West Tiger 3 — Sunday, Jun. 5, 2011

Issaquah Alps > Tiger Mountain

We got a late start on the mountain, and hit the trailhead just before noon. We had to park outside the gates, the lot was full and cars were lined up for about a quarter mile from the lot. Getting there earlier would avoid this problem, but my co-hikers aren’t very good at getting up early. There’s a side trail that provides a more scenic walk to the trailhead than the pavement, so I recommend taking that if you have to park outside the gate. There were three of us, and two of us were getting old, so our pace was not blazing fast. Nonetheless, we were faster than most of the numerous hikers sharing the trail that day. We could barely go one minute without seeing hikers going up and down. Many people brought their dogs (which are required to be leashed) and small children, although the kids were usually carried up or went at a very slow pace. The trail is in very good condition. The first mile or so is embedded with small rocks, but nothing detrimental. The last half mile narrows and becomes looser, so watch your footing. There are also a few muddy patches, but they’re neither large nor deep. The trail is well-marked – there’s a map at the trailhead to give you an idea of what you’re doing, and most of the forks have a snazzy sign pointing you on the correct path. There is one fork in the first mile that has lost its sign, where the left trail goes up and the right trail is more level – take the left path. The whole hike is in the woods. If you like that, great! But there aren’t any views or vistas until almost the end, at which point there are some nice views of other mountains. We had the good fortune to climb the mountain when the clouds were still around, with the sun finally appearing just as we reached the top a bit after one o’clock. I imagine the hike would have been a good deal harder in the sun, despite the tree cover. The view at the peak is nice, but not amazing. A lot of people were eating, taking photos, and tending to crying babies. There were a lot of birds and some insects at the top, too. The hike down was very easy. Kids started getting out of their backpacks to walk. There are some steep spots that you’ll want to be conscious of so you don’t slip. It’s very satisfying to see the agonized faces of people climbing up. The trail has a pretty consistent upward grade, and it pushed my elderly companions more than they were expecting. It was decently tough, but still an introductory hike. Hardcore hikers would scoff at this. I plan to check out the other hikes in the Tiger Mountain area to see how they compare, but until then, I recommend this hike as a quick day hike.