Spring starter for the Issaquah Alps

Unless you live in Issaquah, you might not get around to hiking all the trails in the Issaquah Alps, but the Squak Access Trail sure makes a good beginning. Here you can hike year-round, but spring is my favorite time, when the lowlands are a fragrant mix of trees, flowering shrubs and early season wildflowers.

The gentle summits of the Issaquah Alps might not rate a visit by hard-core mountain climbers, but the hike to Central Peak is enough of a workout to get hikers in shape for strenuous summer routes. If you start from Issaquah -- as we did -- you'll gain about 2,000 feet of elevation to reach Central Peak, the highest point on Squak Mountain at 2,024 feet.

		KAREN SYKES
	A "skeleton" of a leaf.

Mother Nature continues to work, quietly covering artifacts with moss, ferns and vegetation, but hikers familiar with the woodsy labyrinth of trails know where to find remnants of trestles from logging days past. Though Squak Mountain abuts civilization, it is wild enough for animals and can confuse a hiker who dares to venture in without the proper map.

There are several approaches to Central Peak; we started from the Squak Access Trail in Issaquah at the corner of Southeast Newport Way and Wildwood Road Southwest. There is room for one or two vehicles at this tiny trailhead, but it's better to park at the nearby Issaquah Alps Trail Center.

The first stretch of the hike is simple; just follow the Squak Access Trail signs. Our first stop was the old dam and fish ladder at Issaquah Creek -- a pretty spot where the creek flows over the dam and widens, flanked by bigleaf maple trees and cottonwoods.

From the dam, the Squak Access Trail passes apartment buildings and condominiums, then crosses Sunrise Place, a residential street, before it gets down to the nitty-gritty of climbing. We paused to appreciate recent trail work on lower stretches of the trail, including a stairway. At 600 feet (0.9 mile) we came to the Sycamore Access Trail junction, where the Sycamore Access Trail (left) comes in from Sycamore Street and the Squak Access Trail becomes the East Ridge Trail and continues climbing (straight).

Arlene Williams hikes here often with her golden retriever Tika, and has pet names for her favorite stretches, such as the "Three Bridges Trail," where a series of bridges spans tributaries, each one unique. We were puzzled by finding a few dead mice in the trail and wondered what killed them, surmising it may have been cold temperatures. Using fallen maple leaves for gloves we moved them off the trail.

The trail climbs through varying ecological niches ranging from "rain forest" with velvety tangles of lichen-draped vine maples to tributaries flanked by moss. Mixed with the fresh greenery of spring were fresh, snow-white faces of Western trilliums and the tiny, purple blooms of bleeding hearts with skirts of feathery leaves.

The next junction is the East Side Trail (right). Continue straight on the East Ridge Trail to the next junction and follow the Summit Trail 0.4 mile to Central Peak, which is 4.1 miles from the trailhead.

Central Peak is the mostly forested site of cell-phone and radio towers, a good turnaround. This also is where the Central Peak Trail descends the west side of Squak Mountain. Since we were close to the Bullitt fireplace, a prettier setting for lunch, we hiked down the Central Peak Trail, a short way to the Bullitt Fireplace Trail intersection at (1,820 feet) and hiked that to the Bullitt Fireplace (1,900 feet).

Given that it was cold enough that ice pellets were stinging our faces, we wished we could have built a fire in the rock fireplace, but fires are not allowed. We kept warm by romping with Tika after a hurried lunch.

Several loops are possible from Central Peak, but don't try them without the map and navigation skills. Even with the map and well-signed trails, there are so many junctions and connections that even a seasoned hiker may have to think twice.

As we retraced our route, the sun came out from time to time, warming our chilled limbs. We stopped again at the dam for one last toss of a stick for Tika to chase before heading back to the car.

If you go

Getting there -- From Seattle drive Interstate 90 East and get off at Exit 17 (Front Street). Turn right at the bottom of the ramp, heading south on Front Street. Turn left on Bush Street (just past Front Street Market), continue one block and note a little yellow house (left) at the corner of Bush and Rainier. The yellow house is the Issaquah Alps Trails Center. Park behind the yellow house (you can pick up Issaquah Alps trail maps here), walk back to Front Street and continue south on the sidewalk one block to Newport Way, cross the street to the south side of Newport Way. Turn right and cross Front Street, following the sidewalk on Newport Way across Issaquah Creek, then turn left at the first street, which is Wildwood Road Southwest. The trail begins about 50 yards on the left at the end of a small driveway, elevation about 100 feet. Allow about a half-hour drive time, one way.

Trail Data -- The map is Green Trails No. 203S (Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, Issaquah Alps Series).

Information -- Dogs must be on leashes. Some trails are multiple use -- see map for details. For more information, visit the Web site for King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks: dnr.metrokc.gov. To volunteer for trail work, visit the Web site for Washington Trails Association at wta.org or the Issaquah Alps Trails Club at issaquahalps.org. For other trails in this region, refer to "55 Hikes Around Snoqualmie Pass: Mountains-to-Sound Greenway" by Harvey Manning and Ira Spring (Mountaineers, 189 pages, $14.95), or "Walks & Hikes in the Foothills and Lowlands" by Harvey Manning and Penny Manning (Mountaineers, 288 pages, $14.95), or the more recent "Day Hiking: Snoqualmie Region" by Dan A. Nelson and Alan L. Bauer (Mountaineers, 299 pages, $18.95).

Trail data

Central Peak

Length: 8.2 miles round trip

Elevation gain: 2,000 feet

Rating: Moderate

Location: Issaquah

Scenery: Good. Best in spring, with wildflowers, streams, birds, wildlife

Trail condition: Good

Challenges: A few muddy stretches