"2/20/2021 - Arrived at the May Valley Road trailhead at 8:45 AM. There were about 12 or so vehicles in the lot. I took the May Valley Loop trail up to Debbie's view. Then across West Peak, the Fireplace, Central Peak and down the access road back to the May Valley TH. Overall, trail conditions ranged from dry/fine to downright muddy in spots. I saw what appeared to be some recent WTA work party improvements at several locations; very fine work! The snow pack on the peaks is just a trace; at the fireplace, there were about 2" of snow. No major blowdown blockages to speak of. I work gore tex trail runners and slipped on some yak trax at points, i.e. boots are not mandatory. Upon returning to the TH thee must have been 70 cars or more; parked in all available spaces. Distance: 7.89 miles Time: 3hrs 8 mins Ascent: 1,654' Weather: 45F below - ~upper 30ies at the top. Showers with sleet and snow flurries. " — MosquitoFood • Feb 20, 2021

"Took an early evening hike up Squak Mountain with the intent of summiting all three peaks - West, Central, and the South East peaks. Made it up to the West and Central peaks before deciding to head down due to the waning daylight. The West Peak has remnants of some structure - maybe a small cabin. The fireplace is there in all its glory, and the Central Peak in addition to the microwave communications tower has some old cabin near it as well with a large. old propane tank. Maybe a former residence of the tower keeper or other old homesteader. Trails are super well marked with signs at each juncture. I help a couple who was turned around and set them on the correct path to the state park trailhead off of the May Valley road. Lots of beautiful setting sun rays casting light through the trees and moss, setting off a beautiful golden brilliance to end the evening." — markhadland • Aug 13, 2020

"Started at the Bullitt Fireplace Trailhead off of Mountainside Drive and made my way to Central Peak following trail signs. Afterwards, I headed to the old Bullitt Fireplace itself. I did not take many photos of this particular hike, but the trail was well kept, not as busy as others, but also not as beautiful. The incline is steady and non-technical, so all should be able to enjoy this hike. The peak does not offer a view other than the cell phone tower though." — IanW • Jul 25, 2020

"Impressively maintained trail, a little muddy in a few spots, but that's expected after a good rainfall. The hike is pretty uneventful with minimal views. West Peak is in the middle of a forest and is simply a sign on a tree. The Central Peak is a tower which is always a total bust. Good exercise, but probably wouldn't do again." — katiedoyle • Apr 7, 2019

"Passed over this one on a weekend trip from Lake Washington to Rattlesnake Lake. Camped at South Tiger. The trip was about 48 miles in total and my ankle held up pretty well. Stoked to be nearly back to 100%!" — Al-Rashid • Apr 2, 2016

"I spent some time exploring some forgotten trails on the east side of Squak. I visited Point Solitude, Central Peak, Southeast Peak, Southeast Peak #2, and checked out every side trail along the way that I hadn't hiked before. To my surprise, the view from Point Solitude, a little bump to the south of Central Peak, actually offered a decent view of Mount Rainier. There's a mess of old trails and trails in progress as you head down the ridge to the south from the Southeast Peak, many of which dead end into thick brush with no further track or flagging to follow. There is one route that'll get you all the way down the ridge which alternates between good trail and non existent trail where you're only following black and orange striped ribbons. I also came across an abandoned shack of some sort along the way, not too far from a trail, but very easy to miss. This was the furthest I've hiked in a day since I injured my ankle about a year ago. Just 11 miles, but it's come a long way." — Al-Rashid • Feb 21, 2016

"Squak Mountain State Park - a hidden gem Nestled between the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park and the Tiger Mountain State Forest, Squak Mountain State Park gets a fraction of the area's visitors as it's illustrious neighbors. Enjoy secluded, sub-alpine views as your adventure takes you through the Billit's former vacation escape. Only their grand stone fireplace remains, but you'll certainly enjoy your wanderings over three of the Issaquah Alps' area peaks: Squak Mtn West, Squak Mtn Central Peak, and Squak Mtn SE Peak. Author's note: having been to Cougar, Squak and Tiger; it's easy to compare them to each other. I have to say, I think Squak may be my favorite and I'll gladly go back again and again. I would not say the same about Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. It's nice, though obnoxiously crowded and it does not have the same Alpine feel that Squak has. Squak sets up the physical challenge while delivering beautiful sub-alpine views. It's pretty hard to do better unless you're headed above the tree line. Bring your cardio and happy adventuring! Trail length: 7.3 miles Total Elevation Gain / Loss: 2,157 feet Link to GPS tracks: http://my.v..." — herdingcats • Apr 2, 2014

"Explored a new route to the summit... just east of the Bullitt Fireplace, took the spur up and over a small hill before climbing up and out of the woods to the breathtaking barbed-wire sheds and microwave towers of the summit." — scott • Feb 26, 2014

"For a long time my friends and I have wanted to do some sort of Issaquah Alps traverse hike. I was inspired by a Rattlesnake Lake to Lake Washington route through the Issaquah Alps taken by Team Verve. As fate would have it this was the weekend everything fell in place and we finally made it happen. Our route was similar to theirs except we took a less direct route across Tiger Mountain putting the grand total at 48 miles with roughly 9000 feet of elevation gain. Needless to say it was painful, but most of all it was a blast! The first highlight of the trip was climbing through the crevice on rattlesnake ledge down to the ledge below and relaxing on the ledge as the sun began to peak through the clouds. From there it was on to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain. Near the summit the trail was pretty icy and we were packing as light as possible which meant no traction devices whatsoever, so it got pretty interesting in a few places. We continued on improving trail conditions along the ridge until we were under the powerlines near the north end of the ridge. There was some bushwacking along a steep section of the powerline route, but when it really got interesting was after the ..." — Al-Rashid • Mar 30, 2013

"We parked at West Access, went up the Chybinski trail to West Peak then Bullitt FirePlace, Central Peak and down via Old Griz, East side Trail and back down West Access. Nice trails, no views." — WendyandTom • Apr 6, 2012