North Cougar Mountain and Lakemont Hills Ramble

Hike Length: 6 miles
Elevation Gain: 1400’
Hike Difficulty: moderate
Map: Green Trails 203S “Cougar Mountain”
hike overview map


This hike tours a network of quiet trails that wind through the forests and ravines of Cougar Mountain’s north slope. Along the way, the route tops 1400’ Anti-Aircraft Peak, a place that once was on the front lines of the cold war--a home to NIke anti-aircraft missile batteries-- but now is the peaceful locale of the Cougar Mountain park headquarters. From the peak there is an impressive vista north over Lake Sammamish toward the Cascades and Mount Baker. Bring a lunch and enjoy a relaxed meal al fresco at one of several picnic tables on the top of the mountain.

A long descent on old and new trails takes you through suburban greenbelts and a deep, green canyon to the end of the hike at Newport Way.

Getting There:

From downtown Seattle, catch the eastbound ST 554 bus, and ride it to Issaquah Park and Ride[GPS N 47 deg 32 min 32 sec, W 122 deg 03 min 44 sec].

Bus service is available on weekends.

The Hike:

From Issaquah Park and Ride, cross the busy intersection of Newport Way and the Issaquah -Renton road (Highway 900) to its SW corner. Walk along the west shoulder of highway 900 a short distance to the second of two driveways heading up the hill. This second drive, which lacks any sign, is the “James Bush” road shown on the Green Trails map [0.2 miles, 90’].

Follow the James Bush road as it climbs steeply uphill in a pleasant forested setting. In 0.3 miles the road reaches the edge of the Talus development, marked by a row of fancy houses. Walk past the wood posts that keep Talus drivers off the Bush Road, and go right (N) onto Far Country Drive [0.5 miles,280’].

Follow Far Country Drive as it curves west and uphill. When it turns south, go right onto a paved road stub, marked at its end with an ominous sign saying “Future Connection to Newport Way”. At the end of the road, walk onto an unsigned trail heading into the woods.

This trail leads you onto a network of wonderful paths, such as the Precipice Trail, Stagecoach Ridge Trail, and Big Tree Ridge Trail, that explore the northeast slope of Cougar Mountain. The network is shown fairly accurately on the Green Trails map, except for the short connector trail to Talus.

Since this area is not in a park, the future of these paths is uncertain. If you find that the trails do not exist anymore, return to the Talus development and work your way up to the Shangri-La Trail. Follow that trail up to Anti-Aircraft park.

For now, assuming that these trails still exist, follow the path into the woods, The trail shortly crosses a pretty little creek (indicated by a mossy old sign as Stagecoach Creek), then reaches a junction with the Stagecoach Ridge Trail [0.8 miles, 360’]. The junction may be marked by an old sign. Turn left (W) uphill onto the Stagecoach Ridge Trail. After a short, steep climb, the trail levels out a bit and a sign indicates that you are on a remnant of the old Military Road, which is one of the first east-west routes constructed by the european settlers. This road may be considered the most primitive ancestral version of the I-90 freeway. The trail follows the route of the old road for awhile, climbing up beautifully forested hillside. Topping out on a ridge, the trail reaches a signed junction with the Big Tree Ridge Trail [1.3 miles, 720’].

Go left (S) on an unnamed trail heading uphill and away from the Military Road and Big Tree trail. This trail climbs gently though forest, then crosses a power line swath with a view down to Talus and Issaquah. Shortly beyond the powerline, the trail joins the wide and well-trodden Surprise Creek Trail near the edge of Cougar Mountain Park [1.5 miles, 800’]. This junction is obscure, marked only by a ribbon on a tree.

Follow the Surprise Creek Trail uphill, passing junctions with the No Name Trail and Goodes Corner Trail. Surprise Creek is a pleasant stretch of trail that gains elevation gradually in a cool, shady forest. The trail ends at the junction with the Shangri-La Trail [2.1 miles, 1260’]. Go right (uphill) and follow the Shangri-La Trail a long half mile to its end at the Anti-Aircraft Peak trailhead and parking lot [2.7,1420’]. Along with parking, there’s a whole collection of amenities here, including a lawn, restrooms, and picnic tables. In winter, you may encounter snow at this elevation.

Don’t miss the vista point, accessed by a short trail off the east side of the parking lot. The view over Lake Sammamish towards the Cascades is spectacular, and there’s a picnic table where you can take in the scenery while eating lunch.

Continue the hike by follow the park access road (Cougar Mountain Drive). You can skip some of the road walking by taking the Shangri-La trail when it splits off the road on the left side. Just past the Coyote Creek Trail junction, the Shangri-La trail ends at the road [3.2 miles, 1360’]. Continue hiking along the road, which features good views off to the north. Houses appear after you leave the park boundary.

At length, Cougar Mt. Drive drops down a hill to an intersection with SE 60th St [3.7 miles, 1100’]. Go left briefly on 60th St, then right on 170th Ave. On the left side of 170th is a gravel hiking trail (shown on the Green Trails Map); leave the road and follow it. You are in the heart of suburbia now and houses are always visible from the narrow greenbelt that the trail follows. At a signed junction go right(east), following the sign’s direction toward Village Park Drive.

The trail travels due east behind a row of expensive view homes (this might be called the Million Dollar Traverse). The gaps between the homes provide the lowly hiker some of the same vistas that the homeowners enjoy. Keep going east, ignoring some side trails that connect to various streets. Eventually, the main trail turns sharply north and downhill, then ends at the side of Village Park Drive [4.6 miles, 800’].

Jog left (west) a few steps on Village Park, then go right (N) on 179th Ave for a few steps more. Here, follow a trail (shown on the Green Trails map) starting on the right (E) side of the road. This pretty trail follows the brink of a precipitous ravine with fern-draped walls; houses crowd the trail on the left side. After the trail makes a short westerly traverse, it enters a second ravine and reaches a junction; here go right (downhill). Eventually the trail leaves the houses and makes a steep, switchbacking descent into the deep canyon of Lewis Creek, protected as a part of Lakemont Community Park. At the floor of the canyon the trail crosses Lewis Creek and reaches a trail junction [5.2 miles, 390’]. The cool, lushly forested canyon floor has a pleasant wilderness feeling, despite the proximity of busy Lakemont Boulevard.

Go right(east) at the signed junction, and follow the old trail down the canyon of Lewis Creek (note: this trail was signed “closed” in 4/2004 for no apparent reason). The trail is rough but serviceable, and appears to be used regularly. The creek is crossed part way down the canyon on a hand-hewn log bridge. From there, the trail traverses the east wall of the canyon, then drops down to Newport Way just west of a condo complex. Head west to the nearby intersection of Newport Way and Lakemont Boulevard [6.0 miles, 200’]. Just beyond the intersection is a M 271 bus stop on the north side of Newport Way.

Note that the 2003 edition of the Green Trails map does not diagram this intersection correctly, nor does it show the Lewis Creek trail at all.

Getting Back

At the Newport Way bus stop, catch the M 271 bus, which arrives half hourly, and ride it to Eastgate Park and Ride. From there you can transfer to the ST 554 to get to downtown Seattle. 

Rev 02.18.07