Parked at Red Town and did this 12 mile, 2500 ft gain loop run.  Really lucky to have these well-maintained, accessible, snow-free trails so close.  Beautiful fall foliage, waterfalls, and vibrant greens.

There was some puddling and running water on the trail as we went up to wilderness peak.  Other than that I was pleasantly surprised at how dry the trails were.  Not too muddy either- our trail runners didn’t get waterlogged or anything.  Dry feet at the end!

One downed tree area on Wilderness Creek trail, easy to go over.  ]

Used GPS watch and Gaia to navigate- can be a little tricky with all the possible trail options.  We aren’t super familiar with the area.  Easy parking and not crowded on a weekend.  

My favorite section of the day was the Gumbo wilderness cliffs.  Super cool hillside to run down!  

My toddler dubbed this “color color hike” due to the autumn brilliance. We went clockwise (came down via Gombu) and it was perfect. The stream and marshy bits were a lot of fun and I was glad to get them while my kiddo was still fresh. The Whittaker leg felt a bit longer than 2 miles, and my phone says I walked a total of 5 miles instead of 4, but who knows.

A couple of downed trees from yesterday’s crazy windstorm but we had no problems navigating them.

This was my fourth time on this loop this year so for variety we used the Squak Mtn connector trail which is about 1/2 mile north on Rt. 900 from the usual trailhead. The pullout by the trailhead comes up fast and fits about 5 or 6 cars. You are very close to the busy road there so we were extra careful with the dog. 

I had not been on the connector trail before. It's 0.7 miles up it to the turnoff onto the Gombu Wilderness Cliffs trail. The first half or 2/3 of the 0.7 mile is on a fairly steep old leaf covered forest road with a gravel base. Then it crosses a little bridge and becomes single track trail. It seems to me that this side of the stream valley is drier and sunnier than the normal route. It was pleasant and forested. Once we got to the Wilderness Cliffs trail we turned right and did the loop from there. Fall colors were nice. Saw some of the new trail being built between the "summit" and Shy Bear Pass. Looks like it will be nice and perhaps bypass the rockiest section. Saw about 8 or 10 other people on this surprisingly sunny November Monday.

BEWARE: upon arrival to trailhead there was a sheriff investigating broken windows and theft of 5 cars. There was another trail report on the 10/22 that listed another incident of break-ins suggesting that hikers park on the road and not at the trailhead parking lot.

Hike itself was pretty, especially with the fall foliage and mushrooms.

The fall color in the Issaquah Alps is the best that I've seen in years.  The fall rain and cool temperatures have really made the colors pop. The maple trees higher up on Wilderness peak have lost most of their leaves but the bright yellow leaves on the ground really brighten up the forest. We just got back from a trip to Virginia yesterday, and the fall color here this year is far superior. Images from Shenandoah NP:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/41VZkvG8rrS52UNt6

There is a new trail under construction that bypasses the eroded section of the Wilderness Creek trail that starts 0.7 miles before reaching the peak.  This new trail is almost completed. It is very nicely routed through a pleasant forest. The ends of the new trail are still unfinished so it is a bit hard to find but I think it will be open to the general public soon.

This is a great time of year to do some simple trail maintenance when you hike.  Keeping our trails nice really takes a community effort.  There are lots of downed branches that can be cleared.  Also loose rocks can be kicked off the trail.  Clearing debris from cleared water bars is really helpful for preventing tread erosion.  The more hikers that help, the better for everyone.