Around the Lake Trail - Great Beginner Hike on Tiger Mountain

Since it's been a while since Jake & I have hiked the "Around the Lake Trail" on Issaquah's Tiger Mountain, I took us there for a flat and easy little 1.3 mile hike.  It's actually more of a walk than a hike as it's completely flat. 

When I started introducing Jake to nature walks at 1 years-old, I called any stroll in the woods a "hike."  When we do the .5 mile Treefrog Loop Trail in the Redmond Watershed Preserve, I call that a "hike" although there's less walking there than going grocery shopping.  When we check out the woods behind Taylor Playground in Duvall, that's always been a hike, too.  20 minutes on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail?  Hike.  I want him to grow up associating hikes with fun times in the woods rather than something intimidating only done by folks on REI posters. In high school, I thought that all hikers were pretty much ready to climb Mount Rainier, and since I knew I couldn't do that, I figured I wasn't a hiker.  It wasn't until my amazing college roommate & her friends started hiking all over the place that I realized that Western Washington has all kinds of trails easier than the Mt. Rainier summit!  I want Jake to grow up thinking of these amazing places as part of his big backyard!

So, while this is really just a flat little walk in the woods, to me & Jake it was a hike and it remains one of my absolute favorite trails for new hikers!  If you are thinking of getting a Discover Pass, please do so & check out this trail! 

After putting our Discover Pass on our dashboard, we started on our way.  From the porta potty house, we headed right towards Tradition Lake.  At the first sign, we turned left towards West Tiger #3 Trail. 

Immediately after, we turned right towards "Around the Lake Trail."

  

While there is cell service on this trail and I had access to an online map if needed, it's always nice when there's a big trail map for Jake to check out.  I could show him where we were & how we would follow the path clockwise around Lake Tradition.

 

*Wheelchair & stroller option* One thing to note is that while this trail isn't paved, it's wide, flat, and wheelchair (and stroller) accessible.  The red trail on the map above highlights the wheelchair accessible part of the trail.  While we made a full loop, the final third was on a pipeline trail, which is always pretty boring.  If you have a family member who uses a wheelchair or want to bring a stroller for one of your first hikes, it would be a great option to go out to the observation deck at the 4th diamond in the map above, turn around, and come back.  It would be about a mile that way and you wouldn't miss out on anything!

Within a minute or two of the trail map sign, we came across this bench next to a little upright log with the number 1 on top.  I didn't see these markers on the map & still don't know what they're for.  However, it was fun for Jake to check these out every couple of minutes.

Something that I love about this trail is that even though it's short, there are lots of benches along the way.  I didn't count, but it seemed like there was either a nice log or an actual bench every 5 minutes or so.  In addition to being totally flat, the abundance of benches makes this trail welcoming and approachable for kids of all ages and abilities.

 

 Since this trail is so flat and easy, I let Jake run as much as he wanted.

 He stopped running to check out the numbered markers along the way.

Within 10 minutes, you get your first change of scenery with a peek-a-boo glimpse of Tradition Lake.  The power lines on the Puget Power Road trail are visible across the lake.

Near the end of the wheelchair accessible part of the trail along the south side of the lake, there's a wooden deck that looks out across Lake Tradition.  The view is a little obscured by trees, but it's a great place to stop and check out the scenery. 

 In case you hadn't guessed yet, Jake dressed himself today.  He's wearing one of his favorite shirts backwards (on purpose) and some 4T sweat pants that only reach mid-calf on him so they kept slipping up to his knees like capris.  Jake is actually a pretty skinny preschooler (95% for height but only 20% for weight), but he has a total toddler bubble butt in these pants! I seriously don't know where it's coming from.  Note to self: if Jake somehow has a bubble butt here, I should never, ever wear Gap sweat pants!

While there is no official beach access for Tradition Lake, just below the deck we saw a well worn trail down to the beach.  We had to hold on to some tree roots & climb a little dirt wall, but it was totally worth it!  We spent about 20 minutes or so throwing sticks & rocks into the water.

Once I pried him away from the beach, we saw one of several interpretive signs along the trail.  Since I know there are Seahawks fans out there, I thought I'd post this osprey pic.

One of the things I love about this trail is that there are lots of tree stumps and logs along the way.  Jake loves exploring textures, bugs, and alternatives to the main pathway, so these small diversions kept his interest up.

Near the southwest corner of the trail, the accessibility part ends and the "Around the Lake Trail" veers to the right.  If you need to bring a stroller, it is possible to finish the loop with one.  I took Jake in our Bob jogging stroller several years ago.  However, the trail is much more uneven until the pipeline trail section, at which point it becomes a little boring.  If you have a stroller, I recommend turning around here & heading back to the parking lot - you really won't miss out on anything!  If your group is all walking, continue to the right for some new scenery.

We saw another bench around the corner.  There are at least a dozen places to sit down on this short trail.  With Jake, I never need them, but I love the accessible options for everyone.  Whether you have a kid in a diaper with an emergency blowout situation & you need an impromptu changing station, or whether you have a new little hiker that needs to take a moment for some encouragement & snacks, I think these benches are wonderfully family-friendly.

Although the path changes from flat crushed gravel to a little more of a rocky path, it didn't slow Jake down any and he loved the change up.

How cool is this tree?

As we rounded the western part of the trail, there was a large area with benches & logs.  I imagine it'd be a great place for a group to get together to hear a story.  Behind the seating area was a fence overlooking another small beach.  Rebelliously disregarding the "don't go past this fence" sign, we darted around the fence to throw more rocks in the lake.  Throwing rocks in water is apparently one of the awesomist things for kids to do.  The rainbow shaped ripples in this picture are evidence of a recent splashy toss.

More fun tree stumps to explore:

As we left the woods and hopped on to the Puget Power Road back to the parking lot, Jake found some good jumping puddles (although, honestly, what puddle isn't good for jumping?)

Halfway between the "Around the Lake Trail" and the parking lot, there was another seating area that overlooked the lake.

Just before we reached the parking lot, we saw this sign for "Zoe and the Swamp Monster a self-guided adventure."  Although we were both a little tired, we thought this was a .3 mile experience so we checked it out before heading home.  It ended up being another 1.4 mile walk with some story boards along the way http://dotsonstories.blogspot.com/2015/03/zoe-and-swamp-monster-tiger-mountain.html.

Before Going:
1. Make sure you have a Discover Pass.  The busy trailhead is heavily patrolled and there is no way to buy one on site.  While it's possible to buy a day pass online here for $11 (make sure to select year 2015 if you choose this option as it still defaults to 2014): http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/, it's totally worth the $30 for the annual pass.  You can pick one up at the Duvall True Value, REI, or vendors on this list: http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors/county/King/.

2. There is a porta-potty house on-site, but it's never guaranteed to have TP.  It's wise to pack a roll & keep it in a Ziploc bag in your car.
3. Check out WTA for recent trip reports if you'd like.  The road and trail are always in great condition, though: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/around-the-lake
4. The High Point Trailhead is very busy.  Try to avoid Saturday mornings 9-10, or any weekend morning.  If the lot is full, there is often street parking down on High Point Way, but even this can fill up.

Getting there:
There isn't a great street address, but this is an easy trailhead to find.
1. From I-90, take exit 20.
2. At the offramp, head south and then take a right on High Point Way.
3. You'll likely see cars parked along the side of the road, but continue on, past where the pavement ends.

 

4. The gravel road ends at the parking lot.  There are good number of handicapped parking spots.  If the lot is full, go back out to High Point Way and try to find street parking.