Squak Mountain Trails Restoration
Issaquah, WA, 98027
East Ridge Trail after cleanup, c. October 2025. Photo courtesy of Selena Eon.
Rebuilding Trails After the 2024 Bomb Cyclone
On November 19, 2024, a powerful extratropical cyclone swept through the Issaquah Alps, bringing unusually strong easterly winds that toppled trees and damaged trails throughout the region. Squak Mountain was particularly hard hit, with extensive blowdowns, damaged trail tread, and two landslides along the upper Phil’s Creek Trail. Some sections were nearly unrecognizable, raising concerns about whether portions of the east-side trail system could ever reopen.
In response, the Issaquah Alps Trails Club (IATC) partnered with Washington State Parks and experienced trail volunteers to coordinate recovery efforts. Professional sawyers and arborists worked alongside volunteers to clear debris, repair trails, and restore access. By summer 2025, the entire official trail system was once again hikeable, though restoration and maintenance work continues.
This project was a partnership between the Issaquah Alps Trails Club and Washington State Parks.
Our Restoration Work
Throughout 2025, more than 130 IATC volunteers contributed their time across 25 work parties, helping clear fallen trees and debris, repair damaged trail tread and drainage, and address lingering storm damage. This collaborative effort helped restore access to one of the Issaquah Alps' most treasured public spaces.
Trails Restored
Restoration efforts focused particularly on Squak Mountain's east-side trails, including:
Old Griz Trail: Extensive blowdowns and debris required significant clearing and restoration.
East Ridge Trail: Fallen trees and damaged tread required substantial clearing and repair.
Eastside Trail: Crews cleared large tangles of fallen trees and debris to restore access.
Phil's Creek Trail: Two landslides damaged portions of the upper trail.
Summit Trail: Extensive storm debris required clearing to make the trail navigable again.
Volunteers clearing storm debris from the Pretzel Tree Trail on Squak Mountain, c. December 2024. Photo courtesy of Anne Newcomb.
Trail Restoration in Action
Old Griz Trail immediately after the bomb cyclone. Photo courtesy of Mark Griffith.
Volunteers assess an uprooted tree and exposed rootball along the Phil’s Creek Trail in late December 2024. Photo courtesy of Terry Swiatkowski.
Squak Eastside Junction, c. Nov/Dec 2024. Photo courtesy of Luke Distelhorst.
Volunteers clear a fallen tree along Phil’s Creek Trail, moving cut logs off the trail while minimizing disturbance to surrounding native vegetation. Photo courtesy of Terry Swiatkowski.
Uprooted tree and exposed rootball blocking the Old Griz Trail following the November 2024 bomb cyclone. Photo courtesy of Terry Swiatkowski.
Fallen trees and storm debris along Old Griz Trail following the November 2024 bomb cyclone. Photo courtesy of Selena Eon.
Old Griz Trail after volunteers cleared fallen trees and debris during a January 2025 work party. Photo courtesy of Terry Swiatkowski.
Cut logs and cleared debris along Old Griz Trail following several volunteer work parties in February 2025. Photo courtesy of Selena Eon.
Get Involved
IATC continues to partner with Washington State Parks on restoration efforts to protect Squak Mountain's native forest and wildlife. Learn more about our ongoing Squak Mountain Habitat Restoration project and how volunteers are helping remove invasive English holly and restore native habitat.
Latest News
10/31/2026: Squak Mountain Trails Get a Fall Refresh
03/31/2026: City of Issaquah Secures 17.55-Acre “Kelkari” Property on Squak Mountain for $2.5 Million
10/30/2025: Rising After the Storm: Rebuilding Squak Mountain
07/31/2025: Squak Mountain: the State Park in the Issaquah Alps
12/06/2024: Weathering the Storm: Aftermath and Trail Updates
11/14/2020: Wilderness on the Metro - Squak Style
07/15/2019: Viva la Trails Day at Squak Mountain
Explore Other Local Restoration Projects
Discover restoration efforts across the Issaquah Alps and surrounding communities:
Private Restoration Event Inquiry
Interested in organizing a group restoration event? Learn about the requirements and submit an inquiry to partner with IATC.
History of Squak Mountain
Located just south of Issaquah, between Cougar and Tiger Mountains, Squak Mountain is a treasured part of the Issaquah Alps. Its history reflects generations of Indigenous stewardship, early coal mining and logging, and community conservation efforts. In 1972, the Bullitt family donated nearly 590 acres to Washington State Parks, establishing Squak Mountain State Park and preserving the land for public enjoyment. Through subsequent land acquisitions, the park has grown to approximately 1,545 acres, protecting valuable forest habitat and providing public access to miles of hiking and equestrian trails.
Squak Mountain is also an important link in the region's interconnected trail network, providing access between Cougar Mountain, the Issaquah Valley, and downtown Issaquah. Together, these connections offer residents and visitors opportunities to travel between natural areas and the community along an extensive network of public trails. Since 1979, the Issaquah Alps Trails Club has partnered with Washington State Parks and community volunteers to maintain trails, restore habitat, and help preserve public access to these treasured lands for future generations.
Bullitt Fireplace, Squak Mountain. Photo courtesy of IATC Archives.
Join the Issaquah Alps Trails Club and Green Issaquah for an invasive species removal restoration project on Squak Mountain.