The hike was good, but would have been better with more thorough directions. There are a lot trail systems on Cougar Mountain, so it can be a bit confusing. First, when you pull into the parking area - you need to back track to the yellow gated gravel military road. Everything is good until it describes walking along the fence line to Radar Park. It sounds as if you will do this for awhile, when it is only 10-15 feet or so. You will come to an opening where you can enter park. Once in the park it is hard to find the "Million Dollar View." Fear not, walk towards the parking area to the right and you will see a sign that says "Anti-Aircraft Trailhead," keep walking for .125 mile, and you will literally see a sign that says "Million Dollar View." It is a great view, but I would bet that if you went in Winter time you would get an even better view... and this goes for the "Clay Pits" as well. There are a lot of maple trees that block a panoramic view. It was worth the time, but I will be back when the leaves fall for an even better view. The trail itself was well maintained and scenic, however I would not rate it as 3 for difficulty. I would rate it a 2 or so for difficulty, as most of it is not steep... there only two spots where it climbs. The rest of the trail is a gentle up and down.

3.2 mi loop, +260/-260 ft, Old Man, Cave Hole, Coyote Creek, Klondike Swamp, Cougar Pass, By-Pass, Cave Hole, Nike Horse (clockwise)

Trailhead and Endpoint 47.53329, -122.11296, 1160 feet, Sky Country Trailhead

Needed a quick hike nearby to get back in time to watch Jerry Springer, so decided to circumambulate Klondike Marsh. The trip proved to be more exciting than anticipated, as we thought we had the first manbearpig sighting outside Colorado, but it was a golden retriever.

Went in at the new trailhead next to the old Nike missile site. The entire route is mostly on a level or gentle grade. The Old Man Trail, not on the 1998 map, wanders through the woods and is a pleasant alternative to the Clay Pit Road. This trail terminates at the Cave Hole Trail. A left turn and 500 feet ahead is the Clay Pit Road. The trail continues on the other side of Clay Pit as the Coyote Creek Trail. Coyote Creek is a small tributary of the North Fork Coal Creek and makes no significant appearance near the trail that shares its name. At the north end of Klondike Marsh, the Coyote Creek Trail intersects the Klondike Swamp Trail about three-quarter mile from Clay Pit Road. Along the Klondike Swamp Trail is an interesting arbor formed across the trail by overhanging branches. Five hundred feet off this trail is Cougar Pass, accessible by the Cougar Pass Trail. Back on the Klondike Swamp Trail, this trail ends at Clay Pit Road and continues on as Fred's Railroad Trail. Shortly after crossing the road, By-Pass Trail takes off to the right, another nice alternative to the road. At the end of the By-Pass Trail, a left turn onto Cave Hole Trail leads to the Nike Horse Trail, also not on the 1998 map, after traversing the flat hill that was home to the old Nike base. The Nike Horse Trail follows alongside the pasture which once housed the missile emplacements on its way back to the trailhead.

A lot of trails for a 4 mile loop (approximate mileage) in Cougar Mt. Park, three of us, Alpine Art, Loren and Joani started from Sky Country Trail Head on a pleasant walk on trails and the Clay Pit Road. In general the trails are a bit muddy after recent rains but for most of our hike we had only drizzle if with mud holes. The East Fork trail was quite muddy at times but this is not unusual for this trail. My only misdirection on the hike was a short trip up Coyote Creek Trail rather than hiking Clay Pit Road to Klondike Swamp Trail.

Other than the mud the walk was great. Lots of dogs, runners and others out prior to the predicted arrival of rain in the afternoon.

Took the directions from this page and did the hike. I was expecting it to be tougher than it actually was. The most difficult part was the ascent of Lost Beagle Trail, I took one break and a sip of water (and I'm relatively out of shape). If nothing else its a great nature hike, good for inexperienced hikers. Most of the other people on the trail were joggers.

I think the "million dollar view" is an ironic name. I did not find any such view, even when I crossed into Radar Park (there is an entrance at the top of lost beagle trail) and walked to a bench. Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough.

In all it took me about 1.5 hours to cover the whole thing. Fun hike and great forest scenery.