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Quick stroll around Cougar Mountain on a lovely day. Headed to the Sky Country trailhead around 11am on a Saturday and though we grabbed the last spot in the car lot, there was plenty of parking in the RV (?) lot and many folks coming and going. 

The trails were in good condition with many folks and families enjoying the nice, summer weather. Check out the MaoVador's trip report to see the trails we covered.

Our ultimate goal was the Million Dollar view. The vegetation is growing fast and the view is close to being obscured. Check it out before it's gone!

Stats: 4.83 miles, 623 elevation gain, 1 hour 28 minutes, 3.3 mph average moving speed.

We went to Cougar Mtn Regional Park today looking for early spring wildflowers and were not disappointed.  We pulled into the Redtown Th just before 9:00 and parking spaces were limited.  It appeared 2 larger hiking groups were assembling there.  It was 46 degrees with mostly overcast skies.  The 2 Porta Potties were clean and had supplies.  Our 7 mile route followed: Wildside, Marshall Hill, Crosstown, DeLeo Wall Viewpoint, DeLeo Wall, Indian, Quarry, Coal Creek Fall, Cave Hole, Nike-Horse, Sky Country and Military Road trails back to Redtown Trail head.  All the trails are saturated soil, mostly well drained with a few muddy areas.  Marshall Hill Road had 3 recent blow downs over the trail near the Little Creek Connector Trail. Coltsfoot, Trillium, Chocolate Lilies, Fawn Lilies and Yellow Violets are all blooming. Bleeding hearts will not be far behind.   It was sad to see the DeLeo Wall Chocolates lilies with the blooms nipped off.  It’s hard to say if it was munching wildlife or humans.  We also had numerous wildlife sightings: Juncos, Robins, Wrens, Crows, Finches, 2 Douglas Squirrels and a lone mouse scurrying back and forth on Military Road trail.  The rain started near the DeLeo wall viewpoint so everyone dawned rain gear and put on packs covers.  That dampened the mood of the day for a bit, but let up by the time we made our way up to Coal Creek Falls.  With sun shadows drifting down through the trees we sat down for a short lunch rest break.  Being close to the rushing water we chilled down so were back on the trail after about a 30 minute break. The Redtown parking area had thinned out to about 1/4 full when we drove off just before 2:00.  Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.   

RWHG had a great loop hike at Cougar Mountain Regional Park today. We pulled into the Redtown Th at 9:00 and were on the trail by 9:30. It was 28 degrees with clear blue skies. The parking lot was quite busy on Martin Luther King Day even though the trails didn’t seem all that crowded. We planned our route to take busier trails first and less crowded on our way back to the TH Lot. The Porta Potties at Red Town, Harvey Manning and Sky Country Th’s all were relatively clean with TP, seat covers and hand sanitizer.  Our 7.6 mile loop hike followed: Red Town, Cave Hole, Coal Creek Falls, Quarry, Fred’s Railroad, East Fork, Tibbett’s Marsh, Shangri La, Lost Beagle, Coyote Creek, Cave Hole, Old Man’s, Nike Horse, Military Road, Sky Country, Red Town Creek and back to the TH. All the trails were complete solid frost heaves in the early morning and shady areas all day long. After our lunch at the Million Dollar Pagoda some of the trails made your boots quite muddy. Wildlife sightings were limited to a few birds. We saw robins, juncos, creepers and bush tits. Hair icy was all along our route and a few mushrooms were still looking good despite the freeze. Redtown and Sky Country Th lots were jammed when we walked by and pulled of the lot just before 2:00. Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.

Today in the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, we did a 2.5mi multi-trail loop hike to Coal Creek Falls via the Sky Country Trailhead. This area is easy hiking on wide trails with low inclines. It was a great day to be outside and there were some spring wildflowers in bloom! We saw white trilliums (Trillum grandiflorum), Pacific bleeding hearts (Dicentra formosa), candy flowers (Claytonia sibirica), and salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis). Trail Hazard: There is some stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) growing along the edges of some of the trails, so watch where you step!

The waterfall and its bridge were nice, too. There are some bugs in the stream and the wet areas around the waterfall, but they aren't too bad until you stop moving. As of this writing, there's a small cedar tree that has fallen across the lower part of the waterfall. The tree isn't blocking the flow of water, but it is masking most of the view of the waterfall. Hopefully it will be cleared soon so we can see the full view of the waterfall.

To get to the waterfall from the trailhead, we made it a loop in this order:

• Sky Country Trailhead
• Old Man's Trail
• Cave Hole Trail
• By Pass Trail
• Fred's Railroad Trail
• Quarry Trail
• Coal Creek Falls Trail
• Waterfall
• Cave Hole Trail
• Nike Horse Trail
• Sky Country Trailhead

A beautiful start to 2024!  I did a 7 mile clockwise loop starting at Sky County. Old Man's, Bypass and Fred's Railroad Trails to the Shy Bear Junction. Then Shy Bear down the hill to the Indian Trail then Red Town Trail. I hadn't done the Shy Bear Trail in quite awhile and I really enjoyed the variety and quietness. Several boardwalks crossing the low spots (a WTA project?). I met a photographer at the Far Country lookout.  He was looking for the right light conditions looking towards Seattle. I returned uphill via the Cave Hole and Nike Horse Trails. Everyone enjoying the New Year.