We arrived at the trailhead by 10:30 am and came back around 1 pm. There were lots of blackberries with some bushes starting to crowd the trail towards the top.

Signs were clear and the trail was easy to navigate.

Note of caution: When we got back, a branch had fallen on my car and caused some damage that required towing.

This is a great trail for how close it is to the city with opportunity for decent distance and elevation. We went on a mostly cloudy day, so big mountains weren’t visibly, but I can see this having great vistas.

The trail is overgrown in places which makes the trail quite narrow. There’s also a tree down about 0.6 miles in, which can be difficult to pass with kids and dogs.

Reference this trip report for more complete directions starting from the actual Tiger Mountain Trailhead: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report-2025-01-30.084022207529

Started out on this hike from the Tiger Mountain Trailhead around 8:30am on a sunny clear Saturday, and there were only ~3 other cars parked along the road. The first part of the trail, before you reach South Tiger Traverse, takes you through a really nice forestscape. When you reach the Tiger Mountain/Horse Bypass split it doesn't matter which way you go as they both meet up about half a mile along with South Tiger Traverse. From here most of the remainder of the trail is steeper & exposed, taking you through a large clearcut. Be sure to have your sunscreen & hat ready for this section. There are still a few wildflowers holding on here, but mostly they're already dried out. Some blackberries that I expect will start to get ripe in a few weeks though. 

After turning from S Tiger Traverse onto S Tiger Summit, the trail gets more narrow & overgrown with grasses, blackberry vines, and foxglove. The foxglove in particular is all dried out now, and when you run into it (which is inevitable) it spreads seeds all over you. I took quite a lot of foxglove seeds & lots of blackberry vine scratches home with me. There are also a few holes in the trail near the summit, so watch your step. On the plus side, from most of this section of the trail you have expansive views South & West, with a great vantage point on Rainier. 

I only passed 1 person while I was hiking up, but on the return there were a good number of hiking parties not far from the trailhead when I came down around 10:30am. There was still definitely room for more cars along the road at that time. Overall it was a nice little hike not too far from Seattle, and driving past the crowded Poo Poo Point parking lot made me pleased with my choice of a less popular trail for the day.

I rode my mountain bike from the state forest entrance on SE Tiger Mtn Road, via West Side Road and South Tiger Mtn Service Road to get to the trailhead.

Started on the South Tiger Traverse Trail, which had been recently brushed, so the going was easy.  Views opened up once I reached the South Tiger Trail, which also had an abundance of fireweed and foxglove in bloom.  Pacific trailing blackberries and blackcap raspberries were ripe and delightful.  In addition to those, I grazed on Oregon grape and thimbleberries.  In some areas, Himalayan blackberry vines extended into the trail - gloves are handy for moving them out of the way.  The berries are not yet ripe.  Evergreen blackberries were also present, but not yet ripe.

A short hike, but it had its delights.

I started at the trailhead in Mirrormont for an evening hike after work. Getting there during times of high traffic is extremely frustrating - it does not matter if you go through Issaquah or take 18, you will be stuck in traffic bumper to bumper for at least half an hour or longer. I can't imagine how residents in Mirrormont put up with that BS for their daily commutes. If you plan to use this trailhead, choose a time outside traffic hours.

There is nothing better than hiking Tiger Mountain on a gloomy day with low hanging clouds and intermittent rain. Tiger Mountain at its best! While it didn't actually rain while I hiked, the overgrown parts of the trails of which there are plenty essentially drenched me. I was soaking wet with water in my boots by the time I got to the top of South Tiger from all the water passed on to me from the plants I had to brush by.

If you're a fan of foxglove, you must hike up to the summit of South Tiger while the bloom lasts. It's insane.

This part of Tiger is less frequented, I did not run into a single person the entire hike up to the summit and back down. There was only one other car at the trailhead when I started.

Along the trail you can see the devastation the bomb cyclone from last November caused, but the trails have been cleaned up and there are no obstacles.