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Trip Report

Swamp Trail, Brink Trail, Wetlands Trail, Bus Trail & Tradition Lake Loop — Friday, Jan. 21, 2022

Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain
Swamp Trail with story sign board for "Zoe & the Swamp Monster".

We began our hike from the High Point Trailhead and headed down the Swamp Trail, which starts on an old roadbed. Along the way are story boards that kids and grandkids would enjoy. It is the story about Zoe and the Swamp Monster. At the first junction we went right and were soon hiking on the metal deck bridges over the swamp. The trail comes out under the BPA powerline and turns into the Brink Trail that goes along the edge of the Tradition Plateau. We had to climb over one fallen big Doug Fir snag and then got to the junction with the Big Tree Trail. In a short distance we were on the PSE powerline trail and made a snack stop at the viewpoint bench. From here we could see west down to Gilman Blvd. (old Highway 10 through Issaquah) and out to Lake Sammamish. We hiked the PSE trail to the next junction and turned left onto the Wetlands Trail. There were a couple of places where some trees had fallen across the trail, but they have been cut out recently. After going by the Adventure Trail junction, we continued on the Wetlands Trail going to Round Lake for lunch. There are two benches at the lake with a nice view of the water. A few ducks were swimming around and the sun came out. After eating we hiked out to the Bus Trail and then the Tradition Lake Loop Trail back to the trailhead parking lot. Made for a nice hike around Tradition Plateau.

We met only a few other hikes, some dog walkers and one runner. The City of Issaquah Parks Dept. had several dump trucks and other equipment at the High Point Parking lot. They were repairing the Bus Trail and had a couple of small gravel hauling vehicles bringing new gravel to dump on the trail from flood damage.

View from the PSE trail bench looking west down Gilman Blvd. and out to Lake Sammamish.
Wetlands Trail near Round Lake.
Round Lake lunch time view on the Wetlands Trail.
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