Issaquah Alps

De Leo Wall, 2/23/08, 6 miles

Simply said, a bright sunny winter day needs to be hiked. I joined with the Mountaineers for a hike in the Issaquah Alps to DeLeo Wall on Cougar Mountain. The sun shone brightly and warmed the air slightly of the deepest of winter chills. Spring proved to be close as we passed shrubs with buds creating a golden green aura in the sunlight.

The Issaquah Alps encircle Issaquah on the southside of town. So close to Seattle and generally snowfree during the winter, they are a wonderful destination for early season hikes. There are 100's of miles of trails in the Alps that contain 3 mountains: Tiger, Squawk, and Cougar.

The trail starts at the Red Town Trailhead and follows through the rolling forest to climb up to a viewpoint overlooking the valley below from Mt Rainier to Seattle. On this day the view was stunning - Mt Rainier shone brightly in the distance and our group pointed out landmarks and details of the valley below.

We had a leisurely lunch in the sun-dappled woods before turning back along the lollipop loop to our cars.