Spring has sprung on Squak Mountain

My recent hike on Squak Mountain was so enticing that I returned with my friend, Lola Kemp, to scout other trails we'll lead for Mountaineers hikes.

What a difference a few days can make! A couple weeks ago it felt like winter on Squak, with ice pellets, cold wind and only a few flowers in bloom. But spring has made a big jump forward, opening bleeding hearts, forget-me-nots, Oregon grape, miner's lettuce, yellow violets, fringe-cup and trilliums. Robins and unseen varied thrushes are singing, vanilla leaf and huckleberry shrubs are leafing out and the trails are bordered with brand-new greenery. Sword ferns are present year-round, but maidenhair ferns and yellow-green bracken are popping up as well.

		Karen Sykes / Special to the Post-Intelligencer
	After a long winter, everything is abloom on the Squak Access Trail.

Alas, nettles are knee-high and devil's club is leafing out. When its leaves are backlit by the sun, this cantankerous plant is deceptively beautiful. But if you grab a branch to use as a handhold you may find yourself cursing this plant.

After parking at the Issaquah Alps Trails Club, we walked back to Newport Way/Wildwood Road, where the Squak Access Trail begins, elevation 100 feet. We followed the signs as the trail skirted apartment buildings, crossed Sunset Place, a residential street and picked up the Squak Access Trail on the other side (about 190 feet). This time, rather than climb to Central Peak, we planned a loop via Phils Creek Trail and the East Side Trail. (As you read on, be aware that both the East Ridge Trail and East Side Trail are involved in this hike.)

Again we cannot emphasize strongly enough how important it is to bring the map before you venture onto these trails. Even so, while the map is helpful, work continues on this complex trail system, meaning information on the map might not completely match with trail signs, and you may come across an unsigned junction or a trail that has been abandoned. Always keep track of where you are and, if in doubt, go back the way you came.

We continued on the Squak Access Trail to the Sycamore/East Ridge Trail junction (600 feet), where the trail continues climbing as the East Ridge Trail. Go straight.

By then it was warm enough that we stopped to shed layers before climbing farther and it was sheer joy to hike in springlike conditions after a winter that just didn't want to go away. Incidentally that pretty stream you cross on a two-plank bridge near the Sycamore/East Ridge Trail junction is Crystal Creek.

In roughly another mile you'll come to a signed junction for the East Side Trail, elevation about 1,300 feet (the sign also reads Phils Creek trail .6 miles). We continued straight on the East Ridge Trail to the next junction (roughly 1,550 feet), turning right onto Phils Creek Trail (the sign reads Phils Creek Trail, Summit Trail .5 mile). At the next junction (a "T"), the sign reads Phils Creek Trail. Turn right (if you turn left, you're on the Equestrian Loop). To add to the confusion, the sign also reads Summit Trail (Central Peak .4 miles). If you do want to pop up to Central Peak (2,024 feet), you'll have a bit of a climb.

		Karen Sykes / Special to the Post-Intelligencer
	Lola Kemp studies her trail map, a must for anyone who hikes on Squak.

Following Phils Creek Trail, we continued to yet another junction where Squak Mountain State Park is straight ahead. We stayed on Phils Creek Trail, passing a junction with the Old Griz Trail (a secondary trail), our high point at approximately 1,700 feet. The next stretch of Phils Creek is dark, steep and lonesome as it begins its descent to the East Side Trail. This section is mostly in deep forest with scant groundcover. Phils Creek Trail comes out at the East Side Trail; here the East Side Trail is not signed (elevation 1,400 feet). Here we turned right to complete the loop.

As we headed back to the East Ridge Trail, more open areas began to alternate with deep forest. Devil's club was growing in profusion where there were openings in the forest and we were happy to find a bench in the sun, a sweet spot for a break. We couldn't help but admire the devil's club, especially its bright green leaves and spines backlit by sunlight.

The East Side Trail continues, weaving its way through a gargantuan jumble of boulders on a steep hillside, reminiscent of the mossy boulders on the Old Mount Si Trail. Just past a large fern-beribboned boulder (left), the trail crosses Crystal Creek on a footbridge. Watch your step -- the bridge is missing a couple of planks. After crossing the creek, a short climb led us back to the East Ridge Trail where we retraced our route back to the car.

An easier, less confusing hike is simply to hike to the junction with the East Side Trail (at 1,300 feet) turn right and hike to the lower end of the Phils Creek Trail. Then hike back the way you came, as I did with a group of Mountaineers. You'll still enjoy the best scenery this part of Squak Mountain has to offer.

IF YOU GO

		Seattle P-I

Getting there -- From Seattle drive Interstate 90 east and get off at to Exit 17 (Front Street). Turn right at the bottom of the ramp and head south on Front Street. Turn left on Bush Street, continue one block and look for a yellow house (left) at the corner of Bush and Rainier Boulevard. This is the Issaquah Alps Trails Center. Park behind the yellow house, walk back to Front Street and continue south on the sidewalk one block to Newport Way, and 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 Boulevard Southwest. The Squak Access Trail begins about 50 yards on the left, at the end of a small driveway, elevation about 100 feet.

Information -- The map is Green Trails No. 203S (Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, Issaquah Alps Series). Dogs must be on leashes. For more rules and regulations, visit the Web site for King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks: dnr.metrokc.gov. For information on the Issaquah Alps Trails Club (including trail work, a list of maps and publications), visit its Web site at issaquahalps.org. For other trails near Issaquah, refer to "Day Hiking Snoqualmie Region" by Dan A. Nelson and Alan L. Bauer (Mountaineers, 299 pages, $18.95).

Trail data

East Side Trail/ Phils Creek Trail loop

Length: 8.3 miles round trip

Elevation gain: 1,800 feet

Rating: Moderate

Location: Issaquah

Scenery: Good (wildflowers, streams, birds, other wildlife)

Trail condition: Good

Challenges: None