USA Today spotlights Issaquah Alps trails
February 28, 2012
Issaquah Alps peaks and trails garnered national attention Feb. 21 after USA Today featured the Eastside mountains in a travel piece.
The feature outlines trails and points of interest on Cougar, Squak and Tiger mountains — including the long-defunct Nike Ajax missile installation on Cougar Mountain and the paraglider launch site on Tiger Mountain.
“Hiking through Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, on to Squak Mountain State Park Natural Area and into Tiger Mountain State Forest adds mileage but provides a scenic route,” the guide notes.
USA Today spotlights Issaquah Alps hiking trails
February 22, 2012
NEW — 9 a.m. Feb. 22, 2012
Issaquah Alps peaks and trails garnered some national attention Tuesday after USA Today featured the Eastside mountains in a travel piece.
The piece outlines trails and points of interest on Cougar, Squak and Tiger mountains — including the long-defunct Nike Ajax missile installation on Cougar Mountain and the paraglider launch site on Tiger Mountain.
“Hiking through Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, on to Squak Mountain State Park Natural Area and into Tiger Mountain State Forest adds mileage but provides a scenic route,” the guide notes.
The piece is the latest national recognition for the Issaquah Alps and the mountains’ namesake city.
Experience life in Issaquah 100 years ago — outhouses, saloons and all
February 21, 2012
Forget the buttoned-up suburb, circa 2012, to envision Issaquah from a century ago.
Issaquah in 1912 included more saloons than churches. The coalmines and logging camps attracted a tough-as-nails crowd. The era required a little more steel in the backbone.
Townsfolk eked out a hardscrabble life, but still managed to loosen up at the Stockholm Hotel & Saloon or Clark’s Place. In homes, simple conveniences — indoor plumbing, for instance — ranked as unheard-of luxuries.
Imagine a typical day from 1912.
The chill February air is a bracing alarm, almost as difficult to ignore as the crowing rooster outside.
What 10 qualities set Issaquah residents apart?
February 21, 2012
Issaquah inspires a deep affection among residents past and present.
Perhaps the connection is because the city stands out among cookie-cutter Eastside suburbs. (Bummer, Redmond.)
Residents can rattle off at least a dozen reasons to love Issaquah, although even outsiders can recognize the charms. Only locals can offer a snapshot into the authentic Issaquah experience.
Save Lake Sammamish founder Joanna Buehler departs
January 3, 2012
Joanna Buehler, founder and president of Save Lake Sammamish, has planted and kept runoff-filtering native wetland species on the lakeshore of her longtime South Cove home. By Greg Farrar
Issaquah trailblazer led efforts to protect lake from threats for decades
Joanna Buehler earned top honors for environmental efforts for decades spent on a difficult struggle to shield Lake Sammamish from constant pressures from a population boom occurring along the tree-lined shore.
In major development decision, city OKs buildings up to 150 feet in business district
December 22, 2011
NEW — 9:30 p.m. Dec. 22, 2011
Tall buildings could someday punctuate the skyline in the modest business district along state Route 900, after city leaders created a framework Monday to transform acre upon acre blanketed in storage units, low-slung office buildings and automotive service centers into a dense neighborhood for shops and homes.
In a landmark decision, City Council members approved a 30-year agreement between the city and longtime Issaquah developer Rowley Properties to overhaul almost 80 acres in the coming decades. The council agreed to allow buildings up to 150 feet tall and mixed-use development on up to 4.4 million square feet in Hyla Crossing and Rowley Center — parcels along Interstate 90 and state Route 900.
The landowner, in turn, is required to pay for transportation upgrades, affordable housing construction, Tibbetts Creek restoration efforts and storm-water system improvements.
Snowfall dusts Issaquah Alps as cold temperatures linger
November 18, 2011
Light snowfall dusted the Forest Rim neighborhood on Squak Mountain early Friday morning. By Warren Kagarise
NEW — 10:45 a.m. Nov. 18, 2011
Snowfall dusted the Issaquah Alps overnight and into early Friday morning, as meteorologists predicted more light snow for the area in the coming days.
Snow coated trees on Cougar, Squak and Tiger mountains, but roads remained clear. Residents in Forest Rim awoke to a dusting similar to powdered sugar. Snow clung to cars, rooftops and shrubbery in the highest-elevation neighborhood on Squak Mountain.
Cruise passengers urged to explore beyond Seattle
October 25, 2011
From the Space Needle to Pike Place Market, Seattle has plenty to offer its guests, but the Washington Tourism Alliance and the Port of Seattle are encouraging cruise ship tourists to explore beyond the predictable city limits. They are hoping tourists will venture into the suburban and rural areas outside of Seattle, including Issaquah.
“It’s really about what can you offer as an attractive package as an add-on to the cruise purchase,” said Dan Trimble, then-economic development manager for the city of Issaquah. “We’re pretty fortunate here to have several things that can be easily compartmentalized to those packages.”
Bill Bryant
From the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery and Cougar Mountain Zoo, to outdoor opportunities and shopping districts, Issaquah has plenty to offer its tourists, Trimble said.
This is part of a plan carried out by the newly established Washington Tourism Alliance, which is working along with the Port of Seattle and other tourism agencies to let people know about the tourist opportunities that exist outside of Seattle.
“The cruise ship (industry) brings about $400 million to King County and the region, and that’s because the passengers are staying one to two nights in the area. But most of them are spending that time in downtown Seattle,” Seattle Port Commissioner Bill Bryant said.
He said he hopes the cruise ship tourists extend their stay and explore the surrounding areas, “whether that is wineries in Woodinville or going out to Snoqualmie Falls.”
The state Legislature recently cut funding for the state tourism office.
In its place, various stakeholders including the port, some of the hotel associations and some of the restaurant associations have established the WTA to serve as a vehicle for communities to reach out to tourists, Bryant said.
Cougar Mountain ranks among United States’ top trail-running locations
October 25, 2011
Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park is among the 25 best places for trail running in the United States.
Runner’s World magazine named the Issaquah Alps peak to the list in a recent issue.
“Every urban area should be blessed with a trail running sanctuary as sublime as Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park,” the magazine noted.
National Public Lands Day comes to Issaquah Alps
September 23, 2011
NEW — 4 p.m. Sept. 23, 2011
Issaquah Alps peaks host volunteers Saturday for National Public Lands Day.
Organizations plan trail work on Cougar and Tiger mountains in the Issaquah area.
Washington Trails Association and King County Parks volunteers plan to decommission old trail sections along Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park’s Indian Trail. The decommissioning involves adding plants in the old tread.
The work party runs from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event is designed for families, and participants can sign up at the Washington Trails Association’s website.
The state Department of Natural Resources and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance plan to build Tiger Mountain trails Saturday for National Public Lands Day.
