This is a great place to go hiking on a cloudy or rainy day. There is something about the lighting on a cloudy day that makes the forest seem much more beautiful than a sunny day. The understory this year is greener than I can ever remember. It was not very crowded on this holiday Saturday morning. I think that everyone is out of town.

Just a quick little after-work hike with my dog. Took Whittaker Peak Trail up to the Gombu Wilderness Cliffs, up to the summit and then back down Whittaker Wilderness Peak. Little over 3.5 miles. It was a bit muddy in places, especially on Gombu, but otherwise just a great hike!

A good hike! We started at the Wilderness Creek Trailhead (instructions were correct). The day was great-dry and sunny. We were a group of about 6 women. We took E6 to the junction and turned left on Wilderness Creek Trail (E6). It was a good climb-definitely got the heart rate up and the sweat moving! At the next junction, we turned left on View Peak Trail (S4). There is NO VIEW so just skip that part... at the next junction, we went toward Doughty Fall on the Deceiver Trail (S3). The falls were just barely trickling over the rock. The rock was cool and it was a good place to hang out for a bit and get a snack. We then continued to the next junction and took a right on Shy Bear Trail (S2). Fairly decent, no huge increase or decrease. We stayed on Shy Bear Trail and then took a left on the Wilderness Peak Trail (E4). Then right on Wilderness Cliffs Trail (E5). There is no view as marked on the Cougar Mountain map. Then, You come to a junction... don't take the connector trail-it won't take you back to your car... keep going and then you will come back to the junction where you started... follow the signs back to Wilderness Creek Trailhead. This option was just under 7 miles. Lots of up in the beginning... then ups and downs... then lots of down. No views, falls were disappointing, BUT a beautiful day, nature is incredible. Everything is well signed so you should have no problem navigating your miles!

Just wanted a simple hike that is nearby. These Issaquah Alps are a bit tricky to navigate... just bring a map so you know where you are going or where you want to go!