Cougar Mountain Wilderness Peak Loop Trail in Issaquah Alps / 美洲獅山

  • Reading time:9 mins read

Cougar Mountain Wilderness Peak Loop Trail lies in Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. The path continues through Long View Peak and Clay Pit Peak. Meanwhile, the mixed-use trail is viral among outdoor enthusiasts.

Cougar Mountain memorial bench
Cougar Mountain memorial bench

See more trip photos here.

Cougar Mountain at a Glance

Access: Wilderness Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: 7.7 miles
Elevation Range: 360′-1602′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes

A Day in Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park

Last month, I had planned to go up to Cougar Mountain for the first time. But the morning rain showed no signs of stopping as we waited outside Starbucks. So we resorted to more favorable weather up north instead.

After yesterday’s trip, I gave Cougar Mountain another shot. But the 1.8 miles, one-way distance to the main summit didn’t feel aerobically adequate. So we extended the trip by adding Long View Peak and Clay Pit Peak.

 En route to Wilderness Peak
En route to Wilderness Peak

See more trip photos here.

Wilderness Peak Trail

Despite it being MLK Day, only two cars were in the lot when we arrived. We started walking as soon as the recruit was ready to move. I couldn’t tell whether he enjoyed walking, but I knew he didn’t care much for the leash!

The half-mile hike to the trail fork was slow as we followed the puppy’s speed. But I knew he’d want to sleep inside my backpack at some point. Soon, a hiker came down as we reached the Wilderness Cliffs Trail fork.

Junction break
Junction break

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Wilderness Cliffs Trail

We took a snack break and put the tired puppy in my pack after he walked half a mile himself. Meanwhile, Mr. Cody looked happy that we picked up the pace as we crossed Squak Mountain Connector Trail.

The one mile to the next fork wasn’t exciting, but we enjoyed a quiet walk. “Where’s everybody?” I wondered. I’d avoided hiking here because of its popularity, so having seen only one other person so far was odd.

Looking up at Cougar Mountain summit
Looking up at Cougar Mountain summit

See more trip photos here.

Cougar Mountain Summit

Below the summit was another fork before the final 500′ walk-up to the woodsy top. The area around the memorial bench was muddy and too wet to sit. So we went into the light brush right behind it.

Not sure how we passed the time, but we managed to hang out for almost an hour. As we were ready to leave, a hiker briefly appeared before moving again. Soon, we continued to our next goal: Long View Peak.

Life is a winding road
Life is a winding road

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Long View Peak and Clay Pit Peak

Long View Peak was only under a mile from the main summit. Despite the interweaving trails, nearly all crossings had clear signs. We met two guys and their dogs en route before soon reaching the peak.

After a few seconds, we continued to our final goal, Clay Pit Peak, the farthest of the three. From the main path, we went 1.6 miles southwest before turning onto Clay Pit Road to the end. Then we scrambled a short way to the flat top.

Old roadbed to Clay Pit Peak
Old roadbed to Clay Pit Peak

See more trip photos here.

Leaving Cougar Mountain

We walked around the top and didn’t see much, but it was more open than the other two peaks. The thin windfalls under the brush made walking a bit tricky. After a break, we scrambled down the west onto the main trail.

We saw small groups coming up the mountain during the three miles to the car. Back at the first fork, the puppy climbed out of the pack for fresh air. Then we followed him the rest of the half a mile to the parking lot.

Finding our way out of Cougar Mountain
Finding our way out of Cougar Mountain

See more trip photos here.

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