Cougar Mountain is a nice choice when you have time/energy for a hike, but only a small one. I particularly like the Big Tree Ridge/Red Cedars ascent-- you get in just under 900 gain in ~1.2miles. The trail is smooth and well maintained, perfect for running, or getting back into hiking shape after the winter.
Bonus, there's a way to make a loop out of this trail, using unmaintained/semi-secret trails! You can either turn left (downhill) on the Military Road trail right at the top of Big Tree Ridge, or if you continue up the Red Cedars for another 1/4 mile to get a little more elevation gain, turn left on Surprise Creek Trail and then left again 1/4 mile later onto Precipice Top.
Either way, you end up descending towards Harvey Manning Park at the north end of the Talus development along the Military Road trail. Once you reach the park at Talus, you can turn left onto the Precipice Bottom Trail (it meets the Big Tree Ridge about .4 mile from the TH) or--- you can continue downhill just past the park and turn left at an unsigned junction onto the "unmaintained" Skid Row Trail. You'll see a tree with a piece of wood nailed to it just to the right of this trail, sometimes there is paper signage here, but currently there isn't.
Continue on Skid Row Trail along trail through pleasant forest and occasionally along old road. This trail is currently slated to be destroyed for a potential new development (Bergsma/Windward). A helpful person or party has repaired an area where the trail had been destroyed There are a couple of blowdowns to climb over at the end. The trail ends just over 100 yards east of your car at the Big Tree Ridge parking pullout. Makes a lovely loop of about 1000 gain 3 miles if you take the Big Tree Ridge--Red Cedars--Surprise Creek--Precipice Top--Military Road--Skid Row trail route loop.
Should you be interested in helping save this portion of Cougar Mountain from development, please join us! www.savecougarmountain.or better yet, sign the petition! https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-cougar-mountain
Comments
rupas on Big Tree Ridge, Red Cedars, Precipice Top Trail, Military Road
Thanks for the loop info!
Posted by:
rupas on Mar 30, 2018 03:24 PM