I went on a great hike in the Klahanie neighborhood around Yellow Lake and the neighborhoods on community and power line trails for a 5 mile hike with. NSSC. We saw lots of colorful blooming wildflowers all along the trails. We saw trillium, bleeding heart, miner’s lettuce, self heal, red currant, Oregon Grape, salmon berry and more. The trails are mixed use but uncrowded. We passed a couple bikers, trail runners and moms with strollers. A highlight of the day were wood ducks and a beaver den in yellow lake. Gelatinous blobs were noted near the dock on the lake shore. After an internet search I learned they were a good indicator of lake health. “ AI Overview

Floating gelatinous blobs in small lakes are typically colonies of freshwater bryozoans. These tiny, microscopic animals form gelatinous, ball-like colonies that can sometimes detach and float freely in the water. They are not harmful and are actually indicators of good water quality”.

Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.

The trail starts out clear with a few branches here and there. About half a mile around the lake you will reach the first of multiple large trees you'll have to climb over or crawl under. 

Beautiful suburban hike in Issaquah...it was a perfect little nature getaway after my acupuncture appointment at Gilman Village. It was very flat as described and there was a lovely breeze going, so I jogged the last half. Lovely osoberry and pond lilies/duckweed greeted me here. 

I completed the loop in maybe 20 minutes or so, but I felt that it was a very serene space. Some elder men were doing stretches and birdwatching on the dock, and I enjoyed my tacos here while witnessing the ducks quacking and diving. The sunshine was gorgeous and the water was so calming. Trees were so welcoming as I walked around the lake, and there were some interesting pull up bars and some nice bench spots along the way.

I would recommend this hike if you are already on the Eastside :)

MON 22Jan2024 .. wet morning .. seemed good for some fun walking-in-the-rain ?? 😉

~07:40 arrived at QFC Klahanie where i parked, and out i went - CW-Loop: (Q) > Yellow Lake > E Plateau Tr > Klahanie Community Tr > (Q).

During my walk, only encountered a total of ~6 people and 4 dogs at/around Yellow Lake. Everyone was friendly and courteous. The Trails were nice and clean which makes for an enjoyable walk - many thanks to the Maintenance folks and not forgetting the civic-minded Users - whom, possibly are Klahanie "Locals" 👍👍👍

Cheers and Be Safe 😊

This was a wonderful loop to do after work as our evenings start to lengthen a little bit. We brought our binoculars and saw more than a dozen wood ducks, as well as lesser scaups, red-winged blackbirds, coots, buffleheads and a great close up view of the awesome beaver dam. This seemed like a perfect walk for young children (not too long, a playground at one end and level, stable footing all the way round) and clearly it was a great spot for us birders! #lovelocaltrails