This hike is a short walk on the ridges of Cougar Mt. Park. The trails are slightly muddy but not at all as muddy as they can be. Patches of snow linger in the forest from the recent snow fall and spring is still 2 to 4 weeks away for this area, by my estimation. Overall trip is about 4 miles long with 500 feet of elevation gain. It took me about 1.75 hours to walk to Wilderness Peak and return to the Sky Country trail head. Not many people on the trails but I did pass a walker in socks, not sure what was going on but the wet muddy trails would surely ruin a pair of white athletic socks quickly. Other than a recent tree fall (Hemlock, I think) over some switchbacks near Shy Bear Pass, the trail is in very walkable shape. No big views on these trails (did see what I believe to be Commencement Bay from The Wilderness Peak Trail), just lots of trees, peace and quite. One last note, Wilderness Peak now has a nice bench made in memorial to two Japanese Americans (hope I got the ancestry correct). It is a nice resting place for a snack or to enjoy the forest that is the Peak.

Total Trip: 4.5 mi, +1220/-1220 ft, 130 min round trip (hiking times will vary) Trailhead to Wilderness Peak: 1.8 mi, +1200/-0 ft Wilderness Peak to Longview Peak: 0.8 mi, +20/-215 ft Long View Peak to Trailhead: 1.9 mi, +0/-1005 ft trailhead & endpoint 47.51028/-122.08706, 395 feet, Wilderness Creek Trailhead. Trace snow at top. Some puddles on trail. A few blowdowns. This is an easy to moderate hike. Route taken counter-clockwise: Wilderness Cliffs, Wilderness Peak, Long View Peak, Wilderness Creek Trails. The route climbs on a moderate grade to Wilderness Peak. The descent to Shy Bear Pass from Wilderness Peak is on a shallow grade and the ascent from Shy Bear Pass to Long View Peak is also on a shallow grade. The descent to the trailhead is on a moderate grade. Views from Wilderness Peak and Long View Peak are unspectacular. There is a bench and summit register at the top of Wilderness Peak.

Christmas Day-- and finally a break in the rain. This was the first time I’ve explored this hike on the South side of Cougar Mountain, and it wildly surpassed my expectations for any muddy-boots hike within a 45-minute drive of Seattle. This route (a sort of figure-8 comprising Wilderness Creek, S4 (towards Long View peak), Deceiver Trail, Shy Bear trail, and Wilderness Cliffs trail) was far more wild and lonesome than anything else I’ve experienced in the Issaquah Alps. I’m astonished that folks don’t make a bigger fuss about this area; I honestly enjoyed it way more than any comparable hike on Tiger mountain. The Wilderness Peak TH is on state route 900, about 3 miles from exit 15 on highway 90. It's a true gem—check it out if you get a chance. 6 miles round-trip, approx 1750' elevation gain.

This time we did the east side of Cougar Mountain and found more interesting things. At the top of Wilderness Peak is a fabulous big wood bench with footrest, backrest, and arm rests. Pretty plush. The Clay Pit is big and still in production but there are rocks along the south edge for sitting and some views toward the north. Just a scant quarter mile west of the clay pit is an outrageous mine shaft that just goes deep deep deep. It is well grated with rebar and safe but fascinating. We dropped a few sticks down the mine shaft and they rattled down down out of hearing. Very fun. All the trails are clear and mostly dry and the signage is excellent. The flowers are already starting - trillium, mountain rose, violets, coltsfoot, and bleeding heart. There is a little mud here and there but nothing to interrupt the joys of getting out on a nice day.

It was a beautiful day to hike Cougar Mountain's 6.2-mile Wilderness Peak lollipop loop (Wilderness Creek trail to Deceiver to Shy Bear to Wilderness Cliffs and back to Wilderness Creek). We started early and saw very fresh cougar tracks over the long log boardwalk on the Wilderness Creek trail. The trails are in great shape, but the wind was bringing down many trees and branches. A large alder crashed down right behind us on the Deceiver Trail, and there were sizable pieces of trees landing on the trails elsewhere.