The Mountain
The mountain has six peaks in the center of the Issaquah Alps forming a 13,500-acre (55 km2) triangle between Interstate 90 (I-90) on the north, the Issaquah-Hobart Road on the southwest, and State Route 18 (SR 18) on the southeast. Immediately to the west is Squak Mountain followed by Cougar Mountain, to the south east are Mc Donald and Taylor Mountains, and Rattlesnake Ridge.
It was established as Tiger Mountain State Forest in 1981. In 1989, the entire Issaquah Plateau in the northwest corner was designated as a conservation area, the West Tiger Mountain Natural Resources Conservation Area, accessed by a large trailhead at Exit 20 on I-90.
The most crowded trail leads to the bald summit of West Tiger #3, with a panoramic view of Seattle and points to the south and east. It is a 6.2-mile (10.0 km) hike, round-trip, with an elevation change of about 2,000 feet (610 m). The nearby peaks of West Tiger #2 and West Tiger #1 provide essentially the same view, but with fewer obstructions the higher one goes.
Poo Poo Point, a bare shoulder of West Tiger Mountain, is a bare ridge on the west side of Tiger Mountain. The point is named for the sound the steam whistles would make when signaling loggers. The point is a popular launching point for paragliding and hang gliding. You can reach the point by the Chirico Trail which starts at the landing zone for the hang gliders and paragliders in a field adjacent to the Issaquah-Hobart Road, or by taking the High School Trail which begins on 2nd Avenue just south of Issaquah High School. Many people fly year-round (weather permitting) and have flown cross-country flights exceeding 75 miles (121 km).
State Route 18 bypasses the congested highways of the metro Seattle area. It reaches an elevation of 1,375 feet (419 m) between Tiger and Taylor Mountain, where another major trailhead is located. This provides access to South Tiger Mountain with limited views, Middle Tiger Mountain with a 45 degree window looking down on the Cedar Hills Landfill, and East Tiger Mountain with a panoramic view south toward Mount Rainier.
Many trails on Tiger Mountain have wide beds and slope very gently because they are built on the remnants of 1920s logging railroads, long after the rails and crossties were salvaged in the Great Depression. Near Middle Tiger Mountain is the site of a fatal 1924 train wreck where artifacts can still be seen.
In the most remote part of the forest, 15 Mile Creek arises in the pass between East and West Tiger. The creek carves a miniature "Grand Canyon" through sandstone.
Much of Tiger Mountain is owned or managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
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