also see planes landing at Sea-Tac airport in the distance.
Doughty Falls is also close by and nice diversion if there has been recent rains. Its not a true waterfall, but its a nice break on the way. The trail was semi-covered by ferns but its easy to find and you cant miss the "falls"
Unlike the summer months, the sun shines through very brightly on to most of the trails including the Deceiver and Shy Bear trails.
After about 4 miles, you reach the Far Country Lookout trail.
After a short walk, you will reach a small bench on the Far Country Trail where you can view the "lookout".
I didnt want to spoil the view, but if you really want to see it you can view it here
On the way back, I took the full Shy Bear trail back to the Wilderness Creek Trail. Its a little less Up and Down and also has some very cool log walks above the year-round Shy Bear Marsh.
A nice long hike with a couple things to see on a very well maintained trail system.
More Photos
Basics:
Area - Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (Near Issaquah,Washington)
Trails - (Trail Map)
Length - 8 miles out and back - Easy Hike (moderate uphill on first 1.5 miles)
Trail - Loop, dirt trail, limited stops along the way. Well marked and maintained.
Bikes - Not allowed on this hike
View - Just two -- and only on a clear winter day
Getting There - Google Map
Fee- None, free parking
Weather - Cold in the mornings with some ice and snow during the winter.
Other Trails - tons! Including this hike: Cougar Mtn - SR900 to Mine Shaft
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Arnold might close some State Parks
Under a proposed budget plan, the California Governor will close 48 state parks out of 278 existing parks. The plan would close two major hiking areas in the Bay Area including Henry W. Coe State Park and Portola-Redwood State Park.
While I have not hiked Henry Coe yet...it does seem to be a favorite hiking park for many.
Portola-Redwood State park is one of my favorites, given how truly "remote" it is -- even though its a short drive from the Peninsula or the South Bay. It provides a number of hikes including one long remote 13-mile hike that I did last year.
For a map and list of the proposed closures, click here
More coverage of the proposed park closings:
SFGate.com
LATimes.com
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Squak Mtn - Bullitt Fireplace Hike (Winter)
Date of Hike: Jan 2008
Summary: Fun, low key hike on Squak Mountain with snow at the top near the historic Bullitt Fireplace. Almost no views even during the less dense forest winter. At times confusing trail system which is marked but often interconnects making trails less distinct.
I did this hike early in the morning on New Years Day -- obviously I am not a late night NYE kinda person, haha! The drive up to the trailhead was very easy but there is no signage or markers, however the parking lot is easy to spot and the trailhead is well established.
Like Cougar Mountain nearby, this park has a series of interconnecting trails which makes for lots of miles of hiking -- but it can be confusing if you are seeking a straight-forward hiking route. Even one of my favorite local hiking books
The trail from the parking lot, leads to an intersection with the Coalmine trail and then (at about 1300 feet elevation) the East Side Trail. For some reason it seems a bit counter intuitive, but you do indeed turn right and follow the Bullitt Fireplace trail.
At about 1460 feet, you reach the intersection of the Central Peak and Fireplace trail. Also at this elevation we encountered some snow which had been on the ground for a couple days from the last snow/rain storm in the area.
After reaching 1500 feet in elevation, the trail became completely snow covered. Hiking boots worked fine, but anything less would mean slipping and sliding. The snow was compact but a bit icy in spots. It was a very nice surprise to find the snow as it had been a couple days since the snow storm and the weather had been very mild for the past couple days (it was about 40F degrees that morning).
The climb up the snow trail was fairly uneventful, there are no real view spots of other than some tree lined views of the major housing development across the valley. During the summer this is probably not visible at all since the trees will be in full foliage.
Near the Central Peak of the mountain, you reach the historic Bullitt Fireplace and a basic picnic table. It was snow covered of course but makes for a nice rest stop for a drink of water. Since it was a bit snowy and my first hike in a couple months we decided to head back via the Central Peak Trail. There are a number of other options at this point to create a longer hike including returning via the West Peak or around the east side of the Central Peak.
The walk back featured more "winter wonderland" scenes on the Central Peak trail. Soon it rejoins the Bullitt fireplace trail as you head back to the trailhead. We saw a couple of people on the trail as we returned, but otherwise it was very secluded and quiet -- but this is probably since it was early on New Years day morning.
This hike is fairly low rated by others and I can see why since there are no big views or interests (except for the Bullitt fireplace). However, this was a very nice "snow" hike during the winter without having to go up to Cascades.
More Photos
Basics:
Area - Cougar-Squak Mtn. Corridor (King Co.) / Squak Mtn. State Park Natural Area - Mountainside Drive Entrance near Issaquah, WA
Trails - Bullitt Access N1, Bullitt Fireplace C2, Central Peak C2
Length - 4 miles roundtrip - Easy Hike (uphill and snowy+icy at the top, but easy)
Trail - Lollipop trail, lots of options and connecting trails
Dogs - Some
Bikes - Not allowed on this hike
View - Just a very few during the winter
Getting There - Google Map, From SE Newport Way in Issaquah, take Mountain Park Blvd to Mountainside Park Road which will lead to a roadside parking area before a hairpin turn. Its easy to find.
Fee- None, at this trailhead - free parking
Weather - Lots of shade, snowy and icy at the top during the winter.
Other Trails - there are lots of other trails in the park
More Info - PI hike report from 2001
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Best Bay Area Hikes of 2007
Here are some of the best bay area hikes that I have done this year...
Best Overall Hike:
Montara Mountain North Peak hike
World Class views on a clear day of the Pacific Coastline and the Bay Area (if you reach the top).
Best Book on Hiking on the Peninsula:
Peninsula Trails: Outdoor Adventures on the San Francisco Peninsula (Trails)
Lots of detail and decent maps and directions
Best Hiking with a Dog:
Hamms Gulch-Windy Hill Loop
It can get wet during the winter storms, but its a great dog trail
(runner-up) Pulgas Ridge Open Space
A true Dog trail, but a bit bland
Best Trail overrun by bikers:
El Corte De Madera Creek - North
Its a great area and nice trails, but its overrun by mountain bikers on weekends
Best Trail WAY OUT there:
Portola Redwoods Park - Peters Creek Loop
Not only is this park remote, but the trail is very lonely on weekdays -- I did not see anyone the whole 13 miles.
Best Trail for views of San Francisco:
San Bruno Mountain - Summit Loop Trail
On clear day, you can see all around the Bay Area... but on foggy days -- not so much
Whats your favorite hike this year? (Post in Comments and I will tally them)
happy hiking!
