Poo Poo Point — Attraction in Issaquah

Great hike! The hike begins at the base of the mountain where a parking lot and landing field for the paragliders are. Parking in the lot closest to the trailhead is free but it was challenging to find a spot. I hiked the Monday of Labor Day weekend so that may have added to the challenge. This parking lot contained 3 port-a-potties, yet they're not wheelchair accessible. Anyhow, if you can't find a spot here, there are a few on-street spots and a lot that charges $5 per car a short walk up the road. When making for the trailhead from the parking lot, be aware of your surroundings and mindful of any paragliders coming in to land. The trail and landing field intersect.

The hike is family friendly but not accessible to all. Those in wheelchairs or with baby strollers will not be able to summit without significant effort. The trail is windy with numerous switchbacks. It has a general steady incline and becomes steep in some places. The beginning of the trail seems to be "paved" with stones, which makes for a nice start, and then turns to rocks and dirt. The trails are wide and appear to be heavily used but are in good condition. There is enough room for hikers ascending and hikers descending to pass each other safely. Several resting spots also provide a place to sit or stand to catch your breath. I'm from the east coast and was adjusting to the change in elevation but was comforted to witness locals huffing and puffing up the mountain along with me :) I'd rate this as a moderately challenging hike- definitely not easy.

The overlook provides a beautiful spot for many hikers to stop, sit, have a picnic, and enjoy the view. A short hike further up the trail ends you at Poo Poo Point where the paragliding launch pad is. Here you can also sit to picnic and enjoy the view. There are a few picnic tables and toilets here. The area is more of a hill and your lunch may roll away from you so decide how vigilent you want to be before deciding which spot to lunch at. The launch pad area was very busy with hikers and paragliders alike.

The hike down is quicker than the hike up and easy on the knees and back. I suggest taking some time to stretch at the summit as you obviously use different muscles to summit than you do to hike down. This can relieve any tightness that might cause discomfort on...

I have done this hike before as an out and back from Issaquah high school before. I decided to do it a little differently this time. I rode the 554 from Seattle to Sunset and Rainier (42minutes from 2nd & Stewart in Seattle ) and walked to the high school and started up high school trail and up to Poo Poo Point. That was a lovely hike that I would rate as easy to moderate on it’s own; easy if it were on level ground but moderate because of the 2000 or so feet of elevation gain. Poo poo point now boasts picnic tables and outhouse bathrooms in addition to the fantastic views. Instead of what would have been a easy walk back I went down what at the bottom the sign said was Chiciro Trail this trail ends up at Issaquah Hobart Road and is shorter at the expense of being steeper and a lot rougher. I would say it was moderately difficult going down and would be hard going up. From there I had a nice walk along the roads and Rainier Greenway Trail into Issaquah and was able to enjoy the free meal served at 5:00pm at 180 Sunset Way before getting on the bus...

Hiking is my passion and this is one of the best hikes in King County. It's a bit of a steep unrelenting climb, but the payoff views at the top make it all worth it. No ripoff fee for parking or the trail. Not a big fan of hiking on rocks, but the flat stones are necessary, and they are more like steps. This trail can be crowded, most people stepped aside as I was ascending. People must love this trail, it's well maintained and mostly clean. The killer view at the top is not to be missed. If you are tired or out of shape, you can stop at the first viewpoint of Mt. Rainier. There is a bench to sit on and eat a snack. Bring a real camera, you can thank me later. To get to the point (top) head East past the last square of AstroTurf. You are now about 13 min from the top. Oh my what an incredible view, and on a clear day you can see forever. Impress your friends by naming all the features you can make out. To the North you can even see Mt. Baker. This was fun and so...