My 10-yr old son and I went out to explore the Cougar Mountain area with De Leo Wall as our destination. It was a gorgeous morning and my fleece stayed in my pack the entire day! I was a little apprehensive since I partially tore the ACL in my right knee, but this hike had enough up and down to test it out, but not so much that it got worn out.

The trails were open and well maintained with a few muddy spots. There were only two blow downs that we encountered and I am pretty sure that the King County guy that we kept running into had taken care of them. We made it up to the view point on De Leo wall with little difficulty as we had a really good (Green Trails) map to help us choose which path to take. The signage along the way was mostly good, however there were a few times we had to rely solely on the map.

After making it to the viewpoint and eating a warm lunch (my son wanted to pack the backpacking stove) we opted to back track down the trail to Far Country Falls. The falls were running and bit overgrown. The pictures didn't come out as nice as they looked in person. After that we ran out of time and decided to head back to the Red Town trailhead via the Red Town Trail.

The stop in the meadow/ballfield was nice, as was the big talus field and the leaf fossils, but my son and I will avoid the Red Town Trail in the future. It was more of a straight gravel road and less of a trail and kind of a boring walk.

The wildflowers were out and things were coming to life. We saw and identified (this being the key point) bleeding heart, trillium, the pink blossoms of salmon berry, and fresh green berries on huckleberry bushes. There were many other that we didn't identify. It was a nice day to be out and about.

This loop of trails made 5 miles. The trails are in great shape - a bit of mud here and there, but easy to get around. Coal Creek Falls was full of water. Lots of Bleeding Hearts along the trail as well as other flowers I don't know the names of.

This time I decided to check out some of the trails on the west side of Cougar Mountain. First I rambled along the wide, easy-strolling Red Town Trail to the ballfield meadow. After relaxing by the rushing waters of Coal Creek for a bit, I continued roaming along the Indian Trail, freshly improved by the WTA and in great condition. A brand-new side trail led me down to an overlook of Far Country Falls, which is quite a lovely sight with its multiple streams of water tumbling down mossy ledges. This spot is destined to become a Cougar Mountain favorite.

I then backtracked on the Indian Trail and headed west on the De Leo Wall Trail. This old school trail is narrower and muddier than many on Cougar Mountain, but pretty nevertheless. The trail rambles on an up-and-down course through open forest along the south hillside of Marshall's Hill, crossing several ravines with little brooks. At a junction, the official De Leo Wall trail takes off uphill to avoid private property. To see the viewpoint, I continued straight ahead, following an unsigned but decent trail. This path soon reached the brink of the cliff and views picturesquely framed by madrona trees, which thrive on this extremely dry site.

The trail picked a precarious route along the cliff before arrive at a knot of trails coming together at the far west end of Cougar Mountain. New trails constructed by the Issaquah Alps Trails Club and the city of Newcastle continue west from here. I followed the "Cross Town Trail" for a bit, then ascended a new staircase to a subdivision. A short stroll among some high end homes took me to an access road to a water tower, and led me back into Cougar Mountain Park.

At this time, the few gleams of sun I was enjoying abruptly ended and I was assaulted by a sudden storm of hail, rain and thunder. The shelter of the trees in Cougar Mountain Park was quite welcome! The rain never let up until I got back to my car.

I Followed the Marshall's Hill trail for a long stretch--more pleasant walking on a good tread with just touches of mud in places. Eventually it joined the Wildside Trail, which I followed back to Red Town Trailhead. The Wildside Trail has some bad mudholes that need work.

For pleasant and easy hiking close to Seattle, Cougar Mountain never fails to please.

This series of trails forms a nice clockwise loop starting at the Red Town TH on Cougar.

Blue skies, sun, no wind, and temperatures in the mid-forties. The Coal Creek Falls are quite pretty right now, with a light dusting of snow on the surrounding area. When I got to the De Leo Wall trail, I decided to take the extra loop out to the “lookout spot”. This section of trail is narrower, more overgrown, and in rather poor condition, and the lookout was just a view of the suburbs to the SW. I’d skip it next time and just enjoy the climb up the main De Leo Wall trail. There were some blowdowns on the Marshall's Hill trail, but not too difficult to get over.

5 miles round trip, approx 1,100' elevation gain.