I arrived at the Harvey Manning trailhead around 11am and was one of two cars in the parking lot. It was a perfectly cool spring day for a spontaneous hike. I ended up doing a 6.6 mile loop; I'll show the map below. All trails I hiked on were in great condition, only one had a small alder tree across it that wasn't difficult to cross. Overall, I didn't notice too many invasive plants which brought me hope, but as I neared the top of Wilderness Peak, I started to see some English holly trees growing that would be easy to take out.

If you're expecting a view on this hike/at the top, you'll be disappointed. The best view is at the trailhead, at the viewpoint. However, this trail is a great practice in the life lesson, "it's all about the journey, not the destination." Trilliums, salmon berries, bleeding hearts and more are all blooming. Devil's Club is just starting to leaf out and there is lots of it on this trail. The birds were out singing at the top of their lungs, and I even came across three deer--we said hey before they dashed off the trail. I also loved reading all the historical boards along the trail about mining and logging in the area. 

Very cool hike, and very worth it!

A beautiful, if initially cold Easter morning, not too many people on Cougar Mountain, about 2/3 to 3/4 of them trail runners. Ample parking spots at Harvey Manning trailhead.

It is definitely getting green in the forest. Wildflowers are still sparse. It seems too early for the little flowers of the forest such as Spring Beauty. But violets are starting, Salmonberry are abundant and many more.

It's a short time window between the appearance of forest flowers along the edges of the trails and the time when King County Parks mows them all down. There is too much "maintenance" and meddling in the supposedly Wildland Park as far as I am concerned.

Butterflies are beginning to appear, too.

And then there are acoustic delights which WTA won't let us post, alas! In the denser, older sections of the forest, Pacific Wrens are singing (see/hear link). In the Clay Pit, numerous Pacific Chorus Frogs were singing their heart out. (It's not croaking, for Pete's sake.) No audio recording, but their "babies" can be spotted in some of the puddles in the Pit (see link).

RWHG had a great winter hike from the new Big Tree Trailhead on Cougar Mtn.  ❤️ Love Local Trails!  We pulled in at 9:15, it was 47 degrees with overcast skies and light rain forecast to start early afternoon. The 2 porta potties were being serviced as we drove up.  The lot wasn’t crowded for a holiday.  After gearing up we were on the trail by 9:30.  Our 7.8 mile loop hike followed Big Tree Ridge, Red Cedar and Shangri-La trail up to the Million Dollar View Pagoda. 
  Arriving at 11:15 we decided to take a short loop hike on Tibbet’s Marsh, Protector and Shangri-La trails back up to the covered picnic shelters at the Harvey Manning Th head lot. Five cars were parked there so we expected to see folks on the trail. The 2 porta potties there were clean and stocked with supplies. Rain started, so taking a lunch/rest break under cover felt just right. All the trails are saturated soil but well drained. It was evident KC Parks have been out removing downed trees and debris and widening drainage trail channels.  Thanks for keeping the trails so well maintained. 
  After a birthday celebration and yummy treats we put on rain gear headed back down at 12:30.  Trail traffic was moderate, we passed 2 larger groups of trail runners with dogs and several group of people hiking in 2’s.  Wildlife was limited to deer tracks in mud on the trail and a few birds - juncos, wrens and towhees.  I saw my first wildflower of spring, coltsfoot starting to bloom along the Shangri-La trail.  Our route down followed Shangri-La, Surprise Creek, Military Ridge, Harvey Manning and back on to Big Tree Ridge trail to our vehicles. Rain started coming down in earnest so we didn’t hang out after the hike.  Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.

Well marked trail. A little icy today and some slick, muddy spots. Dog friendly, although one of my dogs had a little trouble with the bridge due to slipperiness, thankfully he was on a harness. Only one view to speak of (besides the natural beauty of just walking through forest). There is a picnic spot by the trailhead that offers a nice view of Lake Sammamish and the Cascades.

Couldn't waste a sunny afternoon sitting around the house.  Cougar Mountain is a great way to get a quick hike in when I'm in town.  I started on the Military Road trail from Harvey Manning Park in the Talus development.  There's lots of tall, mossy, second growth trees, ferns and fungus, and some decent though filtered views.  Creeks are pretty full right now.  There was a nice turnout with two bench seats overlooking a creek when I returned on the Harvey Manning Trail.  You can get more mileage in by combining other trails, this one was a short two-mile loop.