The Cougar Mtn Trail from the Red Town trailhead is a perfect after work stroll. The refurbished meadow on the old early 1900s baseball field on the site of what was once an outlying suburb of the coal mining community of Newcastle offers a touching contemplation of change and regeneration. Every trail intersection is clearly marked and maps are able to be picked up at the trailhead. Excluding the occasional evidence of horses the trail itself could not be in better condition - one could almost hike it in street shoes. We had the thrill of being able to listen hard to a large animal ( bear, deer?) just past the Shy Bear swamp without catching sight of it. After harvesting some angel wing mushrooms from a fallen log ( and vowing to return for a serious mushroom hunt in the fall) we made our to the Coal Creek Falls and took a scramble provided with conveniently placed handholds of tree roots to a perch overlooking it. From there the whisper of water and a glance of an Anna's Hummingbird, quicker than a bee. Absolutely no one else was around. If there were bugs we didn't notice them.

With all the recent snow, I'd figure I'd tromp out to Coal Creek Falls to attempt to get a good picture (the previous 4 tries turned out awful). And with all the recent snow, there was more mud at than you could shake a stick at. Coal Creek is full at the falls now, so while we have clear skies, it's a good destination (though there is...or was still quite a bit of snow around the falls). I originally intented on doing a loop from the Cave Holes trail to the falls and then out via the Red Town trail, but IT WAS GONE!!! There is supposed to be a short connector between the falls and the Quarry Trail, but after walking for 1/4 mile and two switchbacks that I never remembered seeing before, I had to wonder what happened...so I went back the way I came.

After I also poked my nose at North Fork Falls just down the S+WW RR trail leading downstream. Nice flow now. Also, had to kill a few frames and some daylight, so I poped over to Weowna Park in between 148th and W LK Sammamish Pkwy. It's a thin park off of NE 166th (I think). I found a small waterfall there on the outlet of Phantom Lake once a while back, so I returned to investigate. And I found a beautifully developed trail system around the canyon, a pair of waterfalls (very small), one even with a viewing deck, connecting trails between W LK Sam Pkwy and 166th. A great park. Check it out if you've got a few hours some day. Good place for kids.

Probably the most challenging of the Cougar Mountain Trailheads, the Wilderness Creek Trailhead offers secluded hiking only 5 minutes out of Issaquah. Take SR 900 south from I-90. The trailhead is on your right, about 5-7 miles from Newport Wy NW. Maps are usually available at the trailhead.

The trailhead begins with a large elevation gain that puts you on top of Cougar with many options on where to branch out from. I went to the Coal Creek Falls. Right now the trail suffers from a lack of maintenance, winter blow down, mud, and water are your enemies here. Nothing that couldn't be hopped or walked through though. Trail is normally well kept.

The Coal Creek Falls area has a newly constructed foot bridge, and is a great destination for a somewhat secluded lunch on Cougar Mountain. Other trail heads on Cougar offer for days of endless exploring and hiking.

See you on the trail. EJS.