Old Man's Trail, Cave Hole, By Pass Trail, Fred's Railroad, Quarry, Wilderness Peak Loop, Coal Creek Falls & Nike Horse Trail — Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012

Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain

A warm and almost too hot day for a hike or even long walk. With temperatures in the 90's I opted for a shady walk in Cougar Mt. Park and was rewarded with taking a trail (boot path called the Wilderness Peak cut off) from the peak to the Wilderness Cliffs trail. There are some low land flowers still in bloom but the creeks are running low or are dry. Great news for people who hike the area in winter and encounter the mud and muck. No so great if you want to see Coal Creek Falls - not much water in the creek. Walk provided a moderate work out of about 5.5 miles plus 1000 feet of elevation gain/loss. Many people out on the trails but no one on the Wilderness Peak Cut Off Trail. This trail has a fair number of blow downs and steep to moderately steep sections. My guess is that the trail length is about 1/2 mile and drops about 300 to 400 feet from the peak. The trail is easy to follow with little trail finding skill required.