Beautiful trail that follows May creek. Single lane trail which is one way. Not a loop. A lovely…read moreforest just hidden in plain site. Once you're down walking closer to the creek it's very peaceful and quiet. You wouldn't even guess that nearby is a busy road and neighborhoods. And so green in the springtime! Just a lovely place. Enjoy life. SYOY!

This neighborhood park offers a few trails, maybe a mile out at most. There seem to be two main…read moretrails, one that goes off to the Wind Tree trail head, and another that goes down May Creek (follow signs for a Boren Bridge). Both seem pretty manageable, but the Wind Tree trail seems to be more popular for everyday neighborhood walking. The Wind Tree trail is a pretty straight path, little elevation change, some roots etc. Very walking friendly. Closer to the Wind Tree trail head, there's an informational board about the terrain and history of the area. The trail down to May Creek is more tricky, winding down to the water with some short switchbacks (a total of ~100' drop over half a mile). Towards the bottom, there are some thoughtfully placed benches to stop and enjoy the view - whether it's overlooking the forest or the burbling creek. The creek is really pretty too! The shore is gently sloped so you can get close to the water. It's a little muddier and more slippery in the fall-winter-spring, especially once all the dead leaves are on the trail and in the process of decomposing.

Nice place to stop and enjoy the views. Easy to find with plenty of parking. It's also a good…read moreaccess point for the Rattlesnake Mountain Trail and the Raging River State Forest mountain bike trail system. Plenty of walking and biking trails nearby if you want to explore.

Since we were in the area we stopped by this park. Only a few people when we arrived and they left…read moreso it was just a peaceful park. We walked around a bit taking in the fresh air and scenery. They have some structures and plants to see. It's a park so it's what you make of it. We just wanted to come by and walk around a bit and it fit the bill.

The coal creek nature area is like a secret forest. Hidden in between Coal Creek Parkway and…read moredifferent neighborhoods bordering Bellevue and Newcastle. The waterfall here is dependent on the weather. Tucked into a small creek/canyon area. The trail is beautiful and loads of ferns everywhere. The green state really shines down in this area too. Of course in the summer it becomes a bit browner. Springtime and the blackberry bushes line certain parts of the trails. Trail access varies depending on where you go. Various signage gives you a history of the area. So lucky to have access to this lovely trail. Get out there and enjoy life. SYOY!

It was a beautiful day for a hike and we decided to check out Coal Creek Falls Trail…read more It was so peaceful and very pretty. Just what we both needed after a hectic work week. What was really interesting to us, was a long the trail there were signs giving the coal mining history along the trail. There are multiple trails to explore and I look forward to coming back another time to explore some of the other trails. They also have horse trails, which is pretty cool. I just need to find a horse and learn how to ride one.

We've enjoyed hiking here on several occasions. Great for hike with wonderful views. Did this one…read morea couple of Mondays ago. It was foggy initially, but it lifted to reveal Mt. Ranier. But my favorite was as the sun shone through the trees! Highly recommend. Parking does fill up quickly.

very beautiful hike! Not too hard on the legs, but steadily goes up in elevation with nice rest…read morestops under the shade. Came out in a very sunny day, so I loved to watch the paragliders flare as they prepared to land. Hard to find where they do that, though, bc hidden behind the big ahh trees lolol ! I gave up after like ( minutes, but at least there are business cards and flyers everywhere at the start point so you can contact them then and there. I like that there is evening seating arrangements at the ground level where you are about to enter or exit from the hike for people to dine. Parking was :/ , though, so had to go to a nearby house where they charged $10. They take cash, Venmo, or Zelle, so thank goodness that there was space there because the lot for this hiking trail is extremely limited!

This hike was literally right out my front door. I had been enjoying hikes on the nearby mountain…read moretrails of Tiger and Cougar, that i hadn't taken the time to explore all the wonderful and beautiful trails and lakes so close. Well! That's begun to be remedied. Lots of connecting trails all through the Sammamish highlands, Klahanie, and Issaquah, right through suburbia. Lakes, streams, and wildlife. Work out stations along some of the trails. Easy to get as many miles as you desire to walk, up and down through the woods, houses, and mountains. It's a blessing to have trails like these so close, on days you don't want to adventure far. Looking forward to some urban forestry tomorrow. Yelping on, God bless, and Cheers!

The Mercer slough is a lovely place to walk...if the temperature has consistently been under 45. Ya…read moreknow what a slough is? It's a swamp/marsh/wetland/mosquitoes-will-murder-you place. Overall it's a beautiful place to walk. The trails are well maintained and there are some great views. This area has a few different trails to choose from that appear to be mostly loops. It's close enough to the freeways that you get a good amount of traffic noise, but if you go early in the morning it's not too bad. The mosquitoes are most certainly the worst part of this area. Either way, I think it's great we're letting nature be nature.

Since moving back to the Far East (aka Eastside) I was worried about places to walk our…read morenot-so-dog-friendly dog. Admittedly, having Green Lake at our front door was both a blessing and curse. Now we live right across the street from Mercer Slough, and it's been great! Nature right at our front door without the crowds!!! If you walk/run the perimeter it's about a 10k. Inside you'll find trails that are great for just about everyone. Beware you may see garter snakes, but also the occasional otter, beaver, and rabbits too! It's also great for birdwatching. Parking is VERY limited, especially with sound transit light rail being built by Bellevue Way. There is a small parking lot off 118th Ave SE, and some parking along that road, but check the road signs. There is also an Environmental education center and event spaces available. Overall, I enjoy being able to just go across the street and walk my pooch without fear of being run over by bikers and skaters.

Not a particular good hike. Too gradual over a long distance to be a good trainer (for me at…read moreleast), there also isn't a great payoff. All that said Mt Washington is by far the best section of climbing in Exit 38.

Deception crags review!…read more Exit 38, aka deception crags, aka rock climbing area! There wasn't a specific page or review but there's a lot of legitimate lead climbing in this area. The climbing areas shares a parking lot with this trail head. Once you're on the rocky trail you'll see all the rock faces on the side, it's like impossible to miss. The climbing routes vary in difficulty from 5.9-5.12 and there are at least 3 areas with multiple routes in each area. The routes are fun, the rocks aren't sharp, and the standing area to belay is actually flat and not precarious. Also there are portable toilets nearby. All in all this outdoor climbing spot is a staple to seattlites.

"Tales of Trails and Tea Houses" April - September, 2022…read moreMy new theme for some of my yelp reviews for this year! My husband and I are planning on exploring a new trail and a new tea house for our monthly dates for the 6 warmer months of this year! :) Welll... I am glad that my husband and I decided to explore this trail today for our monthly date for April, but it was not altogether an entirely pleasant experience for us, which is why I have deducted one star. This trail is entirely paved and there are almost no inclines to it, so "trail" is a slight misnomer (at least, how I think of a trail, that is). The entire trail is a paved, wide, cement path with about 2 feet of grass on either side of it on most parts of this trail. The trail has only very slight inclines. So, we most definitely did not need to be wearing our hiking boots! Almost any sort of walking shoes would be just fine to wear here. The trail is more like a wide sidewalk through a park/wetland than it is like a hiking trail. There are some beautiful trees, plants, and greenery to feast one's eyes on along this trail, and there is a wetland to one side of the trail. Please do not step off of the paved path if you decide to explore this trail, so as not to disturb the wildlife. We liked it that there was almost no one on this trail today other than us. We saw a lady walking her dog, and we saw one other couple walking along the trail. There was an 80% chance of rain today, so we wore rain coats and brought an umbrella, but fortunately our time here ended up falling in between today's intermittent rains. Apparently the Pickering Barn, which is in the middle of the Pickering Trail, is available to rent out for events. There was a beautiful wedding there today, and we saw the wedding party out near the trail getting their photos taken. It warmed my heart to see that the bridesmaids all had the groomsmen's suit jackets on. At 42 degrees, today was not a warm April day in Issaquah. How thoughtful of the gentlemen. We saw one tiny, beautiful, black and white bird. This beautiful bird was the extent of the wildlife that we saw on this trail today. We have a bird book, but there are so many neat birds in the PNW that I am not able to identify very many types of birds on sight. This bird was a joy to behold, however, whatever it is called. We couldn't get a photo of it; it flew off too quickly. There is a connector trail on one end of the Pickering trail to Lake Sammamish State Park, and a connector trail on the other end to a couple of other, smaller parks. We started at the Pickering Barn and walked to the end of the trail one way (about a 10 - 15 minute walk), then walked back and walked to the other end of the trail. At both ends of the trail, the trail dips under 2 busy traffic overpasses. Underneath the low overpass that is built over a wide stream, which is located near to the connecting trail to Lake Sammamish State Park, there were some of the worst stenches that my husband and I have ever smelled in our entire lives. We were both unable to place exactly what the complex blend of multiple different stenches was made up of. It was just horrible! Walk underneath the lowest overpass at your own risk! I have visited Issaquah countless times in the past, since my Sister's first husband and some of his family is from Issaquah, and my Sister and her first husband lived in Issaquah for several years, near his parents' home. However, over 95% of my visits to Issaquah have been for family events or to babysit my niece and nephew. So, I really haven't explored much of Issaquah other than visiting a handful of homes scattered among the beautiful forests of trees in this lovely city. This trail was a somewhat mediocre and slightly disappointing way to begin my Issaquah explorations. However, the trail did have only one other review here on yelp, so there wasn't much for me to go on. I actually really enjoy putting new places on the yelp map and/or adding a review and/or photos to a place that only has 1 or 2 reviews and little to no photos up for it, so that's on me. There were several tall office buildings, some of which are currently under construction, very near this trail. There are very few sections of this trail from which we could not hear busy traffic, which surprised me - since the trail is adjacent to a wetland, I guess I did not expect that. I was quite delighted by some of the botanicals along this trail, though. Like the bird, I don't know what most of them are called. However, it was hard for me to stop gazing at the beautiful willow tree near where the trail meets the path to the Pickering barn. I love willow trees. I doubt we'd return, but I feel like avoiding walking under the lower overpass near the wide stream would've made our walk so much more pleasant overall, so perhaps someone else can learn from our experience. I'm not sure if the smell is worse after rains or not, but it does rain a lot here! Happy Hiking!

I love this trail!…read more My work office recently moved to Issaquah and my office overlooks this trail. Since the weather seems to be improving, I decided to walk this trail during my lunch breaks. It is wonderful! It connects to the Sammamish Trail on the northern side, and it winds to the south to the Pickering Farm and the Pickering "commercial area", passing over bridges and through glades of trees, heady with the aroma of lilacs and sweet botanicals. Today alone, during my brief 30 minute walk, I saw up close and personal a magnificent blue jay, a crow wrestling with a small snake (and winning that battle, I might add - soundly!), a vibrant Monarch butterfly that flew so close to me, I could touch it, and lots of folks out with their dogs. What a great way to escape the corporate world, if just for a brief respite.