14 Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park: Red Town and Wildside Trails

Cougar Mountain stands as the westernmost of the Issaquah Alps, what remains of a mountain range that geologically predates the nearby Cascades. With more than 3,000 acres and 36 miles of hiking trails at all levels of difficulty, Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park reigns as the king of King County Parks.

Distance: 1.7-mile loop

Approximate hiking time: 1 to 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Moderate due to several short hills with more than a 100-foot elevation gain

Trail surface: Dirt and gravel

Best season: Year-round; but trails muddy after a rain

Other trail users: Equestrians on portions of the trail

Canine compatibility: Leashed dogs permitted

Fees and permits: No fees or permits required

Schedule: Open year round, 8:00 a.m. to dusk

Maps: USGS Issaquah; King Co. street map

Trail contacts: King County Parks and Recreation, (206) 296-8687; www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks.aspx

Finding the trailhead: From Seattle drive east on Interstate 90 and take exit 13 (Lakemont Boulevard SE). Follow Lakemont Boulevard SE until you come to a sign on the left for the Red Town Trail. Turn into the parking lot. All the trails in the park are well signed. GPS: N47 32.09' / W122 7.74'

The Hike

The Seattle region’s coal mining past largely lies hidden beneath the forest floor on the western slopes of Cougar Mountain. If it weren’t for a few preserved artifacts and interpretive kiosks, hikers on the mountain’s trails would remain clueless that less than a hundred years ago, a vast coal mining operation and a community of miners and their families—Red Town, a neighborhood of nearby Newcastle—occupied the mountainside where lush forest now stands. In less than a century, nature has completely reclaimed the mountain.

Red Town Trail, basically a gravel-and-dirt service road, leaves the parking lot on a gradual ascent. Hikers pass the junction to the more difficult Cave Hole Trail and several smaller spur trails, perhaps considerations for future hiking trips to this large, close-to-civilization park. Red Town Trail eventually narrows and becomes Indian Trail at a junction with an optional side path that passes a meadow restoration project with information posted about the project and the history of Red Town.

To complete the loop, transfer to Marshall’s Hill Trail and then, after a short distance, to Wildside Trail, which winds and rolls gently through the thick forest.

Near the end of the loop, a short spur leads to Ford Slope Mine, where you will see the sealed entrance to the coal mine with a rusty air vent still protruding from the ground. A nearby steam hoist—its foundation still in the forest—lowered the miners more than 1,700 feet into the mine shaft, which bottoms out 200 feet below sea level, and hauled the coal out. An excellent kiosk display of historic photos of miners waiting to be lowered into the mine at the very spot where you are standing breathes life into the site. Other captioned photos of the mining operation, the town, and the miners and their families round out the experience.

When hiking Cougar Mountain, trekking poles are useful to help negotiate the few slopes and the slippery trail surfaces after a rain. Although the park’s trails are well signed, due to the number of trails and trail junctions, a park map available online or at the trailhead kiosk can come in handy. Also, it is crucial to stay on the trails. The former mining operation scarred Cougar Mountain with possible hazards, such as unstable ground, the potential of collapsing mineshafts, and hidden mining hardware.

Miles and Directions

0.0Start at the parking lot and begin walking on the Red Town Trail, a wide gravel-and-dirt service road to the left of the kiosk. Follow the road up the hill.

0.8Red Town Trail ends and becomes Indian Trail. (Option: At this signed junction an alternate trail goes past the Meadow Restoration Project and joins the main trail again in a short distance.) Just past the Indian trailhead, come to another signed junction. Leave Indian Trail and follow Marshall’s Hill Trail straight ahead.

1.0Walk through the wooden equestrian barrier and straight ahead onto the Wildside Trail.

1.5Follow the short spur to Ford Slope Mine, where you will find historic information and mining relics.

1.7Arrive back at the trailhead.