As an avid hiker, I'm sorry to report that we have a massive problem with crime at trailheads in the Issaquah Alps. A week ago, I drove to the Margaret's Way Trailhead on SR-900 to go hiking, only to discover that 5 of the 7 cars in the parking lot had windows smashed out.
I went to the Whittaker Wilderness Peak Trailhead, almost across the street on SR-900 from the Margaret's Way Trailhead. There was a King County Sheriff's Deputy there. I spoke to him and learned that, just that day (as of 2:15pm), there had been over 25 reported smash and grabs at 3 trailheads: Margaret's Way, Whittaker Wilderness Peak, and (on the other side of Cougar Mountain) at the Red Town parking lot. The deputy informed me that there is very little that they can do in the absence of video surveillance or eyewitnesses to the crimes. This makes me think that, if the County Parks are to be usable, there needs to be video surveillance on the parking lots. The deputy told me that if there were usable video from the smash and grabs, they would absolutely investigate.
I decided to compile a log of known break-ins at area trailheads. Here’s what I have so far: at least 190 cars with smashed windows, at a handful of parks. I think the true number is much higher, but I don’t have the ability to read case reports online, so I can’t tell how many cars are included in a single case report.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EupY8H1FiRBz9_xj7Ud7e6UpZsQFSqKMvysyZo3BCis/edit?usp=sharing
Based on this data, I put together a proposal for trailhead security, including a volunteer trailhead lookout program— sort of like neighborhood watch but for trailheads. See here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o4_pVWld33IVmbg3rTmIXvknhhc9nVBWtPG0GdSSUT4/edit?usp=sharing
We now have to convince the land managers (King County Parks, Bellevue Parks, WA State DNR) and law enforcement (KCSO, Bellevue PD, etc.) to do something.
Anyway, while this trail is wonderful, the frequent smash and grabs at the parking lot are not. Until the County does something to address the problem, I cannot recommend parking a car here. I'm going to rely on family or Uber/Lyft drivers to get me to/from this trailhead.
Comments
I often do this hike and am disappointed to hear about the break-ins. Great plan for monitoring the parking lot and I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be happy to volunteer.
Posted by:
Kris M on May 13, 2022 08:14 AM
It's not just the Issaquah Alps. In late April, at the Twin Falls Trailhead in North Bend, my car was lit on fire. That same day there were over a dozen other smash and grabs at three trailheads in the area. Mt Si, Teneriffe and Little Si if I remember correctly. And no, "lit on fire" is not a typo.
Posted by:
MeLuckyTarns on May 28, 2022 10:52 PM
MeLuckyTurns -- I'm so sorry to hear about your car! In the last week, I've added a lot of new incidents to the tracker. What is weird is that I cannot find anything in the KCSO records online about your incident -- no record of any police reports in North Bend on 4/26/22 other than a theft from a motor vehicle at the Mt Si Trailhead. Do I have the date correct? Also, what was the total amount of damage to your vehicle? https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EupY8H1FiRBz9_xj7Ud7e6UpZsQFSqKMvysyZo3BCis/edit?usp=sharing
Posted by:
Breadcrumb Watcher on Jun 03, 2022 03:13 PM