Although we’ve explored much of Cougar Mountain, we’d yet to climb its highest peak and tour the somewhat lesser-traveled south-eastern portion of the park. A few weeks ago we finally found some time to head back into the Issaquah Alps and head up Wilderness Peak for a short hike a little closer to home. This is a great hike for an afternoon or post-work tromp through the forest. While not incredibly steep, it is a little bit of a work out through Cougar’s varied landscapes – everything from bogs to old growth. This loop is also hiker exclusive, so you’re unlikely to encounter any horses, which may be important to some dog owners. What this hike lacks in views it makes up for in landscape and solitude, as you can expect a little less traffic in this section of the park. If you haven’t made it out to this end of Cougar Mountain yet, consider a trek up to Wilderness Peak in the coming weeks. Check out the full report at: http://www.hikingwithmybrother.com/2012/06/wilderness-peak-loop-cougar-mountain.html Nathan & Jer

This was a 4.5 mile round trip with about 500 to 600 feet of elevation gain/loss. The trails are mostly dried out from the wet spring with very few mud holes that have not hardened. The spring rains did bring out flowers, phlox, trillium and bleeding heart were in evidence. The trees are all decked out with spring leaves and the scent of spring was in the air on this sunny day. It took about 1.75 hours to do the hike sans pack and with light hiking shoes. Saw several hikers on the trail to Wilderness Peak and one man resting on the bench at the summit. A great walk and a nice sunny day for a walk.

Extremely peaceful hike. We started at 5:30 pm, we're at the top by 6:30 and back down by 7:30. Some mosquitoes when crossing the wet areas. Surprised at the lack of other people on the trail, had it all to ourselves.

A *long* day hike starting from the Tradition Plateau trailhead, going up West Tiger 3, then down the High School Trail to cross over into Squak Mountain, continuing through the Cougar-Squak Corridor to Wilderness Peak, ending at Red Town trailhead. Trail conditions were mostly very good overall, with the ascent up West Tiger 3 having just one small patch of snow on trail, everything else entirely clear of snow. Some blowdowns but nothing that would pose a problem for anyone wanting to cross. Lots of mud puddles but none of them were deep. As a result, I managed to complete this hike without any special traction gear, only a pair of poles. Descending from West Tiger 3, I chose to follow the railroad grade, which seemed rather iffy in places as the trail was covered by branches and leaves, and it became necessary to look ahead several dozen feet to see where the trail was going. The "unmaintained" Section Line Trail had some slippery spots that require some care when planting footsteps, but nothing dangerous. Log bridges have to be crossed very gingerly. But by the time I got to the High School Trail, it was all very easygoing back to the trailhead. Not much to say about Squak Mountain. Views were rather unimpressive, even at the summit as there's an antenna facility there. I did not see any other hikers on Squak, making me feel that I had the entire park to myself. The wilderness peak on Cougar Mountain also did not have much to offer in terms of a view. On the other hand, the Coal Creek Falls had some substantial water flow due to recent rains. Overall, I'd call this grueling, but still worthwhile.

Went on a group trail run that included the Wilderness Creek/Cliffs loop. The trails are littered with blowdown, though mostly branches. We tried to move what we could but there is so much it would have taken us all day to clear a mile or so. It took us 27 minutes to cover one mile, and we were running (stopping/running/crawling over trees/running/moving branches/running, you get the picture). Widerness peak was hit especially hard, because of it's altitude i would suspect. The alder forest near the top of the peak has had some major pruning, and all the branches are strung about. the short trail to the peak is hard to distinguish as a trail if it didnt have a sign. Expect to do lots of climbing over stuff until things are cleaned up. There are 5-6 or major blowdowns on this loop that currently require some reroute or navigation around them. Otherwise, most are crawl over or through situations. There was still snow on the trail, maybe 6" on top, but mostly muddy slush near the bottom. The rest of cougar trails that we covered also sustained similar damage, just so you know what to expect.