Tradition Lake Loop — Sunday, Jun. 5, 2011

Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain

Our family of four hiked the 1.5 mile Round-the-Lake trail at Tiger Mountain. As usual, the High Point parking lot was mobbed. Many people were out with their kids, and I thought we'd have lots of company at Tradition Lake, but it was refreshingly uncrowded. The kids (2 and 5 years old) were fascinated by the bugs, caterpillars and flowers they saw along the trail, and the barrier-free tread and lack of elevation gain made it easy going. Even though it was our constant companion, we'd only get a restricted view of Tradition Lake every so often - so as a "lake" hike, it failed to produce. One of several interpretive signs explained that this was deliberate, an effort to reduce the impact to wildlife in and around the lake. We took a counter-clockwise route, hugging the south side of the lake from High Point and returning along the Power Line Trail, which is really just a gated gravel road. I was surprised by how much my kids enjoyed this part of the journey. They joyfully jumped in every pothole, and I can just imagine how much fun they would have had if those potholes had been filled with water. Now I know where to go after the next storm!