Grand Ridge Park, north of Tiger Mountain in Issaquah Alps, harbors 1,200 acres of forest. Grand Ridge, the adjacent high point, rises east of the park. Meanwhile, there are many access points across the vast plateau.
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Grand Ridge Park at a Glance
Access: East Connector Trail (park info)
Round Trip: 9.6 miles
Elevation Range: 360′-1040′
Essential Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Kylie Dailey
Hiking in Issaquah Alps by Tiger Mountain
I was here a year ago to visit the City of Issaquah’s High Point via the freeway exit. This time, I started from the same east trailhead I used to access Grand Ridge two years earlier. It sat higher up and reached Duthie Hill Park directly.
The connector trail joined the main trail in half a mile before turning north through the saddle. It then stayed relatively flat for three-quarters of a mile to the trip’s highest point. From Grand Ridge’s northwest flank, it then dropped 450′ before flattening for under a mile.
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En Route to Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park
In the open forest were several streams and a couple of bridges. One of them crossed the tributary of Canyon Creek to the near east. Soon, the trail descended through several switchbacks to the valley floor before rising 200′ on the other side.
My favorite feature in the boggy forest was the wooden walkways, similar to the ones in Duthie Hill Park. The Issaquah-Fall City Road wasn’t for the faint of heart! I felt no safer using the crosswalk with APS as cars zoomed past.
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Returning to Grand Ridge Park in Issaquah Alps
I didn’t stick around long since I’d been to Duthie Hill Peak one other time. So I looped through the Intro track and turned around for a break before crossing back into Grand Ridge Park. The few people I met had come from the parking lot west of the park.
It would’ve been a quick to-and-back hike until I decided to play with the new gimble. The sunset was about to set when I slowly returned up the steady incline with the moon above. After looping through Spruce Coaster, I soon arrived back at the street corner parking.
See more trip photos here.