Poo Poo Point - Chirico Trail — Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025

Bottom Line:

Mild and sunny hike to a southwest sunset perch with incredible views towards Rainier and the south sound. Lower Chirico is as magical as ever, seemingly a magical cobblestone forest path for the first mile or so. The upper trail to the two paragliding launch points (west, and southwest) has a LOT of storm damage - down trees and debris. A little sad for me. Some mud. Pretty smoggy views, but that made the color pop at sunset. The layers mountains and trees to the southwest are especially beautiful at sunset. 

Stats:

• Distance: ~4-1/2 miles
• Vertical: ~1800 ft
• Duration 2-1/4 hours
• Road/Parking: Plenty of parking at the Chirico Trail parking lot off Issaquah-Hobart Rd at ~3pm; very slow traffic through Issaquah; no Discover Pass required; (portable) toilets; no gate, so no deadline to return to car after sunset and indeed, folks were heading up after dark
• Weather: Sunny, 40Fs, no wind, smog in the lowlands with a mild temperature inversion; it rapidly cooled off at the top after sunset! The start at ~3:30pm is perfect for sunset right now.
• Trail: The trail is in fairly good condition. There are some down trees blocking the trail, but all are straightforward to get around. There are also areas of mud; mud and frosty spots (esp. grass) can be slippery. Came down in the dark, but the glowing horizon and light-colored stone path on lower Chirico made a headlamp optional. Good winter sunset perch, although the sun will set on the lower trail (in the shadow of Squak mountain across the valley) much earlier, so it can be a chilly return. Views from Rainier to the south, to Bellevue, Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula to the west.
• Takeaway: The lower trail remains one of the most enchanting around, with really no storm damage. The upper trail has effectively been thinned, but that did make for stunning light on the descent :) Another trail I would like to try with snow if winter ever kicks back into gear!

More Information on this Trip Report

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