The coal creek nature area is like a secret forest. Hidden in between Coal Creek Parkway and different neighborhoods bordering Bellevue and Newcastle. The waterfall here is dependent on the weather. Tucked into a small creek/canyon area. The trail is beautiful and loads of ferns everywhere. The green state really shines down in this area too. Of course in the summer it becomes a bit browner. Springtime and the blackberry bushes line certain parts of the trails. Trail access varies depending on where you go. Various signage gives you a history of the area. So lucky to have access to this lovely trail. Get out there and enjoy life. SYOY! read more

See all

It was a beautiful day for a hike and we decided to check out Coal Creek Falls Trail. It was so peaceful and very pretty. Just what we both needed after a hectic work week. What was really interesting to us, was a long the trail there were signs giving the coal mining history along the trail. There are multiple trails to explore and I look forward to coming back another time to explore some of the other trails. They also have horse trails, which is pretty cool. I just need to find a horse and learn how to ride one. read more

Coal Creek Falls Trail - Hiking Near Me - Newcastle, Washington

See all

These trails are very well maintained and make for easy walking. We went on a gray Sunday morning and we hardly passed anyone on our 3 mile hike. The dogs liked it because the environment was quiet and tons of interesting spots to sniff. The path is made with gravel - which I've heard gets replaced yearly. Despite a few days of rain, the trails were really dry. There are honey buckets at some of the trail heads. Lots of parking too. Nice, easy walk for a Sunday morning. Nice and clear trail markers along the way. read more

Coal Creek Falls Trail - Nice dry gravel path - Hiking Near Me - Newcastle, Washington

Was in town for the week and wanted to take my daughters to a beautiful, easy hike. Found this place online and was so glad we went! It was perfect weather and our stroll was filled with clean air, bird sounds, beautiful greenery, the creek had a nice stream going, the waterfall was amazing and the bridge was picture perfect! We also got to see mushrooms growing on the side of trees! (We're from Las Vegas). Would definitely recommend! read more

See all

Coal Creek Falls is one of the many beautiful trails that Washington has to offer. This is a very easy day hike with low elevation gains which makes it great for the kiddos. The trail is very well maintained and offers a great tree canopy covering for when the weather is hot. The trails can get muddy during the wet season, so make sure you shoe up accordingly! The falls are quite small so if you come during the summer there's a good chance it'll be dried up. Falls or not, it's a great place to get lost in nature for a while! This is part of the Cougar Mountain system so there are a lot of different ways you can go and you can make your own adventure as you go a long. This overall area was a large mining operation back in the day so make sure you stay on the trails! read more

This trail is very easy to navigate. They have location markers and directions throughout the trail route so it's nearly impossible to get lost. I thought we would get to a point and turn around, but the directions told us we could make a circle and return to our starting point. read more

Coal Creek Falls Trail - Just taking a morning stroll Seattle. - Hiking Near Me - Newcastle, Washington

Very nice easy hike through beautiful lush vegetation! Small but pretty waterfall at the end of the first section of the hike. The short hike is only 2.5 miles round trip. Super easy. The path and forks in the road can be a bit confusing. I used google maps and had no problems. Love the lush green moss, trees and bushes growing out form the ground. The smell of the air is nice and clean. Good for families with kids. read more

See all

Lovely hike, just a short ways from Seattle / Bellevue! It's not the most impressive in terms of sights, but I enjoy that it's quite easy / flat, shaded, forest-y, and cool. It's really great for family hikes, or hiking for people who want to experience nature without exerting too much physical energy. Saw many dogs. When we went on a Saturday morning in June 2022, it wasn't too crowded or busy, though by the time we left in the afternoon, the parking lot was full. I love the feeling of walking through a forest. Most of time, it was fairly quiet. We hiked along the Red Town Trail loop (see AllTrails for full route). The paths are generally decently wide and well-maintained. There are some side trails / detours that are more narrow, which really adds to the feeling of walking through the woods. (I relied on AllTrails to follow these trails). There were also many mushrooms and slugs along the way (it had just rained the day before). Coal Creek Falls is a small waterfall, and nice stopping point - you can rest there and eat some snacks, before heading back to the parking lot. read more

See all

With our youngest being autistic and fascinated by falling water, we are always in search of waterfall hikes on weekends. We have been once to Coal Creek Falls and decided to make a repeat trip this weekend and were so happy that we did! We went to the Sky Country trailhead (as opposed to the Red Town Trailhead which we had tried on an earlier visit) which we accessed after driving through Belvedere neighborhood. Fortunately we were able to find quite a few open parking spots while the Red Town lot looked to be inundated with cars on the beautiful winter day today. The trail to the falls was roughly 2.2 miles round trip so very accessible; however this route although shorter than the Red Town but felt a bit steeper than the prior one. Seeing the falls in their glory made it worth the trip and the smile on the little people's faces. read more

Coal Creek Falls Trail - On the trail to see the waterfall - Hiking Near Me - Newcastle, Washington

See all

A little creepy going alone but it was safe overall when I went. A very heavily forested trail that also accommodates horse traffic! This trail was a little hard to find at first and not where the main google maps takes you to when you type in coal creek falls trail. You have to cross over the trailer parking away from the main trailhead signage to find the iron horse trail that eventually hooks up with other trails to get you to the actual coal creek trail. The entire trip took me about 2.5 miles and the falls was really fun to get to and peaceful with no one there after work. Even in the small drizzle there was it was pleasant: definitely want to come back for more adventures on these trails. read more

See all

This is a great beginner hike for people of all ages. It's also a nice easy hike for those who enjoy mossy green forests a short distance from Seattle. We parked at the Red Town Trail lot where there were a good amount of parking spaces but it was almost full at 9am on a Saturday. The trailhead has a toilet and a picnic table area as well. There are several trails and routes in this area but we decided on the Coal Creek Falls Trail. Pay attention to the signs because it's easy to wander onto a different trail. As the name suggests, the highlight of the trail is the waterfall. It's small but still pretty and the walk along the way is filled with mossy trees and pretty ferns. The overall elevation gain is minimal but there are a few points where you can get a bit of cardio exercise. Because of ease of this hike and the location, expect it to be busy with families and groups of people. Not Rattlesnake Ledge busy, but not quiet either. Of note is that the waterfall tends to dry up after the dry summer so Spring is probably the best time to visit. read more

Coal Creek Falls Trail - Mossy beauty on the trail - Hiking Near Me - Newcastle, Washington

See all

My friend and I did this one as a starter hike for her new puppy and I was pleasantly surprised with the beautiful view at the end! I was expecting it to be like a tiny inner city flat trail. I heard it's v popular on weekends but luckily we went early Friday morning so there was plenty of parking and the trails very well marked! read more

Coal Creek Falls Trail - Hiking Near Me - Newcastle, Washington

Very shaded hike. We thought at the end we would see a water fall but it was dried up. The hike was quite simple and not too strenuous with highs and lows. I would recommend for kids to hike on as well. We spotted some mushrooms and 2 huge banana slugs. Kids always enjoyed a hike and spotted a chipmunk. You hike into a flat open area and there was no signs pointing to how to get to the falls. read more

I made the trek here last Spring but ended up not doing it. Most recently, came back with a girl friend. The trail/hike is not where you'd expect it as it's in the Cougar Mountain Wildland Park amongst other trails. When you first enter NewCastle/Bellevue area (if you're coming from Seattle/I-90) you will approach a residential wealthy neighborhood which eventually leads to the parking lot for the hike. The signs aren't very clear of where to start your hike so advised to start at the Sky Country trail. Also, you will pass by the Nike Horse Storage (which is a white and says 'Nike Horse' in blue) on the right. After that, it's unclear where you start your route, which was kind of ehhh already. The man that we had talked to didn't really know either...so we just started where a trail had gone and we had to use our google map to get a hunch of where to go. Eventually, you will see signs of trails as a clue and passerby's are friendly enough to point you in the right direction. It can be muddy and a bit steep. Some parts of the hike are elevated. It's best to come on a sunny day and you get a real feel of being in the woods and embracing nature. The falls were not what I expected compared to most pictures on here. There may have been some points during the hike that we did not catch as maybe alternative trails (to conclude). There were many people there and making our way back, we found out the Nike Horse Trail said 'parking lot in 0.3 miles' which in actuality, would've saved us some time and we had gone all the way around in the first place! Upon entrance, when you first enter the intersection of the trail and on the right which looks like a field, pick the right. That would lead to the falls quicker and would lead you to the sign of the Nike Horse Trail as if you were going to exit in my second paragraph. Nice walk, definitely the exercise and it wasn't too bad. But it was a-ok for me :) read more

A pleasant trail for a walk or stroll, but don't expect a dazzling waterfall. Sadly it was extremely dried up compared to the pictures from previous years. The area offers several different trails so more than one route is possible to reach Coal Creek Falls. Roundtrip is roughly 2.5 miles with a low 416 feet elevation gain and the highest point at 1066 feet. At one point we did head down the wrong route but conveniently still had cellphone service to help navigate. We parked at Red Town Trailhead to be able to do a short detour hike to North Fork Falls as well. Similarly that waterfall was rather disappointing. It took us over two hours to visit both of the falls. No parking pass or entry fee required. read more

See all

Nice hiking trail at Cougar Mountain. Started at Red Town Trailhead and hiked up to the waterfall and back down to the parking lot. The trail was not too difficult but bring some water. The waterfall is not huge but it's nice to see. That was the point where I turned around and went back down. There are some hikers and some runners on the trail and lots of people walking dogs. A nice place to go outside for a little exercise. read more

Be careful of smash and grab weirdos but besides them the hike is beautiful. Would recommend for newbies or anyone enjoying a stroll

Great place for a variety of recreation options. Parking is located at Coal Creek Trailhead for ~20 cars, and at Red Town Trailhead for about 100 cars. I started at Coal Creek Rd trailhead about 10:30, and reached the North Falls about 1:00. The trail is easy, with a few hills. The conditions were sunny but very muddy. It seems much of the trail should undergo some maintance, as the trail was clearly eroding. A lot of people went around the mud, creating even wider eroded sections. The falls were very nice, as the water was running full. The old mine shaft was the peak of the trip. Interesting history in the area as well. Overall, a fine hike, and a very popular trail on a sunny Saturday. read more

See all

When it comes to hikes, it's all about the payoff from the view for me. This one I picked particularly for the waterfall, and we just were unlucky that it wasn't fully flowing, compared to other pictures I've seen. For that reason, I won't rush to come back, but this is still a nice way to get outdoors. We came on a rainy Saturday afternoon, so the parking lot was pretty empty, and we only crossed paths with people on the trail a handful of times. A pro is definitely free parking! I can imagine it would've been more crowded because of that on a nice day during the right season to see the falls. The trail is a dirt path, lined with very lush and green surroundings. It was muddy for us, obviously, but since it was raining that also helped to clean at least the top of our shoes at the same time. We parked at the Sky Country Trail trailhead. There's a big map sign there which makes it tempting to just go that way, but the map noted that the Horse Trail is behind you on the other end of the parking lot, which is where you want to go for the Coal Creek Falls. The signage on the trail was good enough compared to other parks I've been to. I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to directions, so the fact that I was able to navigate us says something. The falls are behind the wooden bridge. We actually passed by it without realizing that was it since the presence was not as commanding as we hoped for. No visitor center/gift shop, at least at this parking lot. Bummer for me because I love gift shops! I'm not sure if they had any bathrooms nearby, because we didn't need it anyways. read more

See all

Awesome trail/hike to embark on when you're looking for a nice workout, but nothing too intense. It's very easy to find, with plenty of parking spaces - which is always a bonus at parks/trails! There's a bathroom, a little kiosk on the history of coal mining in the area, and complimentary pet waste bags as well at the beginning of the trail. You start off at a descent but it's not too steep. There isn't too many places I'd call "steep" at all, actually. It's a really easy trail and would be perfect for beginners, kids, etc. I imagine it'll be AWESOME in a week or two. The leaves are already starting to change color and fall lots here, so it was really pretty the whole way! There are probably 3 or 4 other trails that you're able to break off onto as well, so if you wanted to make a day of hanging out here, you totally could. We were only there for about 1.5-2 hours. Even though the falls was dried up (for the most part, there was only a little trickle going) it was a really pretty hike and perfect for a Sunday afternoon. read more

See all

This trail is a bit misleading. There are several different places you can park to start this hike - one is a tiny lot right off the main Coal Creek Parkway, another is closer to the golf course and Cougar Mountain. There are still others I have not yet been to. I have done this hike twice now and have parked at the two aforementioned lots. This time we decided to try the Coal Creek Pkwy lot and headed off towards the Coal Creek Falls Trail. We literally followed the signs and did every hike in each direction over the course of a few hours. One of the loop trails is kind of misleading as you don't end up back where you started so don't be caught off-guard! We backtracked the trail a couple of times just to get back to the right parking lot where our car was. All of that being said, this is a super easy, mostly flat hike. The "falls" are more like a trickle in the summer time so don't come here if you're looking for real waterfalls. There is quite a bit of sun exposure so definitely put sunscreen on. I didn't notice mosquitoes on the trail but my friends got eaten alive, so bug spray couldn't hurt. read more

This trail to the Coal Creek Falls is located within the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildlife Park, which has 38 miles of trails. We parked at the Red Town Trailhead area, which is off of Lakemont Blvd SE. The parking lot was quite full when we arrived but managed to find one spot at the opposite end of the Red Town Trailhead. This is somewhat of a workout but not too difficult to do. There are moderate areas to make up for some of the uphill climb. It's such a beautiful trail and quite maintained. We started ascending from the Military Rd Trail. Once we reached the junction, we made a right on Red Town Creek Trail and onto Cave Hole Trail then a right on Coal Creek Falls Trail. Whew! It was probably a good 2-mile trek with about a 450 ft. elevation gain. It was a balmy 36 degrees. Cold but refreshing! The Coal Creek Falls were beautiful. We stopped to take some photos. It was a bit muddy climbing near the Falls area so be careful. Instead of heading back the same direction, we crossed the foot bridge in front of the Falls and continued on the Coal Creek Falls Trail, which is more of a descent with several switchbacks. A few right turns and a couple left turns. It was another 2 miles back to our car. It was fun seeing sites, creeks, etc. in between. It took us a couple of hours to do almost 4 miles. There are so many varying short trails here. I'd love to come back and check out the other trails since this isn't too far a drive from where I live. read more

See all

Came here once in the summer and was confused by the lack of signage. Asked someone for directions and they said that the waterfall was dried up in the summer, and its best to view it in rainier months. Decided to go today and it was perfect. The trail is not obvious from the parking lot. You want the Nike Horse trail, not the Old Man's trail. The Old man's trail is also nice and short, but it doesn't take you to the waterfall. If you see a field, cross it and the trail is on the other side of the wooden rail fence. The trail is an easy 2 mi walk round trip. It would be a good hike for children. The trail was a bit muddy and the leaves were slippery, so still need sturdy shoes. It was a lovely, short hike. The water fall was pretty, but not very impressive. I wished there was a bench there to sit and admire for a minute. read more

See all

Trail directions unclear and multiple, MULTIPLE people told us not to leave car well known area for smash and grabs.

Great short trail. Make sure you start from the correct trailhead at the beginning though, its the horse trail at the northwest end of the parking lot, not the main trailhead with the big sign. The falls are beautiful even in March, would love to see this trail in the summer. read more

See all

Went on a Monday so the trail was super quiet and there was plenty of parking. Love the moss covered trees and the sound of the creek the entire walk. It was raining so the path was muddy, and could definitely use some pea gravel in areas similar to the path you walk in on. Overall a very mild happy hike with lovely views and fresh air. read more

Five-hundred feet drop slowly distributed in a former mining town where turntables is the act of manual rotation of choo choo trains. Coal Creek brings fresh walking adventures for the guide dog who's energy finally depleted, demonstrating limitation to his excitement and youth. The trail shrouds itself with trees for cooldown reduction opportunities, shadow implementation for photographic framing, and a mixture of aerial ambience that enters soothly with open-back headphones, together creating an open stage concert to the ears. Some of the remnants can be found throughout the adventures with landmarks to narrate in your best Morgan Freeman voice (Liev Scriebber optional), to bring additional context to a pedometer counting track. Lastly, for the uninitiated, drop offs of the blind, sitting by a tree, appearing abandoned is safe, while you explore the final stretches of the trail. read more

See all

There are so many paths just to go down to Coal Creek Falls! Honestly using Google maps with just the location on is what helped me and my five friends. We parked at Clay Pit Road and my girl friend and I had an initial plan to use the horse trail but my guy friend wanted to use the no horse trail which was a longer route towards Red Town trailhead. So we had to take a steep detour and use the right path which was a killer incline for my group as some are out of shape :) Such a gorgeous hike in March, the snow was melting which caused condensation around us. There are tons of people who run these trails with their dogs/friends which motivates me. Bridges and trails are well maintained and there was tons of parking due to the horse trailer parking lot. read more

See all

Nice and easy hike with many stops along the way to enjoy the scenery. It's your chance to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life with a chance to enjoy the beauties of the outdoors. read more

I was excited for this hike, but when I arrived at the address, there was no visible signage telling me where to drive, where the parking lot was, etc. it literally just looked like a private residential area. So I left and used Google to find the address and had much better results. It may have been a Yelp GPS fail. read more

A nice trail that leads to a beautiful waterfall in the spring and early summer. We went last fall and the waterfalls had dried up to a trickle. Returned this spring to a gorgeous waterfall. The trail is short but a bit steep. We saw many families with young children hiking, with no issues. I wouldn't want to push a stroller up that hill but some folks were trying to when we passed them on our way down. read more

Coal Creek Falls Trail - Hiking Near Me - Newcastle, Washington

See all

Great hike from the parking lot on the sharp corner of Lakemont/newcastle border. 3.3 miles approximately. Plenty of uphill to the falls with enough flat between not to kill you. Signage was perfect as there are some splits. Falls were very pretty in Jan. We opted to hike the loop and found the way back is a small hill and then steep downhill switchbacks. The knees didn't appreciate. Flattens out and you go right toward a conservation area. I enjoyed the greenery and beauty of this hike. read more

See all

Neat and easy hike! 2 miles round trip. You'll meet friendly hikers and families. Plus!!! Lots of DOGS! Easy afternoon hike and I think it's a great hiking trail for those new to hiking. read more

Coal Creek Falls Trail - Hiking Near Me - Newcastle, Washington

This was a great hike for sure ! We started off of coal creek road. The weather was perfect ! Lots of scenery water, trees, birds, bridges, snails, watch out for slugs and make sure to where boots! Or some shoes you dont mind getting a little muddy. There are some spots in the trail that are pretty muddy but it makes it an adventure! Its a pretty flat plato in the beginning near coal creak. The trail we did was "red" something I forgot .About half way through the hike there are hills its a great little workout! Oh and a nice sized waterfal clean benches and land marks so you no what trail your on ! Took us about 2 hours total with walking, and stoping a couple times to enjoy the scenery read more

Coal Creek Falls Trail - Hiking Near Me - Newcastle, Washington

See all

This trail was so nice! We originally got lost and walked on the wrong trail I think we were on the wrong newscastle part of street but you'll know you're going the right way when you start to leave the neighborhood with all the houses and all you see is a windy road with trees. Then you should see a blue sign with all the cars parked on dirt. There weren't many people there but there were some, we got there in time and we walked about a couple miles to see the waterfall which was very well worth it! The waterfall was so nice and sweet we could even get close to be in the water to take pictures right in front. read more

Great trail for families. Got there at 9:30am and got one of the last parking spaces. Took us about one hour with our 3 and 5 year old round trip. We stopped at the falls to eat some snacks and headed back. Parking lot was crazy when we left so definitely try to come early. Gonna try cave next visit. read more

Nice easy hike. It would be good for families. When my dog and I went the waterfall was a lot less than posted photos. But it hadn't rained in awhile. So I'd assume that with more rain it would follow more strongly. read more

A beautiful environment and scenery. Great for breaking a sweat and getting some exercise!

Great trails and so peaceful!! We weren't sure we were headed in the right direction to find the place but keep going and it'll be worth it!! read more

I hiked the Coal Creek Trail for the first time this morning and although it was a lovely pathway, why in the name of heaven would you create a park with 6 or so miles of trails and absolutely no restroom facilities? Not one that we could find. Not even a portable toilet. Five and a half miles of trail would have been a lot more pleasant if we had had access to facilities. read more