It has been almost a year since the spectacular windstorm of Nov 20, 2024 knocked down large numbers of trees in this area of Squak Mountain. Through an equally spectacular effort, the trail was completely cleared and is now in pristine condition. A huge thank you to those who contributed to the clean up. Due to all the windfall, the trail now has new filtered views out to the surrounding territory that were not there before the windstorm.
The upper part of the ridge is virgin forest (never logged). The trees are tall and beautiful. I counted the rings on the first big windfall that's shown in the first photo. There were 150 rings at the cut which is about 30 feet above the base. The tree was therefore at least 170-180 years old when it fell.
Fall color is now all on the ground. With leave off of the trees and leaves on the ground reflecting light, it's now bright and cheerful even on an overcast day.
We only saw 3 people all morning.
The sound of gunfire from the Issaquah Sportsman Club can be surprisingly loud on this trail. I would try hiking this trail only when the club is closed. Hours are 12-6 W,Th,Fr,and Sun. 10-6 on Sat. Closed M and Tu. Saturday is the day to avoid.
After the hike we checked out the huge heritage Gingko Biloba tree in downtown Issaquah that's right in front of Tiger Mountain Coffee. It is now at peak fall color.
5.8mi lollipop loop, 1700 ft
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