Today I participated in the Save Coal Creek March / Rally from the Redtown Th to NewCastle Beach Park today. I was disappointed that the crowd of hikers / walkers wasn’t a larger group. The Issaquah Alps did a great job of signage, people stationed at intersections and the staging in NewCastle Beach Park. If you  missed the walk or rally want to get involved  it’s not too late. You can sign the petition at: https://www.issaquahalps.org/save-coal-creek-petition or donate https://www.issaquahalps.org/save-coal-creek

This 7.1 mile round trip hike is well marked going from Coal Creek trailhead to Red Town trailhead where there is a covered picnic table and porta-potty. The trail is well maintained although today's rain made it slippery in sections. The waterfalls are full and beautifully and trees are green with moss. The creek is running strong yet undercutting a section of the trail which looks like it might become a problem in time. This is a perfect winter hike when your looking for green and lush, even in the rain. Dog friendly although there is gravel in sections.  

iked one of my go-to loops at Cougar - I call it the Three Waterfall Loop– today done clockwise:

Start at Sky Country trailhead. Up Clay Pit Road to Fred’s Railroad, right on Freds Railroad to Shy Bear trail/Shy Bear Pass. From Shy Bear Pass onto Long View Trail (where there has been some recent clearing of downed trees, thank you!) which turns into Deceiver Trail. Past Doughty Falls (which was running a bit more strongly than usual it seemed) to Shy Bear Trail, left on Shy Bear Trail, which turns into Far Country Trail - divert to Far Country Overlook to have lunch on the bench there. Down to Indian Trail past charming mossy Far Country Falls, right on Quarry Trail for a well graded 350 foot ascent, left on Coal Creek Falls trail past the falls which were running quite nicely today (looks like the bridge there has been recently repaired/rebuilt). Climb out of the Coal Creek valley to the Cave Hole trail, take a right and uphill on that, then left on Nike Horse Trail and back to the car.

Trails were all in great shape and well marked but definitely take a map! One this winter weekday we saw one trail runner, and a total of 6 other hikers. I like Cougar for the somewhat more open forest than other parts of the Issaquah Alps, the smooth trails, and the options for so many loops. Stats for this loop: 12 different named trails, 6.6 miles, and about 1200 feet of gain with the ups and downs.

We found some gloves at the trailhead - did you lose some?

We started at the Coal Creek Parkway trailhead at 3 and were the only car there as we started and finished.  We saw only two other people while walking the Primrose loop.

Thank you trail crew for clearing the trail of fallen trees.  There are some muddy bits, but not enough to get our shoes too wet.  There's plenty of water in the creek.  There is some erosion of the stream that will eventually impact the trail.  It's great to see water at work.  

    We had a magical hike on the Coal Creek trail starting at the 121rd Ave SE trailhead and making an 8.5 mile out and back trek to the Redtown TH. What started as a dusting of snow in the Newport Hills neighborhood gradually increased in snow depth the higher we walked and reached 5” deep at Redtown. Partially cloudy skies above the creek valley turned mostly blue, but the sun was too low in the sky fall on the trail. So temperatures were in the low 30’s all day. Snow was new and we had no slipping situations. Most likely after a nights freeze the trail will become dicey in spots. Trail traffic was super light, only 1 car at the CoalCreek Parkway TH when we passed through and 5 up at Redtown. The porta potty at the Coal Creek Parkway was clean and stocked with supplies. Most trail users appeared to be neighbors out for a dog walk or stroll. There were a few deadfall tree trunks and branches we threw off the trail and a more we had to climb over or shimmy under. The biggest being a clump of deciduous trees in the upper Primrose Loop Trail. We arrived back to our vehicles at 2:20 and the lower portion of the trail from Coal Creek Parkway west had melted out. Another fantastic day to be out in nature with friends.