Cave Hole, Coal Creek Falls, Quarry, Shy Bear, Far Country, Indian Trail & Red Town Meadow & Trails — Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017

Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain

We spent the rainy afternoon on Cougar Mountain, completing the following 5-6-mile network of trails (starting/ending at Red Town Trailhead): Red Town (W2) --> Cave Hole (C3) --> Coal Creek Falls (C4) --> Quarry (C6) --> Fred's Railroad (C7) --> Shy Bear (S2) --> Far Country Lookout (S1) --> Indian Trail (W7) with a stop at Far Country Falls and Ballpark Meadow --> Red Town (W2) After the recent rain, most of the trails were muddy, but no longer inundated in water as previous reports had noted. The mud, showers, and few small stream crossings made me grateful for my waterproof boots. The recent rain also meant Coal Creek Falls was quite impressive today (see video below) and Far Country Falls, no longer frozen, was also a pretty sight to see. In addition to the water being up and trails being muddy, a few mushrooms are starting to appear and trees are budding; spring is coming!