Traveling While Black: Hiking at Cougar Mountain
It’s that time of year here in the Pacific Northwest, when daylight starts to last a bit longer. For us, that means it’s time for hiking!
While it’s nice that winter hiking is an option here in the Pacific Northwest, it is important to remember that the time of year you are hiking. Always prepare accordingly. This was an important fact that we were reminded of when going on this hike. We didn’t see the weather report for this hiking day and we were caught off guard when it started snowing. We had to leave and comeback to attempt the hike on another day. Don’t be like us!
For the first hike, we chose to check out a trail around Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. A park technically located in Renton, WA, but near Bellevue, WA and Issaquah, WA.
Pretty dope history fact: the area is actually believed to be part of the route used by the Duwamish tribe and others to go between Coal Creek and May Creek.
We actually hiked close to this area at a park located more south back in YouTube episode 120; when we hiked a trail in Squak Mountain State Park. Cougar Mountain is a lot like Squak Mountain, in that it’s also known for its many hiking and equestrian trails.
The trail we chose was Cougar Mountain Indian Trail.
Drive Grade
The drive to the trail from where we’re at in Seattle was around 30 minutes. The route took us east on I-90, then south on I-405, before jumping onto more residential streets. The drive on the day, or days we went, were all for the most part pretty smooth flowing. Even when we did run into a little bit of traffic we were able to slide through it pretty quickly. That’s pretty good, especially considering that on one of the days it was raining.
While the route didn’t feature any views, the experience does have a positive in that the parking by the trailhead was free. But it was a bit confusing. See the trailhead is within a residential cul-de-sac. And even though the online trail information says that the county owns two vacant lots to ensure access, it was hard to tell where those lots start. So we had to make extra sure to park where we thought was best. Especially when there was signage threatening to tow by parking outside of those designated spots.
You don’t need a Discovery Pass to park at this trail head and that’s true for other trailheads at Cougar Mountain Windland Park. Which is also a plus! To be honest the drive overall was pretty average. But the free parking options and the 30 minute drive, all made up for the lack of views.
So for this experience we’ll give a 4 outta 5 for Drive Grade.
Level of Fun
After figuring out the parking we were ready to tackle our first hike of the year. Cougar Mountain Indian Trail is a somewhat easy out and back trail that is about three miles in length. Like most trails in Cougar Mountain Park, this particular trail accommodates hikers and equestrians. But be aware that it does connect to some trails that are only for hikers. Some of the connecting trails feature some pretty cool payoffs. We heard that the best is Far Country Falls.
Since the size of the falls fluctuates greatly depending on the rainfall. From late winter until early spring is actually one of the best times to visit the falls. According to the online information we found about this trail, it supposedly takes most people about an hour and six minutes to complete. So that was our target to beat.
Although its been awhile since we been hiking, knowing that the trail was deemed easy we were confident that we could beat that. Yes, so confident that we decided that we didn’t need our walking sticks. Even though it was a rocky dirt trail, that decision didn’t hurt us.
Look even though, we were taking it easy for this first hike. Don’t get it twisted, over the years we have done our share of hikes. Enough to pick up some outdoor skills. Like, moss grows facing north. Or stay on path. And something about limestone and other rocks filtering water for drinking if you’re facing dehydration. Need to double check that one, ha!
Walking the trail was like walking through a typical Pacific Northwest forest. Tall trees covered in moss, small streams of water crossing over the path. While this hike didn’t offer a lot of views of anything really spectacular, the living and fallen trees along the path did make for some really picturesque scenery. Yes, we were loving the many opportunities to snap some beautiful pictures on top of the easy hike.
During our walk we didn’t see any wildlife. However, we did learn that the park is home to quite a few. Luckily we didn’t see any of the scary kind, like cougars, on the day of our hike.
After a while, we finally came up to the Restored Meadow project. Which meant that we had officially completed the trail! Yes even though it was easy, we still celebrated! Because it’s good to celebrate ALL wins no matter how big and small. In regard to how long it took us…look beautiful people we can’t lie we we weren’t consistent in accounting for the stops for filming. And at one point we even forgot to stop the stop watch at all… oops!
Yeah, so basically we don’t officially know how long it took us. But we can say we saw people on the trail that started around the time we did and it wasn’t long before they’d pass us on the way back. Other important notes about the trail is it is not ADA accessible; dogs are allowed on this trail, as well as off leash, cell signal is shotty, and finally there are no restrooms nearby.
All in all we enjoyed the hike, and we definitely enjoyed finishing it. But thinking on what to grade Cougar Mountain Indian Trail, we considered the picturesque scenery provided along the path. But also the lack of any spectacular breathtaking views. The meadow restoration project was nice, but we can think of better options for a payoff. We suppose that’s why most people use this trail to connect to Far Country Falls. Still the low difficulty of the trail makes it for a great option for people just getting into hiking.
So for this experience we’ll give a 4 outta 5 for Level of Fun.
Comfortability for Black People
Obviously hiking involves getting outside and into nature. And if you familiar with our show then you are familiar with our saying “NATURE LOVES BLACK PEOPLE”. So that means as long as we don’t encounter a bad experience in a nearby town or on the trail, the grades for these hiking experiences are more than likely going to be pretty high.
We love this because we really want to encourage the continuing of more of our people getting into the outdoors. Because it’s important! Did you know, studies show that walking for 90 minutes in a natural area, as opposed to a high-traffic urban setting can directly improve mental health.
So, if you are looking for more encouragement and information, there are a host of other dope Black creators that are great resources for getting outdoors. Like Black People Outside, not only do they create dope content, but they actually lead guided hikes!
Another great Black outdoor creator is Outdoorsy Diva. Whose travel content and blog is geared for women who love outdoor adventure, unique travel experiences, and the great outdoors.
A final great resource for Black outdoors is Outdoor Afro; a not-for-profit that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature.
Again these are all great options worth checking out. In regard to our experience on the Cougar Mountain Indian Trail, of course we loved the nature, but also the other people we encountered on the trail we were really friendly. Everyone actually spoke! Yes, friendly greetings combined with the peaceful nature. All definitely made for a refreshing comfortable experience. One that would usually warrant a 5 outta 5.
So, for Cougar Mountain Indian Trail we give a 5 outta 5 for Comfortability for Black People.
