A very nice day spent with my 3 year old:

http://alpinelakesaficionad[…]uth-access-road-101210.html

Decided to do my own loop on Squak Mountain today. I took the South Access Road from the Squak Mountain Trailhead off of SE May Valley Road. It climbs pretty steeply for about a half mile before you get to the Bullit Gorge Trail (sign says May Valley Loop, see Green Trails Map No. 203s), and from there it continues to climb (with some even spots scattered about).

From there I hit the Perimeter Loop Trail to see the view indicated on my map. This trail runs along the ridge under the West Peak. About half way through this trail there is a path which leads down to the view. Today was really clear, and the view of Rainier was spectacular (see pictures below).

Once you leave the Perimiter Loop you get on the West Peak Trail. This just scrambles right up to the top of the Peak. There is a structure which appears to have been burned, and there is caution tape lying about. It makes for a very eerie feel, especially since the area trees make it very dark on that peak. The trail down to Bullit Fireplace Trail juts out from the Southeast Corner of the structure, and you need to have good "trailspotting" eyes to find it, as it blends well with the area. Keep your eyes on the trail or you could lose it. The descent to Bullit Fireplace is really steep.

The Bullit Fireplace Trail is a nice break from the uphill downhill scramble of West Peak. Take it easy at the Fireplace, have lunch on the table (its about the halfway point of this loop, plus you will be pretty hungry by now). After that, follow the trail to the Central Peak Trail.

Central Peak trail is pretty straightforward, much like the West Peak trail, just scramble right up to the top. There you will find the most serene nature in the radio tower compound that takes up the majority of the peak (sarcasm). There is nothing really to do here, and to avoid having your brain fried, you should probably head down quickly (more sarcasm, but really there is nothing to do up there except catch your breath). From there you follow the south access road to the Summit Trail, which is on the left.

The Summit Trail is pretty crazy, and I'm glad I was going down it instead of up it. Once it hooks up with Phils Creek Trail, it is pretty easy going. Except for these damn bees that kept buzzing around my head making me paranoid. Unfortunately, you cannot finish the Phils Creek Trail, since its connection to the May Valley Loop is closed at this time due to "dangerous trail conditions," it is pretty hard to miss all the crime scene-esque caution tape. If I was not tired by this point, I would have done it anyway.

Since I could not finish the trail I wanted, I headed down the south access road, starting at this point about half mile up from where I hit the Bullit Gorge Trail. It is steep and mean on the knees.

I am out of shape and did this hike in about 3.5 hours. I totaled up the mileage and its about 7.5 miles round trip. Good hike for a sunny Friday afternoon!