Wilderness Peak on Cougar Mountain lies inside the Regional Wildland Park. Wilderness Cliffs Trail via Squak Mountain Connector Trail offers one of many ways to the peak. Meanwhile, the massive Lake Sammamish spans the northern foothills.
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Wilderness Peak on Cougar Mountain at a Glance
Access: Squak Mountain Connector Trailhead
Round Trip: 4.3 miles
Elevation Range: 460′-1602′
Essential Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Goodbyes
Cougar Mountain on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
The three of us were here four years ago during the same holiday. It’s surreal that the 10 lb puppy I carried in my pack back then now weighs 90 lb. But part of me still misses those initial bonding times as we did the lighter hikes.
According to the forecast, the rain wouldn’t come until late morning. So, in anticipation of a busy mountain later in the day, we started just before sunrise. But this time, we took the connector trail half a mile east instead of the main trailhead.
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Hiking the Squak Mountain Connector Trail
The moderate path began on an old road just off the busy street. At some point after entering the trees, it veered west and slowly turned into a trail. Soon, it joined the Wilderness Cliffs Trail above 800′, over half a mile from the car.
Shortly, the trail took several switchbacks that offset the steep incline. Meanwhile, the dense forest offered glimpses of Squak Mountain and Mount Rainier. Before long, the path slightly dipped around an unnamed pond before rising again.
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Hanging out on Wilderness Peak on Cougar Mountain
We reached the lonely memorial bench after going through several more switchbacks from the west. Like before, we took a break amid the brush with a dusting of snow to be out of the traffic. But surprisingly, no one came up during our half-hour visit.
Two hikers we passed were the only people we saw after leaving the top. Overall, it was another pleasantly quiet holiday outing on a decent weather day. Soon, freezing temperatures lowered as we slowly dropped altitude back onto the old road.
See more trip photos here.