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Cougar Mountain offers 52 trails totaling
34.8 miles for hikers. 16 of these trails,
totaling 16.7 miles, are open for equestrian
use. Four trailheads make getting into the
park and on the trails a convenient
experience.
Minutes away from eastside, of Seattle,
cities such as Bellevue, Newcastle and
Issaquah, Cougar Mountain Park provides an
excellent example of the region’s unique
historical and natural heritage. Located in
the "Issaquah Alps", Cougar Mountain Park
preserves important wildlife habitat while
offering ample opportunities for recreation
including hiking and horseback riding.
All
of the trails are well maintained and
signed, no worries about getting lost here!
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NOTES:
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Facilities: Toilets available.
- No
trailhead camping, day use only
Cougar Mountain
spreads over 3,100 acres. and is connected
to the Squak Mountain State Park by the
Cougar-Squak Corridor. Together, both parks
create a protected area of public land of
approximately 5,000 acres.
The park generally
lies between 1,000 and 1,595 feet above sea
level and features many diverse habitats,
such as mature second growth forests,
streams and wetlands, and cliffs, talus, and
caves. There are sweeping views of the
region, including vistas of Lake Sammamish,
the Cascades, and Bellevue, Seattle and
beyond. There are other more densely
vegetated areas of the park that whisk you
away from the sights and sounds of nearby
urban development. Hosts of birds are
regularly seen at Cougar, along with
wildlife such as black bear and bobcats.
Over the years, Cougar
Mountain has been home to Native Americans,
miners, loggers, and even the US Army! For
thousands of years, Native Americans
traversed Cougar Mountain to gather wild
roots, plants and berries, as well as to
hunt game and other animals. Then, when the
region began to be settled, miners worked
the hills of Cougar Mountain for close to a
century, up until the middle of the
twentieth century. Logging operations took
place during the 1920s, and there was even
some small-scale farming, which helped
supply miners, loggers, and their families
with fresh produce.
In the 1950s and early
60s, two active Nike missile sites were
located within the park’s current
boundaries, in order to protect the Puget
Sound region from potential air attacks.
Eventually, these sites were decommissioned,
and in the late 1960s, King County took over
ownership of the land that would later
become Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland
Park.
|
Trail Name |
Miles |
Usage |
| W7 Indian
Trail |
1.3 |
 |
| E5
Wilderness Cliffs Trail |
1.3
|
|
| C4 Coal Creek
Falls Trail |
0.7 |
|
| N7
Anti-Aircraft Ridge Trail |
0.7 |
|
| C6 Quarry
Trail |
1.0 |
|
| E12 Red
Cedars Trail |
0.3 |
|
| N8 Cougar
Pass Trail |
0.3 |
|
| C7 Fred’s
Railroad Trail |
0.6 |
|
| E11 Squak
Mtn. Connector Trail |
0.7 |
|
| W9 De Leo
Wall Trail |
1.1
|
|
| E6 Wilderness
Creek Trail |
1.5
|
|
| N2 Military
Road Trail |
0.7 |
|
| W10 Bagley
Seam Trail |
0.2 |
|
| E7 Goode’s
Corner Trail |
0.2
|
|
| N3 Radio Peak
Trail |
0.4 |
|
| C1 Clay Pit
Road |
1.3 |
|
| E8 No Name
Trail |
0.2 |
|
| N4 Coyote
Creek Trail |
1.1 |
|
| C2 Red Town
Creek Trail |
0.2 |
|
| E9 Protector
Trail |
0.4 |
|
| N5 Klondike
Swamp Trail |
0.9
|
|
| C3 Cave Hole
Trail |
1.2 |
|
| E10 West
Tibbetts Creek Trail |
0.4
|
|
| N6 Lost
Beagle Trail |
0.7 |
|
| C10 Mine
Shaft Trail |
0.3 |
|
| E16 Precipice
Bottom Trail |
0.4
|
|
| W1 Wildside
Trail |
1.0 |
|
| C11 Old Man’s
Trail |
0.3 |
|
| S1 Far
Country Trail |
0.3 |
|
| W2 Red Town
Trail |
0.8 |
|
| C12 Nike
Horse Trail |
0.3 |
|
| S2 Shy Bear
Trail |
1.7
|
|
| W3 Rainbow
Town Trail |
0.3 |
|
| E1 Shangri La
Trail |
1.7 |
|
| S3 Deceiver
Trail |
0.9 |
|
| W4 Steam
Hoist Trail |
0.2 |
|
| E13 Precipice
Top Trail |
0.2 |
|
| N9 Tibbetts
Marsh Trail |
1.0 |
|
| C8 East Fork
Trail |
0.7
|
|
| E14 Military
Ridge Trail |
0.7
|
|
| N10 Primrose
Overlook Trail |
0.2 |
|
| C9 By Pass
Trail |
0.2 |
|
| E15 Big Tree
Ridge Trail |
0.4 |
|
| N11 Little
Creek Trail |
0.4 |
|
| E2 Surprise
Creek Trail |
0.6 |
|
| S4 Long View
Peak Trail |
0.4
|
|
| W5 China
Creek Trail |
0.3 |
|
| E3 Bear Ridge
Trail |
1.5 |
|
| S5 Ring Road
Trail |
0.4
|
|
| W6 Marshall’s
Hill Trail |
1.1 |
|
| E4 Wilderness
Peak Trail |
0.4 |
|
| S6 Licorice
Fern Trail |
1.4
|
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Information on horse
trails, horse camps and camping and hiking paths for
horseback riders and hikers in Cougar Mountain park near
Seattle and Bellevue Washington
Trail Sponsors
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