The trails have quickly changed into their autumn look with fallen leaves, rain, and an occasional mud pond. Despite the recent cool weather, there was still some 'Stinky Bob' geraniums and a single buttercup still in bloom. FTW, flora!

Birds were intermittent but the rain and pop-pop of nearby gunfire were constant companions. Dark-eyed Juncos were the most numerous birds, flashing their white-side tails, followed by Pacific Wrens with their quarter-clinking calls, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and a single, short Brown Creeper song. About 20 Snow Geese called from above Old Man's Trail - heading south.

As I descended Quarry trail, I heard what sounded like a Tree Frog with a sore throat. As I waited for another call, the animals dropped its pitch and made the tone more melodious - a Varied Thrush probably having descended from higher altitudes. Could it be anticipating an early snow? Or is Thursday's 27 degree low too cold for it up in the Pass?

Started at the Harvey Manning trail on a Sunday morning. There were only a few cars parked, with plenty of spaces. I started by checking out the "Million Dollar View" which overlooks Lake Sammamish and isn't bad, but maybe not a Million Dollars worth of view.
I headed south on the Tibbets Marsh trail, eventually reaching Clay Pit Road. I swung around the Mine Shaft, which is pretty impressive looking, to the East Fork and Shy Bear Trails to Shy Bear Pass. A trail run was going on, and at Shy Bear Pass was an aid station. After happily sharing their snacks, they showed me the route map and assured me the runers were well spaced out. This turned out to be true, as the whole day, I encountered only a dozen or so runners, and no more than a dozen non-runners.
Then it was off down the Deciever Trail to Long View Peak and its viewpoint, which is a bit too overgrown with trees to be considered a viewpoint. On to Doughty Falls, which is pretty, if a mere trickle. This section of trail was occasionally steep and muddy.
Then I wound back along the Shy Bear Trail to Fred's RR, Bypass, Cougar Pass, and Harvey Manning trails. I took the Lost Beagle Trail to a junction that showed on the map, but wasn't clearly marked with a sign. It is a small trail passing through a fence, which heads over to a picnic area in the old radar station. The trail crosses a small road beside a picnic table, and isn't clearly marked, but just past the picnic table are some old concrete steps that lead down to Radar Park, where there was a bathroom here which was closed for the season.
This brought me back to the trailhead, which had only a porta-potty.
The leaves are more off the trees than on them, but haven't yet started to decay, so the trail has a lovely paving of golden brown maple leaves.
In total, I walked about 7 miles, with almost a thousand feet of up and down elevation gain.

Link to the track on Gaia

https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/c53eb2eaba2b9089ff0fa61e70493704e2fc36ea/

Cougar Mountain Trails Map

Hike GPS data for Google Earth viewing

Per Garmin, 4.11 miles/464 vertical feet.

Coal Creek Falls: A barely audible trickle; nothing to see here.  Give it a week of rain before expecting to see much.

Parking: Very full Sky Country lot at 10:30 AM on a sunny Sunday, but still spots left; port-a-potty onsite.

Trail: Dry and covered with leaves.  So, no water issues, but unstable rocks hiding under the leaf litter poses an ankle turning risk.  There is still a tree down across Klondike Swamp trail, but you can just step over it.

Wildlife: Frogs, birds, mushrooms.

Caution: Blind corners and drivers disregarding traffic directionality create Sky Country parking lot hazards.  Every stretch of the figure-8-shaped lot is a one-way (see the attached picture).  Directionality is indicated with traffic signs and pavement arrows.  However, people frequently drive against the one-ways.  We’ve all disregarded parking lot traffic signs, but the lot has blind corners that are only safe when directionality is followed.  I have seen people charging excitedly into the parking lot and around blind corners with the confidence they have the right-of-way to the whole lane.  I have also seen people in a hurry to get home drive furiously around the same blind corners the wrong way.  At some point, people will collide.  So, do not be one of those people; recognize that, once you are in the parking lot, Mad Max rules apply and drive cautiously around every corner assuming someone could be hurtling against the one-way toward you.

Cougar Mountain Trails Map

Hike GPS data for GPS viewing

Per Garmin, 3.97 miles/433 vertical feet.

Parking: Almost no one at Sky Country parking lot this afternoon.  Lot has port-a-potty.

Trail: AMAZING; dry, leaf-scattered trails; yellow and orange leaves against a cloudless blue sky; swells of warm autumn air buffeting you as you climb.  You've got to come enjoy this before the weather turns. (On the hike map, ignore my adventure down one of the Clay Pit mine roads; there is nothing interesting down there.)

WTA Work: I must have just missed the WTA crew doing water mitigation work on Mine Shaft Trail; the excavated dirt was still damp.  The WTA has radically change the wet season hiking experience on Cougar Mountain.  Five years ago every trail was a puddle/stream strewn muddy wasteland.  Really, I just can't thank WTA enough for opening up these trails to winter hiking by people not wearing fishing waders.

Wildlife: Big gardener snake, birds chirping, frogs croaking.  Also, the trails are crazy with awesome mushrooms.  Look for Stropharia ambigua (shiny yellow caps fringed with a cottony veil remnant and PURPLE gills underneath) and Hypholoma fasciculare (densely packed yellowish mushrooms clustered on decomposing wood).

Caution: Blind corners and drivers disregarding traffic directionality create Sky Country parking lot hazards.  Every stretch of the figure-8-shaped lot is a one-way (see the attached picture).  Directionality is indicated with traffic signs and pavement arrows.  However, people frequently drive against the one-ways.  We’ve all disregarded parking lot traffic signs, but the lot has blind corners that are only safe when directionality is followed.  I have seen people charging excitedly into the parking lot and around blind corners with the confidence they have the right-of-way to the whole lane.  I have also seen people in a hurry to get home drive furiously around the same blind corners the wrong way.  At some point, people will collide.  So, do not be one of those people; recognize that, once you are in the parking lot, Mad Max rules apply and drive cautiously around every corner assuming someone could be hurtling against the one-way toward you.

Cougar Mountain Trails Map

Parking:  Sky Country seems fuller now in the mornings and then completely empty in the afternoon during weekdays.  Near dinner, it's only scattered runners; in the morning, most are out with dogs.

Trail:  Wet, frequent puddles, streams regularly trickling down the trail.  With judicious foot placement, I hiked all of these trails without slipping, stepping in standing water, sinking deeply into mud, or leaving the trail.  However, my shoes and pants were a mess.  WTA water diversion work has improved things immensely compared to the muddy puddle-strewn disaster these trails were five years ago.  There is a tree down on Klondike Swamp trail just north of the Cougar Pass Trail intersection, but it is free of branches and easy to step over.

Wildlife:  Heard meany frogs croaking and a few birds chirping.