I've live in the Renton Highlands now but have also lived in Issaquah/Sammamish since 1995, yet I never fully discovered this trial until January 2014. WOW, what a wonderful surprise!!!! This is a very scenic and peaceful hike without a lot people despite a small parking lot which can easily overflow to 900. I've taken my active 4 year old son on the Wilderness Creek part which is still a very steep upgrade, but he's managed to do it all without being held. He was tired and complaining toward the end though, so overall I don't recommend this one for young kids. I am a photography blogger so I'm always looking for beautiful trails to photograph, so this was the perfect location. You can see some of my pics in this blog post - http://www.ronmartblog.com/2014/01/landscape-shooting-with-zeiss-otus-55mm.html The trail was in good condition and so full of interesting things to see that my 3.5 hours hiking simply wasn't enough. I did get winded a few times and had to take a break, and 4 days later my legs are still sore from the hike so this isn't for people with bad knees or bad hearts. There were a few times my lungs and heart were really pounding, but I'm a geek who sits behind a desk a lot so I'm not an active hiker. You can't really describe this trail very well - you have to see the pictures (in my article) because words don't do it justice. It's just so amazing with little bridges, tons of green moss, ferns and mountain streams. Every minute of this hike is exciting and fresh, so it never gets boring until you get to the top of the Wilderness Cliffs. That area is still pretty, but after what you see to get to it your bar is much higher. Going down without taking many photos was fast - I got back down in about 45 minutes, so if you don't have a camera and just hike you can do quite a bit with 30 minutes in and 30 minutes out.

Nice close in forest walk on a foggy day. 5 mi lollipop loop with 1200 ft elevation gain. They recently renamed the trail the "Whittaker Wilderness Trail" after the Northwest climber who summited Everest 50 yrs ago. No views from this trail, just a nice forest walk. Some of the trees on the Wilderness Cliffs trail are pretty large.

Beware of thieves breaking into your car. Mine was broken into this day. My window was smashed just to steal my REI lunch bag on the passenger seat of my car. I recommend you not leave anything in your car at this trail head (or any for that matter).

While everyone else was watching THE Big Game we hit the trails. Very few souls out on such a gorgeous morning. Such a treat. I have not hiked this side of Cougar Mountain before and was not disappointed. If you are wanting big views this may not be the hike for you, but if you just need to get out in the woods this is a good one. It was a very pleasant hike up to Wilderness Peak and we looped back down on the Wilderness Cliff trail. A little bit of snow on the upper portions of this trail, and the wood bridges through the bog area were slick with compacted snow so take care in those spots, otherwise the trails were in great shape today. Glad I was able to experience this in such great conditions. Perfect little morning leg stretcher.

This is a nice hike to see fall color. It is located at the southeast section of Cougar Mountain Park. The lollypop loop is 5 miles long and 1200ft elevation. The trail is in nice shape. A nice hike on a cloudy day. No views. Wilderness peak is more like a flat forested ridge. Lots of Big Leaf Maple and Vine Maple at the peak of fall color right now. Didn't see a single person.