Sometimes you don't expect much from a hike other than fresh air and exercise, but sometimes you get much more. Such was the case on a recent hike to Cougar Mountain in the Issaquah Alps.

		KAREN SYKES
	Hiker Barbara Eller pokes her hand through a hole in an old snag on the four-mile Wilderness Peak loop hike.

We've been to Cougar Mountain often, but we're still discovering trails new to us. That's not surprising, given it's the largest park in the King County Park System, with more than 3,000 acres laced with trails.

We started our loop from the Cougar Mountain/Squak Mountain Corridor trailhead off state Route 900 near Issaquah; there's a small parking area across from a quarry. The trail begins on an old road and, in 1/4 mile or so, we came across an abandoned car, complete with fading bumper sticker signs, one reading Mount Index Store.

We paused to wonder: Who drove the car up this road only to leave it?

After climbing about 300 feet, we came to a junction. To make our loop, we turned right onto the Wilderness Cliffs Trail. From there it is 1.2 miles to Wilderness Peak. The trails are all well signed, though some signs are faded and worn. Bring a map.

Though our map was a little out of date, most of the trails were shown, at least providing enough information to get us back to the trailhead should we get off route.

From the junction, the trail climbed through a corridor of attractive forest where occasional boulders broke up the vertical lines of evergreens. Though we knew it was too early for trilliums, we were excited when Barbara spotted a yellow violet beside the trail. The brave little flower was drooping, weighed down with rain, but there it stood, determined to stay.

		KAREN SYKES
	A boulder deposited by a long-gone glacier now sports a soft coat of moss with fern accents.

We enjoyed arrangements of large boulders, deposited long ago by glaciers, with their psychedelic-green covering of moss and ferns.

By the time we reached the forested summit of Wilderness Peak, conditions were not conducive to lingering, though we took the time to sign the summit register before packing up again. Incidentally, this is a kid-friendly trail -- they will get a big kick out of signing perhaps their very first "summit" register.

From Wilderness Peak there are several other options available to hikers when conditions are suited for a longer outing. Continue to Shy Bear Pass or Doughty Falls. A look at the map will conjure other potential loops or one-way hikes involving a car shuttle.

We continued, following the broad ridge with minor ups and downs to a spur that led to Long View Peak at 1,450 feet. Given the gloomy conditions, there were no views, but even on clear days views are limited. There is just a bit of a view to the south through the trees. To complete our loop, we backtracked to our previous junction and began our descent on the Wilderness Creek Trail, the final leg of our journey.

Wilderness Creek was by far the prettiest stretch of the hike. Though there were no flowers other than a smattering of Indian Plum, this is a place you'll want to linger. Here it feels like spring, with the solemn browns of winter contrasting with new green vegetation filling in the spaces between the boulders. Wilderness Creek is lovely, and if it hadn't been raining, we would have lingered with our cameras. Alas, it was raining too hard for photos.

The park becomes more interesting when you read about it beforehand. The land was logged in the 1920s but new forests of alder and maple trees have since grown to luxuriance. It was logged again in the 1940s, but the conifers they left are well on their way to becoming giants; and some sections of Cougar Mountain were never logged at all. The East Ridge of Wilderness Peak retains an old-growth forest of Douglas fir.

If you go

Getting there -- From Seattle take Interstate 90 east and get off at Exit 15 (Issaquah). Stay right and continue on state Route 900 for a few miles and look for a big blue sign for Cougar Mountain/Squak Mountain Connector on the right side the highway, across from a quarry, elevation 395 feet. If the parking lot is full, drive 1/4 mile or so to another parking lot, also on the right side.

Trail data -- The Wilderness Cliffs/Wilderness Creek loop is about 4 miles round trip with approximately 1,200 feet elevation gain. The map is Green Trails Cougar Mountain Squak Mountain, Map No. 203S.

Information -- Refer to "Walks and Hikes in the Foothills and Lowlands" by Harvey Manning and Penny Manning (Mountaineers, 288 pages, $14.95) or "Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park and Surrounds" by Charles McCrone (Issaquah Alps Trails Club, 106 pages, $15). You can contact the club about the book at issaquahalps.org or 425-369-1725. To find out more about Cougar Mountain, visit King County Parks and Recreation at metrokc.gov/parks.