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16-554: The mountain has six peaks in the center of the Issaquah Alps , forming a 13,500-acre (55 km) triangle between Interstate 90 (I-90) on the north, Issaquah - Hobart Road on the southwest, and State Route 18 (SR 18) on the southeast. Immediately to the west is Squak Mountain followed by Cougar Mountain , while to the southeast are McDonald and Taylor Mountains, and Rattlesnake Ridge . Tiger Mountain State Forest

32-512: A 6.2-mile (10.0 km) hike, round-trip, with an elevation change of about 2,000 feet (610 m). The nearby peaks of West Tiger #2 and West Tiger #1 provide essentially the same view, but with fewer obstructions. State Route 18 runs between Tiger and Taylor mountains, reaching an elevation of 1,375 feet (419 m). This stretch of the highway is commonly referred to as the "Tiger Mountain Summit" in local traffic reports. Another major trailhead

48-584: A neighboring valley while on a cross-country flight. Poo Poo Point is currently the most popular spot for paragliding in Washington . Some Seattle-area radio station transmitters are on Tiger Mountain's west face. These include: Issaquah Alps The Issaquah Alps is the unofficial name for the highlands near Issaquah, Washington , a suburb of Seattle , including Cougar Mountain , Squak Mountain , Tiger Mountain , Taylor Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge , Rattlesnake Mountain, and Grand Ridge. The term

64-787: Is a peak in the Issaquah Alps in King County, Washington . It is part of the highlands in the Eastside suburbs of Seattle , and at 1,614 feet (492 m) it is the lowest and westernmost of the Alps. About two-thirds of Cougar Mountain has experienced residential development, and is home to many neighborhood communities such as Lakemont . The forested heart of the hill was officially preserved by King County in June 1983 as Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park . Cougar Mountain

80-596: Is home to the Cougar Mountain Zoo . Cougar Mountain was formed in the Miocene when tectonic forces folded western Washington along a northwest axis and created the Newcastle Anticline . The anticline exposed earlier ( Eocene to Oligocene ) sedimentary and volcanic rocks that, due to erosion, now form the surface of Cougar Mountain. The northern edge of Cougar Mountain is distinct due to

96-479: Is located at this summit. The trail provides access to South Tiger Mountain with limited views, Middle Tiger Mountain with a 45-degree window looking down on the Cedar Hills Landfill, and East Tiger Mountain with a panoramic view south toward Mount Rainier . Many trails on Tiger Mountain have wide beds and slope very gently because they are built on the remnants of 1920s logging railroads, long after

112-774: The Seattle Fault , which runs along I-90. The Seattle Fault caused a large earthquake approximately 1100 years ago. Cougar Mountain is part of the Eastern Puget Uplands level IV ecoregion, as defined by the EPA . This ecoregion is a transition between the ecology of the Puget Sound and the forests of the Cascades . The ecology of Cougar Mountain is thus more similar to the Sammamish Plateau than

128-658: The Alps. The IATC, which is headquartered in Issaquah (nicknamed "Trailhead City" ), conducts frequent guided hikes throughout the Alps. The Issaquah Alps follow Interstate 90 from the shore of Lake Washington almost to the western face of the Cascade Range . The hills are composed of andesitic volcanic rock lying on top of older tightly folded rocks from the coastal plain of the North Cascade subcontinent that docked with Washington about 50 million years ago as

144-695: The Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The popular Tradition Lake loop trail is located on the northwest edge of the mountain. It is accessible via the High Point trailhead off of Interstate 90 in Washington . Poo Poo Point is a bare ridge on the west side of Tiger Mountain. The point is a popular launching point for paragliding and hang gliding . The point is reached by the Chirico Trail, which starts at

160-611: The absolute front of the Cascades. It is sometimes considered part of the Issaquah Alps but it is a relatively young symmetrical volcanic cone and is therefore more closely related to neighboring Mount Washington to the east than the old weathered hills of the majority of the Alps. 47°30′N 122°00′W  /  47.500°N 122.000°W  / 47.500; -122.000 Cougar Mountain Cougar Mountain

176-400: The entire continent of North America moved west across the ocean. The Alps were heavily eroded by glaciers in the last ice age . The Vashon lobe of the ice sculpted Rattlesnake Ledge, steeply carved the east and west sides of Squak Mountain, and deposited a large erratic on Cougar Mountain, Fantastic Erratic . Cedar Butte rises abruptly from the moraine between Rattlesnake Ledge and

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192-571: The landing zone for the hang gliders and paragliders in a field adjacent to the Issaquah-Hobart Road, or by taking the High School Trail which begins on 2nd Avenue just south of Issaquah High School . Many people fly year-round (weather permitting) and have flown cross-country flights exceeding 75 miles (121 km). In the 1970s, the area was owned by Weyerhaeuser and used for logging. The name "Poo Poo" Point came from

208-483: The rails and crossties were salvaged in the Great Depression . Near Middle Tiger Mountain is the site of a fatal 1924 train wreck where artifacts can still be seen. In the most remote part of the forest, 15 Mile Creek (a tributary of Issaquah Creek ) arises in the pass between East and West Tiger. The creek carves a miniature " Grand Canyon " through sandstone . Much of Tiger Mountain is owned or managed by

224-514: The sound of the logging steam whistles. In 1976, the clear-cut area started to be used by hang gliders as a launching spot. Gliders would be taken up the hill on the logging road. Poo Poo Point got its start as a paragliding destination in the 1990s. While there have been a significant number of paragliding incidents, there have not been any paragliding fatalities on Tiger Mountain. However, in 2008 Eric Jansen died of natural causes while paragliding from Tiger Mountain. In 2011, Ken Blanchard died in

240-519: Was established in 1981. In 1989, the entire Issaquah Plateau in the northwest corner was designated as a conservation area , the West Tiger Mountain Natural Resources Conservation Area, accessed by a large trailhead at Exit 20 on I-90. It is 13,745-acres. The most crowded trail leads to the bald summit of West Tiger #3, with a panoramic view of Seattle and points to the south and east. It is

256-488: Was invented in 1977 by noted nature author Harvey Manning within the pages of his trail guidebook Footsore 1 , elevating their status from foothills to "Alps" to advocate preservation. Manning himself lived on a developed section of Cougar Mountain in his "200 meter hut". In 1979, Harvey Manning helped to found the Issaquah Alps Trails Club to care for the trails and to push for public ownership of

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