Trip Date: April 4, 2020
CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN HIKE SERIES
Anti-Aircraft Peak Trail Loop
Red Town Meadow
Jerry’s Duckpond
Primrose Mine Air Vent
Cougar Pass
Anti-Aircraft Peak aka A-A Peak (1483′)
Lakemont Boulevard crossing
Coal Creek Parkway crossing
Trip Report Summary
Region: Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Issaquah Alps
Areas: Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park & Coal Creek Natural Area
Starting & Ending Point: Home in Newport Hills (Elev. 400 feet)
Way Points: Newcastle Way / Coal Creek Parkway intersection & Newcastle Golf Club Road intersection & Newcastle Golf Course Trailhead (road walk); 155th Avenue SE crossing & Red Town Meadow & Jerry’s Duckpond & Primrose Mine Air Vent & Clay Pit Road junction & Cougar Pass & Anti-Aircraft Peak summit & Clay Pit Road junction & Sky Country Trailhead & Red Town Trailhead & Newcastle Golf Club Road / Lakemont Boulevard crossing & Coal Creek & Newcastle Commons (trail hike); Coal Creek Parkway crossing & Newport Hills (road walk)
Summit: Anti-Aircraft Peak (ascent via Harvey Manning Trail—Lost Beagle Trail; descent via Lost Beagle Trail—Coyote Trail)
Approximate Stats: 13 miles traveled (11 miles on trails + 2 miles on paved roads); 1550 feet gained & lost; 5.9 hours elapsed.
Full Trip Report
When Lisa’s plans for an April birthday climbing trip were derailed by COVID-19 lockdowns, she proposed that our group of seven do a “socially distanced hiking trip” instead. Her ground rules were simple: each individual or couple had to start from their respective home (or as close to home as possible), complete a chosen hike of a sizeable length, and then finish with some sort of celebratory birthday treat. Lisa and Kevin would be starting from their home in Redmond; Steve and Deb from their home in Everett; Fay from her home in Covington; and Eileen and I from our home in Newcastle. Given such widely spaced starting locations, you could call this an example of “extreme social-distance hiking.”
On a sunny Saturday morning, Eileen and I left home at 10:00am and headed east on local roadways. A mile of walking took us to the informal start of Newcastle Trail, which we followed for another 2 miles to Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. Here, hikers are greeted with an extensive network of trails that blanket the mountain like a spider web. Our selected route on Wildside Trail and Quarry Trail led us steadily uphill through deep, mossy, deciduous forest.
Beyond the upper end of Quarry Trail, we began making a northward tack on Fred’s Railroad Trail and East Fork Trail. Along the way, we passed Jerry’s Duckpond, with its wintertime coat of green algae. Eileen routinely drinks a vegetable smoothie that looks just like this.
A short walk on Mine Shaft Trail led us to a gaping hole covered with a large steel grate. This is actually an air vent for the abandoned Primrose Mine that underlies much of Cougar Mountain. Coal mining was a major activity in Newcastle for over a century.
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Continuing on, we soon came to Clay Pit Road, which leads to—what else?—a gigantic clay pit. For many decades, the Mutual Materials Company mined clay from this pit to use for their brick-making operation in Newcastle.
Further hiking took us to Cougar Pass, a low saddle that separates Klondike Marsh from Tibbetts Marsh. These marshes formed atop the relatively impermeable clay layer that mantles Cougar Mountain.
From Cougar Pass, we followed Harvey Manning Trail and Lost Beagle Trail to the summit of Anti-Aircraft Peak, yet another of the many fascinating historical landmarks and artifacts on Cougar Mountain. During the long-running Cold War, this summit was the site of anti-aircraft guns and, later, a Nike Missile radar installation. Presently, there is only a WSDOT radio facility, along with a picnic table and some concrete relics.
Anti-Aircraft Peak occupies the northernmost extension of Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, and it marked the high point of our hiking loop. From there, Eileen and I headed downhill on Lost Beagle, Coyote Creek, Sky Country, and Military Road Trails. The farther we descended, the more other hikers we encountered, but everyone was careful to keep a safe distance away.
We passed through the vacant parking lot at Red Town Trailhead (it is currently gated off), crossed Lakemont Boulevard, and proceeded down the fairly busy Coal Creek Trail for 2 miles. A quick stop at Starbucks in Newcastle Commons provided celebratory drinks for the home stretch of our 13-mile trek. We toasted to Lisa’s birthday and a fun day of hiking together apart!
Route Map
Photo Gallery
Click to enlarge…
