Squak Mountain

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Radar image of Squak Mountain with trails and park boundaries shown.

Squak Mountain is the second most westerly mountain of the Issaquah Alps mountain chain and is situated between Cougar Mountain to the west and Tiger Mountain to the south. I-90 also parallels the base of the north side of the mountain. Much of the Squak Mountain watershed drains in to Lake Sammamish.

The well-signed trail system consists mostly of old woods roads that are narrowing to single-track trails more with each passing year. One such road-trail leads to a foundation and fireplace that is the remnant of the Bullitt's summer home. Views are few and far-between; the attraction of Squak Mountain is the urban wilderness.

Residential development in Issaquah runs right up to the park boundary at about 1,100 feet in elevation. The park is accessed from a trailhead (elevation 740 feet) at the hairpin turn of Mountainside Drive in the north, and the official State Park entrance on May Valley Road in the south (elevation 350 feet). A lesser trailhead is found on the Renton-Issaquah Road on the west (elevation 400 feet). The East Peak is accessed from Issaquah itself at a new trailhead.

[edit] Sources

Simpson, Douglas G. Squak Mountain: An Island in the Sky A history and trails guide to Squak Mountain, Issaquah Alps Trail Club.
Manning, Harvey & Penny. Walks & Hikes in the Foothills & Lowlands Around Puget Sound, The Mountaineers, Seattle, 1995.