There are a lot of great hiking trails near my grandparents’ cabin and since we were going to be up there for Easter on Sunday, we figured we’d make a weekend out of it. On Saturday, we hiked Heybrook Lookout and then went to the cabin to relax and spend the night.

Heybrook Lookout hike statistics*:

• Roundtrip: 2.6 miles (1.93 to 1.94 miles)
• Elevation gain: 850 feet (878 to 857 feet)
• Cumulative elevation gain: N/A (949 to 1062 feet)
• Highest point: 1700 feet (1693 to 1703 feet)

*For each stat, the first number was taken from the WTA website. The numbers in parentheses were what was recorded using the My Tracks and RunKeeper apps, respectively.

Heybrook Lookout is a short, steep hike through the forest. At the end of the trail is a 73′ tall lookout tower that offers gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. The spot has been used as a lookout since the 1920’s.

Lookout tower from trail

Lookout tower close up

Parking

Heybrook Lookout has a gravel parking area along Highway 2 that can fit around 15-20 cars. Nick and I had no trouble finding a spot to park when we visited, but it would be a good idea to have a backup hike like Bridal Veil Falls, Lake Serene, or Wallace Falls just in case.

Parking area (via Google Maps)

The Hike

This hike would be great for someone who is new to hiking because it isn’t very difficult. The trailhead is at the western end of the parking area. There are no forks in the trail, so you won’t get lost; the trail takes you from the parking area directly to the lookout tower at the top.

View of Mount Index

The view from the top of the lookout tower was gorgeous, especially because we had a nice, clear day. The photo at the top of the post shows the view to the east with Baring Mountain. The photo to the right shows the view to the southwest with Mount Index. You can even see Bridal Veil Falls below Mount Index, to the left of the center of the photo.

It’s worth noting that Heybrook Lookout requires a Northwest Forest Pass. You can get a $30 annual pass or a $5 day pass.

Our winter has continued to be unusually warm. Temperatures have been in the 50’s and even low 60’s some days, so it has been great hiking weather. Nick had the day off on Monday for Presidents’ Day, so we decided to tackle Poo Poo Point, our most difficult hike yet.

Poo Poo Point hike statistics* (via High School Trail):

• Roundtrip: 7.2 miles (7.45 to 7.68 miles)
• Elevation gain: 1858 feet (1886 to 1850 feet)
• Cumulative elevation gain: N/A (2221 to 2633 feet)
• Highest point: 2021 feet (1921 to 1985 feet)

*For each stat, the first number was taken from the WTA website. The numbers in parentheses were what was recorded using the My Tracks and RunKeeper apps, respectively.

Poo Poo Point is a popular hike on Tiger Mountain, just over half an hour away from our house. It is a summit on the west side of the mountain that paragliders and hang gliders use as a launching pad. Unfortunately, no one was gliding off the mountain while we were up there. I think that’s more of a summer thing. Poo Poo Point’s funny name comes from the sound steam whistles made back when it was a logging area.

There are two trails to Poo Poo Point. We took the longer, less busy route via High School Trail. The Chirico Trail route is only half the distance, but it is steeper and more crowded.

Parking

Parking area (from Google Maps)

The trailhead is unmarked and located at a small gravel parking area near Issaquah High School. The parking area can only fit 5-6 cars, but Nick and I got there early, so we were able to get a spot. There is also some street parking available.

The Hike

Navigating the trails was really easy. You start off on High School Trail and then turn onto Poo Poo Point Trail, taking it all the way to Poo Poo Point. Trail intersections were well marked with signs, so we had no problem finding the right way to go.

The trail started with a gradual upward climb right away that continued for 2 1/4 miles or so. Then there was a short flat stretch before the trail became noticeably steeper for about another mile. After that, it was an easy half mile hike to the end, mostly downhill.

Gap Creek

The view at the top was beautiful (see the photo at the beginning of this post), offering great views of Issaquah, Lake Sammamish, and the surrounding mountains. I took an interactive photo with my phone, so be sure to check it out! There was plenty of room at the top to sit in the sun and enjoy the view. Nick and I had lunch at one of the picnic tables before hiking back down.

The trails were well-maintained, although a little muddy in spots. The trail was fairly wide much of the time, with only some places narrow enough for only one person to walk. I think part of the trail used to be a logging road.

Nick did fine hiking up the mountain, but I needed to stop often for quick breaks. On the way down, Nick was the slow one, his knees killing him on the descent. We enjoyed the hike, but we’ll probably take it easy for a while until we can find a solution for Nick’s knee pain.

It’s weird to keep hearing about the “dangerous and crippling Snowmageddon blizzard” headed to Northeastern US when it’s been sunny and in the 60’s here in Seattle. Wanting to take advantage of the ridiculously nice winter weather, Nick and I went for a hike on Cougar Mountain on Sunday.

Coal Creek Falls

Our* Cougar Mountain hike statistics:

• Roundtrip: 5.96 miles
• Elevation gain: 759 feet
• Highest point: 1503 feet

* I specifically said our hike because Cougar Mountain has a lot of different trails, so you can decide how long/difficult you want your hike to be.

Although it’s only half an hour away, neither of us had been to Cougar Mountain before. It used to be a busy spot for coal mining from 1863 to 1963, so there are cave holes alongside the trails.

Parking

We got to Red Town Trailhead at about 11am and the parking lot was already a chaotic mess. There was nowhere to park and a line of cars waiting for a spot. Street parking wasn’t even an option because there were ditches on the sides of the road. How frustrating!

Thankfully, Cougar Mountain has other trailheads, so we headed to Sky Country Trailhead instead. The parking lot there was divided into a section for cars and a section for horse trailers. The car parking was full, but we found a spot by the horse trailer parking.

Finding a place to park is such a headache when hiking in the Seattle area. Uff da!

The Hike

Our original plan was to do the Coal Creek Falls hike (2.5 miles), but since we changed trailheads, we decided we’d just wing it and do our own thing and head back to the car when we got tired. That turned into a fun 6 mile hike for us!

I had printed a map of Cougar Mountain before we left and between that and the helpful signs at every junction, we had no problem finding our way around.

We started by heading to Coal Creek Falls, which was a quick and easy hike from our trailhead. The falls are only 28 feet high, so more like Cherry Creek Falls than Wallace Falls. I read that the falls even dry up in the summer, so this is the best time of year to see them.

Coal Creek Falls

Along the trail, we saw a few places were there were TONS of spiderwebs in the branches. I HATE spiders, but even I have to admit they looked neat covered in dew and lit up by the sun.

Spiderweb

Lots of spiderwebs

Another point of interest we saw was a grate-covered mine shaft. It was hard to get a good picture of it, though. A little further down the trail, we came to a large, open clay pit, which had a decent view. After that, we took a slightly indirect route back to the parking lot and headed home.

Mine shaft

Clay pit

Overall, we really liked our Cougar Mountain hike and especially how close it is. We mostly stuck to the central trails, so we still have the northern and southern trails to explore. The trails were well marked and maintained, but they were pretty muddy in some spots. It wasn’t terribly difficult hiking, but it’s definitely a place we’ll come back to!