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    Squak Mountain State Park

    3.8 (22 reviews)

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    Today's adventure
    Kevin F.

    A great afternoon hike, mostly in shaded woods. Very moderate overall, you are ascending slowly for most of the way up to the central peak, it only gets steep the last 3/4 miles. Only recommend going to the peak if you're looking for steps, not any views there. However, someone has cleverly placed an old microwave oven at the gate of the microwave tower. Cute! Many people have "marked" it with stickers over time. I've done some parts of this hike on previous occasions, as Squak has multiple trails, and multiple starting points around the mountain, it's even easy if you want to combine trails, if you want to add mileage with trails to Tiger and Cougar Mountains, as Squak sits in between them. Part of my hike was to honor a family member, who recently passed, as part of the trail and view has her same name. I was blessed to have the viewpoint to myself for a good half hour, which is rare, as this is a popular destination on the trail. Enjoyed watching two bald eagles soaring overhead, Steller's Jays and chipmunks inquiring about food, and swallowtail butterflies fluttering about. Blessed indeed. Even with an obscured view of Mt. Rainier, due to clouds moving in, it was beautiful. All the trails are well maintained and with good signage. I was glad to see brochures and posters promoting and educating people about practicing leaving No trace, I hope to see more on the other local trails. A fun and peaceful hike in the woods. Looking forward to more hiking adventures. The parking lot at this spot was small, but ample parking along the road. Not a busy road, mainly for the housing in the area. Plenty of wildflowers still, but streams are dwindling, hopefully some rain soon will help. Happy Hiking and Yelping! Cheers!

    Sheri H.

    This state park is in Issaquah off of a residential road, surrounded by horse stables. The entrance just appears out of nowhere after passing trees, so I suggest using GPS so you don't miss it. There are small signs to the right of the road before the entrance which can easily be missed. A state park license, the Discover Pass, or $10/day fee is required. There are the standard park restrooms in the circular parking lot area. They have some picnic tables there and a sign for public announcements. Some whacky named trails are here like Pretzel Tree. There are convenient horse trails for all the surrounding stable owners, too. If you hike all the way to the top, you'll be able to see Seattle. My friend and I stayed on the easy trails that have you instantly in the forest, right by the parking lot. My cell's wifi couldn't connect out there, not even in the parking lot.

    Trail sign
    Piko L.

    Steep hike but lots of fun! Be careful when parking because there is a lot of shattered glass from previously broken car windows littered in the gravel in each parking spot so I'd recommend parking in the grass and making sure no belongings are visible from the windows (you know the drill)

    Bullitt Fireplace
    Cherry J.

    Squak Mountain State Park is part of the Squak Mountain trail system. Hiking is steep which is great for hiking exercise from here to Bullitt Fireplace. Easy to access from Renton Landing area and 405 by just heading east.

    Gloria,Andrew M.

    I would say the lower hike is great for children, but the grid amp for the trail system was horrible. The park ranger said a new map is in the process. The group I was with got lost and we circled the mountain for hours and then only to end up on the opposite side where we called the local police to pick us up ,and they graciously did so we could get back to our cars 5 miles away. Thank you local Law enforcement for saving us! My suggestion go out the way you came in!

    As far as day hikes go, my trek at Squak Mountain today was the most enjoyable yet. Here's how you get there: http://www.eskimo.com/~captain/page250a.htm There's a small lot and street parking at the trail head on Mountainside Drive. While I can't speak for the other trail heads, there were not public bathrooms or garbage cans at the start. If you're looking for an easy hike, follow Bullitt Trail. The majority of this trail is even, patted down dirt wide enough for three people to walk shoulder to shoulder. About midpoint on this trail you'll come across an old chimney from the Bullitt homestead, which serves as a good lunch stop (1 picnic table, no garbage cans). Squak Mtn. as a whole is FAR less crowded than Cougar Mtn or Tiger Mtn, but if you encounter any other people on your hike it is likely they're following Bullitt Trail, too. Bullitt Trail will lead you to the central summit, which is frankly not that impressive. You won't have any breathtaking views from the top of the mountain, but there are several large radio towers to mark the spot.At this point, you can return the way you came OR choose to follow one of the many parameter trails to increase the difficulty. Today we chose to follow Piper's Creek Trail and the East Ridge Trail to return to the trail head. These trails are more narrow, at times uneven and definitely more rocky, which combined make a moderately difficult hike. While the views out over Issaquah and to the neighboring mountains are mostly obscured by trees, the scenery on either side of the trail is really pretty. Tipped over trees, moss covered boulders and rippling creeks make for a very picturesque walk. The parameter trails are marked with signs, but it can get a bit confusing, so I highly recommend bringing a trail map (which I did not have today, doh). We easily hiked for over three hours by following these various trails. Overall, there are some switchbacks that will make your thighs scream, but for a quiet hike it is well worth it.

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    11 years ago

    My Wife, Dogs and I love this place!! Love the views from each mountain but really like this one and the trails are maintained well!

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    Pickering Trail - Pickering Barn

    Pickering Trail

    4.5(2 reviews)
    4.8 mi

    "Tales of Trails and Tea Houses" April - September, 2022…read moreMy new theme for some of my yelp reviews for this year! My husband and I are planning on exploring a new trail and a new tea house for our monthly dates for the 6 warmer months of this year! :) Welll... I am glad that my husband and I decided to explore this trail today for our monthly date for April, but it was not altogether an entirely pleasant experience for us, which is why I have deducted one star. This trail is entirely paved and there are almost no inclines to it, so "trail" is a slight misnomer (at least, how I think of a trail, that is). The entire trail is a paved, wide, cement path with about 2 feet of grass on either side of it on most parts of this trail. The trail has only very slight inclines. So, we most definitely did not need to be wearing our hiking boots! Almost any sort of walking shoes would be just fine to wear here. The trail is more like a wide sidewalk through a park/wetland than it is like a hiking trail. There are some beautiful trees, plants, and greenery to feast one's eyes on along this trail, and there is a wetland to one side of the trail. Please do not step off of the paved path if you decide to explore this trail, so as not to disturb the wildlife. We liked it that there was almost no one on this trail today other than us. We saw a lady walking her dog, and we saw one other couple walking along the trail. There was an 80% chance of rain today, so we wore rain coats and brought an umbrella, but fortunately our time here ended up falling in between today's intermittent rains. Apparently the Pickering Barn, which is in the middle of the Pickering Trail, is available to rent out for events. There was a beautiful wedding there today, and we saw the wedding party out near the trail getting their photos taken. It warmed my heart to see that the bridesmaids all had the groomsmen's suit jackets on. At 42 degrees, today was not a warm April day in Issaquah. How thoughtful of the gentlemen. We saw one tiny, beautiful, black and white bird. This beautiful bird was the extent of the wildlife that we saw on this trail today. We have a bird book, but there are so many neat birds in the PNW that I am not able to identify very many types of birds on sight. This bird was a joy to behold, however, whatever it is called. We couldn't get a photo of it; it flew off too quickly. There is a connector trail on one end of the Pickering trail to Lake Sammamish State Park, and a connector trail on the other end to a couple of other, smaller parks. We started at the Pickering Barn and walked to the end of the trail one way (about a 10 - 15 minute walk), then walked back and walked to the other end of the trail. At both ends of the trail, the trail dips under 2 busy traffic overpasses. Underneath the low overpass that is built over a wide stream, which is located near to the connecting trail to Lake Sammamish State Park, there were some of the worst stenches that my husband and I have ever smelled in our entire lives. We were both unable to place exactly what the complex blend of multiple different stenches was made up of. It was just horrible! Walk underneath the lowest overpass at your own risk! I have visited Issaquah countless times in the past, since my Sister's first husband and some of his family is from Issaquah, and my Sister and her first husband lived in Issaquah for several years, near his parents' home. However, over 95% of my visits to Issaquah have been for family events or to babysit my niece and nephew. So, I really haven't explored much of Issaquah other than visiting a handful of homes scattered among the beautiful forests of trees in this lovely city. This trail was a somewhat mediocre and slightly disappointing way to begin my Issaquah explorations. However, the trail did have only one other review here on yelp, so there wasn't much for me to go on. I actually really enjoy putting new places on the yelp map and/or adding a review and/or photos to a place that only has 1 or 2 reviews and little to no photos up for it, so that's on me. There were several tall office buildings, some of which are currently under construction, very near this trail. There are very few sections of this trail from which we could not hear busy traffic, which surprised me - since the trail is adjacent to a wetland, I guess I did not expect that. I was quite delighted by some of the botanicals along this trail, though. Like the bird, I don't know what most of them are called. However, it was hard for me to stop gazing at the beautiful willow tree near where the trail meets the path to the Pickering barn. I love willow trees. I doubt we'd return, but I feel like avoiding walking under the lower overpass near the wide stream would've made our walk so much more pleasant overall, so perhaps someone else can learn from our experience. I'm not sure if the smell is worse after rains or not, but it does rain a lot here! Happy Hiking!

    I love this trail!…read more My work office recently moved to Issaquah and my office overlooks this trail. Since the weather seems to be improving, I decided to walk this trail during my lunch breaks. It is wonderful! It connects to the Sammamish Trail on the northern side, and it winds to the south to the Pickering Farm and the Pickering "commercial area", passing over bridges and through glades of trees, heady with the aroma of lilacs and sweet botanicals. Today alone, during my brief 30 minute walk, I saw up close and personal a magnificent blue jay, a crow wrestling with a small snake (and winning that battle, I might add - soundly!), a vibrant Monarch butterfly that flew so close to me, I could touch it, and lots of folks out with their dogs. What a great way to escape the corporate world, if just for a brief respite.

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    Pickering Trail
    Pickering Trail
    Pickering Trail - I don't know what these are, but I love them :)

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    I don't know what these are, but I love them :)

    Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park - Baked clay from coal fire, aquarium bound

    Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park

    4.4(56 reviews)
    4.7 mi

    A trail is right outside my home! Walk a few feet and take a quick trail run, walk or hike…read more Whatever your mood wants. The level on most trails are gentle uphill. You can take your dog, family or out of town visitors to show them the beauty of our forested natural neighborhood without them being overwhelmed. I personally loved trail running when I was younger and would go out most days . Now I mostly hike or walk the trail to take a break from working remote. I feel lucky to have this beautiful gem so close by! Beware on weekends in nice weather the parking fills up quickly, but you can usually find a spot most weekdays.

    Cougar Mountain has some great trails with a variety of difficulty levels throughout. Once a coal…read moremining area, a lot of work has been done over the years to help nature be nature and restore things as they should be, complete with lots of trails so that us humans can enjoy and obverse what's going on in our environment. Trails are well maintained and clearly marked. Please stay on them! Yes, there are some fun caves that are left over from the mines, no I will not tell you where they are, because they are extremely dangerous and you never know when there's going to be a problem. Either way, it's a great place to go as far (or not) as you'd like. Parking can get a little crazy depending on which trailhead you're aiming for and it's good to come earlier in the day. Also keep in mind that Cougar Mountain isn't just some cute, random name. Know what wildlife lives here, how to handle yourself, and remember that you're the trespasser.

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    Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park - More history

    More history

    Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park - Cool bog walk

    Cool bog walk

    Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park - Signage

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    Signage

    Squak Mountain State Park - hiking - Updated May 2026

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