Hiking up Squak mountain, Issaquah alps

I was looking for some elevation and narrowed down on Cougar, Squak and Tiger mountains, the three mountains which are very close to the city of Issaquah on the outskirts of seattle.
I finally picked Squak mountain, since it is supposed to(although I didn't find the viewpoint!!) give a good view of Mount Rainier from the top and has an elevation of 2000ft plus it's also easily accessible by bike. So here's how I went about the trip:
1) Take a bus (M 271) from university district to Issaquah (This takes around an hour).
2) Bike 5 kms to the Squak Mountain Trail head on the mountain driveway, 700ft above sea level(This took me around 30 mins)

3) Start hike at the Mountain driveway trail head. Hike 3 miles to the top of Squak mountain (2050ft)

The hike took around 1.5 hrs. But since I had some more time to kill, I went around other exploring other nearby trails.
I started at 1:30 pm and was back by 8:30 pm (thanks to missing a bus and waiting for another 45 mins).
The trip was really enjoyable in that I was right in the middle of an evergreen/deciduous forest with ferns and firs. There wasn't any view from the summit, since it is surrounded by tall trees. After coming back, I checked a map, and the view point is further down and not marked, that explains why people don't get to the view point.


Pics/Slide show


Sample video (How this works)


P.S.
This hike has definitely been an eye opener into hiking in the middle of the forest. At first, I was a little scared of venturing into the trail, but then mustering some courage I went back. Meeting a few people along the way helped, and after a while I was comfortable being alone in the middle of a dense forest!

For my future trips, I have many options. Tiger mountain is next door to Squak mountain, and from what I have read, it has three peaks!! Then there is Mount Si, North-east of Tiger mountain. Mount Si,which gives good views of Mount rainier and other nearby mountains, is supposed to be the most climbed mountain in Washington and some claim in US too. Looking to the North, there is Mt. Pilchuck. This month is going to be fun if I can get a few more hikes.

To get to know the sheer number of mountains in Washington, look at this page. Seattle in summer with cool temperatures (June, July) is indeed a heaven for hiking.


Links
1) Squak mountain good info
2) Squak trail description
3) Squak on Seattlepi
4) Photos