May Valley Trail
This quiet, little-used trail wanders through a lowland forest and up the South side of Squak Mountain along Bullitt Creek. At the top of the mountain, join the network of trails that lead to a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier and the historical remnant of the Bullitt Family home. Wildlife abounds in the form of birds, and great slugs and other small animals. Various wildflowers and ferns can be found along the trail.
Driving Directions:
I-90 Eastbound to Exit 15 (WA 900 / 17th Ave NW). After driving through town, road name changes to Renton-Issaquah Road SE. 4 miles from the interstate, turn left on May Valley Road. Drive 2.5 miles to large sign for Squak Mountain State Park on Left Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns
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Beautiful day for a trail run, lots of people out today. I started at the West Access entrance off of...
Beautiful day for a trail run, lots of people out today. I started at the West Access entrance off of HWY 900. There is plenty of blow-down in the first 3/4 mile, so for now it is really slow going. Big chainsaw stuff. That was the worst of the trails i saw today. There is still a little snow here & there, but dont expect much. Instead of retracing my route, here is the status (your mileage may vary!):
Cleared: Coal Mine Old Griz (except the top 100 yards) Perimeter loop Coming up from May Valley TH (you wouldnt even know there was a storm there) I didnt take C2 very far but I m guessing the rest is in also good shape Not Cleared: Phil's Creek between south summit trail and Griz intersections (many limbs) Chybinski loop (though someone was working on it with a chainsaw when i went through) EastSide Trail (south of Griz) South Summit (one large, difficult tree down, and many limbs) Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Fall foliage
Issues:
Mudholes
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It was a gorgeous day to be outside. Finally, some sun! The traihead is at Squak Mountain State...
It was a gorgeous day to be outside. Finally, some sun! The traihead is at Squak Mountain State Park which is located along the May Valley Rd through the Issaquah/Renton farm country. Plenty of parking around 1pm.
The trail was dry and pretty well kept for the first 1.5 miles, but horseback riders in this area fail to clean up after their animals. If you don't like the site or smell of horse droppings, steer clear of just about ALL the trails in the Issaquah/Renton/Hobart area. During the latter part of the trail, it gets pretty steep really quick. You gain a good amount of elevation in a short period. The forestry in this area is fairly thick. You forget that you're right next to a busy street! Small creeks sing throughout the whole loop and I honestly felt like a woodpecker was following me around. Right before the the old fireplace, the trail steepens even more and the brush nearly overtakes the trail. The last mile of the trail is supposed to be free of any horseback riders, but they ignore the signs. The narrow trail is completely destroyed from this point on. I had to walk along the edges of the trail to avoid mud and droppings. Once at the peak, you are greeted with a couple of tall towers. No view at all. Don't expect anything breathtaking at the top. To avoid going back down the horse-battered trail, I took the Squak Mountain Road back down. It's quite steep, so be careful. Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail
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Was a great day to be on the trail today with the weather cooperating. We got a late start but...
Was a great day to be on the trail today with the weather cooperating. We got a late start but even so, the Squawk Mtn Trailhead parking lot still had a few open spots to park. We hiked up to the Bullitt Fireplace. There were multiple sections of the trail there are very muddy, I wish I had work shorts under my hiking pants or had zipoffs. The hike up and back was still pretty good. Total distance per GPS was 4.4 miles and we gained approx 1700 ft in elevation.
May Valley Trail, Perimeter Loop Trail, Chybinski Loop, East Side, Phil's Creek
— Mar 19, 2011
— mtnlou
Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes
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This was the first time hiking from the May Valley TH in a long time. A new trail takes you...
This was the first time hiking from the May Valley TH in a long time. A new trail takes you off the road right away. The steep section of the May Valley trail has been lovingly tended to by what can only be called a "trail angel". At the steepest, most rutted and muddy point, there is a detour to the left, flagged with ribbon and small wooden signs that read, "easy".
The viewpoint off the Perimeter Trail was beautiful, with a full view of the south sound and Mt Rainier. On the Chybinski Trail, we ran into lots of people and their (mostly) well-behaved dogs. But then again, I love dogs, so it really didn't matter. I missed the Thrush Gap Connector trail, as that is not marked and I was lulled into ease with the rest of the well-marked paths. No matter, we went to the East Ridge Trail to meet up with Phil's Creek. Along the way, we had views of Poo Poo Point across the valley on Tiger. It looked like fresh snow up there. The turnoff to Equestrian Loop from Phil's Creek is marked as closed, with a gate and a threatening sign. Best to leave that alone and head down the road for a half mile, then the rest of the way on May Valley Trail, a nice and easy descent and end to a lovely hike in the Alps.
May Creek Trail
— Apr 22, 2010
— whitebark
Day hike
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Spent a few hours roaming the City of Newcastle's trails, starting from Lake Boren Park. The trail network in Newcastle...
Spent a few hours roaming the City of Newcastle's trails, starting from Lake Boren Park. The trail network in Newcastle is extensive, and some are surprisingly woodsy despite the suburban setting. The Green Trails "Cougar Mountain" map shows many of the trails, as does the Issaquah Alps Club map of the area.
Perhaps the nicest of the Newcastle trails is the May Creek Trail, which traverses the north side of May Creek's deep canyon, following the old railroad grade from Renton to the Cougar Mountain coal mines. This trail has been greatly improved in recent years, and is in nice shape. For my loop hike, I parked at Lake Boren, walked out of the north end of the park onto 129th. Past the old cemetery, I turned east onto the signed Waterline Trail, then followed that to the Cross Town Trail, which is located in a power line corridor. Followed that south over a hilltop. Turned right at an unmarked trail which dips into the forested ravine of Sylvan Creek. Continued to 116th Ave, which I followed south. Took a circuitous route on residential streets to the west end of the May Creek Trail at SE 93rd Street. Followed that lovely trail a long mile to the grassy Waterline Trail, which took me back to Lake Boren. The whole loop was about 4 miles. |
Photo by Eric Jain.
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