Coal Creek Falls, Quarry & Red Town Meadow & Trails — Friday, Jan. 25, 2008

Issaquah Alps > Cougar Mountain

Two of us and a big black fuzzy dog did the loop from the Red Town trailhead to Coal Creek Falls and back down through Quarry and Red Town meadow. The trails were in good shape, but there were many frozen muddy patches that were easy to walk on. When it warms up, there will be a lot of mud for a few days. The falls were gorgeous, with roaring water and a lot of ice to catch the overcast light. It started snowing while we were at the falls, and continued for the rest of the loop (making the trail slippery). There did not seem to be enough snow to stick for more than a day. There were occasional ice patches across the entire trail that were very slick and caused all of us (including the dog) to go for a little slide! Overall, great hike in good condition -- this is a perfect time of year for this area!