Hike Date: 03-30-2013
Distance (Roundtrip): 7.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 1650 ft
Highest Point: 1850 ft
Poo Poo Point Hiking Guide
Spring has officially made it to the Pacific Northwest! On a great sunny day like this, how could you not be outside!? Today, a group of my friends and I were in need of a great afternoon hike close to the city. About two years ago, I remembered a trail I visited during the winter season out in Issaquah named Poo Poo Point. Don't let the name fool you! This is one of the most popular destinations in the area. It's also a common destination for the local para-gliders. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of them flying off the mountain on a day like this.
We arrived at the parking lot of Issaquah High School around noon. The trailhead is just a couple of paces south and its tiny gravel parking lot was completely full. The trail starts off past a couple of houses and around a turf football field towards the back of the high school. Then, it turns right onto and old road, slightly increasing in elevation. It isn't anything too steep quit yet, but a sign of what to expect. It continues to climb through an old rusted gate, past a billboard map, and further up into the woods.
The trail continues to climb up along the west face of the mountain. It crosses over bridges and small creeks. Eventually, there are large metal towers carrying power lines through a wide clearing. This connects to the Tradition Loop Trail. It was nice to see the blue sky up above! Following the signs, we made our way past the clearing and back into the woods.
At this point, the trail begins to really climb and pretty much stays this way for a majority of the hike. I was wearing my REI Lookout 40 backpack with about 25 lbs of weight. I've never really hiked with this much weight, so I worked up quite the sweat! After crossing over the Gap Creek bridge, the trail switches back and for steeply along the side of the mountain. As it begins to crest over, the trail opens up once again and levels out onto a plateau.
Continuing along, the trail intersects with the West Tiger Railroad Grade. Signs will direct hikers to the right towards the Poo Poo Point Trail. After a bit, the trail begins to decline. Eventually, it steeply descends down further. There are a couple of large down trees, some of which have entire ecosystems built atop their logs. Be careful following the trail downwards as it can be slippery with mud. Finally, the trail turns upward slightly and stays level the rest of the way to the top of Poo Poo Point.
The first sign of the end of the trail is a composting bathroom. Further along, the trail disappears into a gravel parking lot where para-gliders get dropped off with their equipment. Past the parking lot, there is an opening on the side of the mountain with gorgeous views of Issaquah, Bellevue, Lake Sammamish, and Mount Baker. On a clear day, you can see each and every one of these landmarks clearly! As an added bonus, we were able to watch a couple of para-gliders flying around overhead. There were plenty of people out today, so the side of the mountain was quite full. We decided to snack, re-hydrate, and relax in the sun for about an hour before heading back down.
Overall, the hike was very pleasant. Strenuous at times, but nothing too crazy, even for beginners. We were able to reach the top in about 1 hour and 30 minutes. There were many hikers on the trail of many ages, shapes, and sizes. Lots of dogs as well. For a hike close to the city with decent views, I definitely recommend checking out Poo Poo Point.
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