Water is thundering over Coal Creek Falls!
Hike GPS data for Google Earth viewing
Per Garmin, 4.42 miles/647 vertical feet.
Parking: Plenty of parking at Sky Country at about 2 PM on a sometimes-sunny-sometimes-rainy Tuesday. Lot has a port-a-potty.
Trail: Some alders are down across the East Fork Trail, Cougar Pass Trail, and By Pass Trail, but they are manageable. Five years ago, every Cougar Mountain trail would be some combination of swamp and stream. Thanks to years of WTA work, there was just one portion of Quarry that was 100+ feet of stream. Everywhere else, successful WTA water diverting was in evidence.
Hazard: Maintenance folks have cleared nearly all of the maple leaves, but now the alder leaves are down. With leaves covering the trails, it is impossible to guess whether your next step will be swallowed by mud or whether you'll roll your ankle on an unseen rock. Please don't run trails with heavy leaf cover; it's just not worth an injury that slows you down.
Caution: Blind corners and drivers disregarding traffic directionality create Sky Country parking lot hazards. Every stretch of the figure-8-shaped lot is a one-way (see the attached picture). Directionality is indicated with traffic signs and pavement arrows. However, people frequently drive against the one-ways. We’ve all disregarded parking lot traffic signs, but the lot has blind corners that are only safe when directionality is followed. I have seen people charging excitedly into the parking lot and around blind corners with the confidence they have the right-of-way to the whole lane. I have also seen people in a hurry to get home drive furiously around the same blind corners the wrong way. At some point, people will collide. So, do not be one of those people; recognize that, once you are in the parking lot, Mad Max rules apply and drive cautiously around every corner assuming someone could be hurtling against the one-way toward you.
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