Arrived at Sky Country trailhead about 10:40 am. Lots of parking this Monday morning. The early trail is wide, flat, well maintained, and well signed. But agree with taking a map and the WTA hike description, there are trails crisscrossing the whole area and it would be easy to take a wrong turn.

The trail stays mostly flat but narrows as you go until you are wading through waist-high foliage near Radar Park, but push on as you are nearly at Harvey Manning trailhead by then.

My kiddo seemed a bit peeved that the trail let out at another trailhead (“You mean we could have just driven here?”) until he realized the viewpoint is only about a hundred feet from the parking lot and not a hike itself.

We arrived at the viewpoint about noon, as we had been taking our time. The lake view is mostly obscured by trees and foliage but it’s still pleasant and there is a table to have lunch at. A camp group of preschoolers and their counselors were also at the viewpoint, singing songs and playing games, so don’t expect solitude.

We took the loop back to Sky Country trailhead as recommended by WTA and it was great. Don’t miss the stop at the clay pit, it’s perhaps an even better view than the viewpoint, open to the sun with tons of wildflowers in the valley. There’s a bench too.

Slugs and snakes were out but no other obvious wildlife besides some birds bathing in a pothole.

Overall a lovely and easy hike to do with a kid.

It was a great morning for a hike on Cougar Mountain! Our group of Mountaineers completed a 4.1 mile loop with 605ft of elevation gain (per AllTrails) starting at the Skycountry Trailhead. We hit up Anti-Aircraft Peak, Clay Pit, the duck pond, and one of the old collapsed mine shafts. The gate was closed when most of us arrived around 7:15, but a King County truck came by at 7:20ish and opened the gate to trailhead. The trail was in good shape with some slight wet areas and lots of blooming trillium, some bleeding hearts, and a nice patch of coltsfoot. That said, the stretch between the Clay Pit and duck pond was very muddy and there were a few times it felt like my boot was going to be sucked off my foot!  Overall is was an ice morning for a hike and I appreciated getting outside to help beat the jet lag after getting back from Europe. 

Disclaimers

Quick-and-dirty version

Access: Bear Ridge Trailhead
Round Trip: 7.7 miles
Elevation Range: 200′-1489′
Essential Gear: none
Dog-Friendly: yes

The rain hasn't let up since the holiday. I started at 8 when it died down a bit. Then it was between drizzles and slight showers up until the time I left.

The Trails

The massive trail system on this mountain is generally well-maintained and signed at most forks. The few downed trees I encountered were likely from recent rainstorms. All bridges over creeks were covered in thin plastic (?) grating to keep from slipping. A++!

• Bear Ridge: two skinny downed trees; step over.
• Harvey Manning: two half-fallen trees south of Lost Beagle Trail fork; walk underneath.
• Shangri-La: two big logs between Surprise Creek and Tibbetts Marsh Trail forks; step over.

My Route

I started from Bear Ridge Trailhead, directly south of West Tibbetts Creek. The route took me through several trails with a stop at the Million Dollar View Pergola. The misty Lake Sammamish was visible through the small opening from the pergola. On the return, I exited southbound via Anti Aircraft Peak through more trails before coming out at Bear Ridge Trail to hike out.

Highlights

• View of Lake Sammamish from the only viewpoint along the route
• Glimpses of Tiger Mountain and the neighboring Squak Mountain through tree branches

Lowlights

• Non-stop rain from the get-go

Great rainy day hike! 3 hours round-trip at a moderate/relaxed pace. Only saw one other person the whole time, and that was once I was back on the clay pit road. Lots of lichens with fruiting bodies - neat!

I’m really grateful for the folks who compose trail chains and loops like this one and share them with the WTA! It was so easy for me to search for a hike within my parameters when my plan A trailhead was closed. It would have taken me ages to piece together a new plan. Thank you, whoever you are! ✨💖✨

I definitely recommend all the little bonus spurs mentioned in the description. The path up to the beaver pond was a bit muddy/slippery/prickly/ridiculous, but it was only a few dozen feet and the view was well worth the awkwardness.

The right turn onto Tibbetts Marsh Trail is more of a “keep going uphill.” The sign at that intersection wasn’t very helpful, but when I stopped overthinking it and just went uphill, I got up the hill. 🤓

The clay pit road was solid and consistent, even in the rain. It has been built up with brick waste over the years, and the bits of bricks give it a charming quality, in my opinion. My dad wants to stick to paved trails, but I think the road is smooth enough be a good out-and-back to do with him.

The porta potty I visited at the sky country trailhead was reasonably clean.

This was a lot of fun on a hot day. With all the little side trails and detours my dog and I went about 6.5 miles. Not too many other people, only a few bugs. Such a gem.