This is a short but great waterfalls hike on the west section of the Coal Creek trail. The first falls (North Fork) was very lively with the recent heavy rains (this falls is about 0.3 miles from the parking lot) and well worth the walk most of the winter. The Coal Creek trail is in excellent shape despite the rain at least on the sections I walked. The trail had very little mud and generally and good footing despite the heavy leaf coverage of the trail. The Primrose trail however, has several sections which may ""slough"" in the current weather. One section, heading west near Sandstone Falls is on a steep cut over the creek. It was stable when I walked it but it appears that the right conditions could wash the trail out at this or some other points in the area. Sandstone falls was pulsing when I went by and I was not sure why. I got back to my vehicle about the time the Monsoon returned happy to have hiked during a dry spell on the weekend.

Sunday was a warm and sunny day; the great weather caused crowds to gather at Red Town trail head with less parking than normal available. Alpine Art, Joani, Kevin, Bob and Cody (a canine friend) took the good weather as an opportunity to do a loop to Coal Creek Falls via the old dam site on the North Fork of Coal Creek. The trails were very dry with virtually no mud, a surprise to me as several weeks before, the trails in this area had numerous mud holes. There is still plenty of water in the creeks and Coal Creek Falls was still picturesque. Cody enjoyed her day out starting with a Dick’s Cheese Burger and snacks of fresh strawberries. Lots of families, dogs and couples on the trail; everyone making the most of our brief peak at spring. Photo is of Bob, Joani and Alpine Art at Coal Creek Falls, the blur in the photo is Cody.

KT's friends from Wisconsin and North Carolina wanted to take a hike/walk for some views. Joani thought Discovery Park might fit the bill but the high winds near the bluffs kept us from doing much in this area so we all went to Coal Creek and hiked about 2 miles. The creek was running ""high"" and water over the North Fork Falls was more than I have ever seen. After a short hike the group all wanted to visit REI so after lunch we all headed to the mother ship of REI stores for supplies and viewing the climbing wall. The Coal Creek Trail is a bit muddy but otherwise in good shape considering the recent rains.

I left the house at 2:00 PM looking for a short hike that could be completed before dark. I had been on the Coal Creek trail once before and decided to hike in from the Red Town trail head. The hike I took offers views of an abandoned mine two water falls and several historic sites. I was surprised to see no water coming down Coal Creek until the North Fork Falls. The falls are one of the prettiest in the Cougar Mt. Park and just 0.3 miles from the trail head. The trail is in very good shape to the falls. Beyond the falls there are muddy sections that one would expect with the recent rain fall. About 1 mile from the falls, the Primrose trail goes down to Coal Creek and eventually crosses the creek in about 0.35 miles. A short distance from the bridge is the second falls (Sand Stone) - pretty but not as much water at the North Fork. The Primrose Trail was a bit muddier than the Coal Creek Trail and loops back to this trail about 0.35 miles from the Sand Stone Falls. Once back at the Coal Creek Trail I headed back east to the car - a round trip of 4 miles and about 300 feet elevation gain and loss. Not many people on the trail during my 1 hour and 15 minutes or so of walking. The falls are worth seeing and the Primrose offers some solitude although you are never out of ear shot vehicle noise and often not out of sight of homes above the creek.

The weather reports were for showers, and thunderstorms in the afternoon, so I stuck to a short walk close to home. Back to Cougar for the first time since March, and another trail there I hadn't done before. The Coal Creek Trail follows the path of the Creek through mixed woodland, then veers away for a while, opening up into meadows, before returning to woodland. The Primrose Trail forms a loop off the main Coal Creek route, so you can take one path in one direction and the other on the return. I started from the Red Town Trailhead end, because that's where the parking is. It's mainly level, easy walking, though the Primrose Trail drops down to run by the creekbed while the main trail stays up on the ridge before switchbacking down to meet it later, so there's always going to be a quick climb on the return. Flowers were out in numbers along all sections of the trail - common ones, to be sure, but no less pretty for it, and attracting fair numbers of butterflies. Undergrowth becomes quite dense in sections, particularly alongside the Primrose trail, and there are some nettles around, but not enough to cause problems walking in shorts as long as you look. There had been a quick shower as I drove there, so the woods provided that wonderful smell of damp undergrowth to accompany me all the way. There are a couple of attractive waterfalls along the route - the North Fork Falls (pictured) near the Red Town end, and the Sandstone Falls along the Primrose trail. The other photo is of a buttercup-filled boggy area by the creek along the Primrose trail. This is a delightful area when time presses, and I duly made it home long before the thiunder started! Photos of all my hikes at go up at http://www.livejournal.com/users/eelpi/