Cougar Mountain

To the west of Squak and Tiger, and belonging to the Issaquah Alps mountain range, which practically stretches from the Cascades to the shores of Lake Washington, is Cougar Mountain. It also happens to be the shortest of the three, coming in at just under 1600 feet; yet Cougar still affords terrific views of Lake Sammamish, the snow-capped Washington Cascades in the east, and stretching vistas of the greater Seattle area and Renton in the southwest. Neighboby Newcastle and its lovely golf course on the west, the downtown Bellevue portal of Eastgate in the north, and historical Downtown Issaquah to the east, residents who live on Cougar not only get to enjoy the natural beauty of King County’s largest wildland park, they also enjoy convenient access to many of the region’s most popular destinations.

In its past, Cougar Mountain has been home to Native Americans, miners, loggers, and even the U.S. Military. Native Americans loved the land for its plentiful natural resources including plants, berries and water, as well as wild game to hunt. In the last half of the 19^th century and well into the 20^th, Cougar Mountain was a large mining site. Cougar’s popular Red Town Trail was the site of the mining town of Coal Creek (in which all houses were painted a similar red color). A fun fact is that each mine was able to field a baseball team, and if you walk far enough down the trail you’ll be able to see signs marking off where Ballpark Meadow used to be. Now the area is much overgrown with trees and shrubbery, but once it was a summer playground in the mountains. In the 1920s the area was also logged for lumber. Perhaps its most shocking use was during the war and into the 1950s when a military base was set up near the mountain summit equipped with missile launches to protect against regional air attacks. Shortly after, King County acquired the land, and now history buffs can enjoy picnicking on Anti-Aircraft Peak at 1430 feet above sea level.

Pacific Northwest hiking icon and conservation activist, Harvey Manning, whose bronze statue you can see at the Issaquah Alps Trail Center in Issaquah, referred to Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park as, “A great big green and quiet place.”  There are over 150 miles of hiking trails carved throughout the thick vegetation of the Issaquah Alps, and winding through the 3100 acres of second growth forest, streams and wetlands that make up Cougar Mountain’s Park are over 35 miles of trails . In this precious mountain habitat one can see fields of bleeding hearts in the summer, mushroom hunt for King Boletes and Chanterelles in the fall, discover unmarked, 25 foot waterfalls, and enjoy the dwarfing splendor of Western Hemlocks and Red Cedars while sloshing through giant orange maple and yellow alder leaves, fallen red berries, or a winter wonderland of snow.

Another natural highlight in the area is the Cougar Mountain Zoo off Newport Way in Issaquah. Get acquainted with a variety of different animals, including very colorful and vocal parrots, ostriches, cougars, and real reindeer during the zoo’s annual Reindeer Festival in December. Kids can learn about nature and all of the zoo’s animals by attending Cougar Zoo Academy, perusing books in the Zoo Library, and watching special shows and events at the Wildlife Theatre.

The western face of Cougar belongs to the city of Newcastle, and to the south you’ll find May Valley farms and nurseries.The northeast foothills of Cougar Mountain are home to the award-winning master-planned community of Talus, as well as several other major neighborhoods that run along Newport Way, like Montreux. Many luxurious neighborhoods mingle with the north-face wilderness, such as Lakemont Crest, Avonlea, and Pheasant Ridge, which branch off from Cougar Mountain Way as it winds its way up the mountainside. Life-size cougar molds are engraved into the concrete walls lining the main street, and add a nice touch to this lush area. On clear days residents also enjoy sweeping views of the Cascades and Lake Sammamish as they make their way down to the I-90 corridor. Aside from great shopping in Downtown Issaquah and Eastgate, local residents can fill up on grocery needs at Matthew’s Thriftway, or grab a Starbucks latte or delicious teriyaki bowl from a mini-restaurant within the Lakemont Boulevard shopping center. Additional amenities include a spa, dental office, UPS shipping, and dry-cleaning. Most students will attend a school within the Issaquah School District.