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Poo Poo Point

Issaquah, Washington

4.4/5
based on 11 reviews

Details

Distance

6.57 miles

Elevation Gain

1880 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by The Outbound Collective

Poo Poo Point located near Issaquah, Washington is a great hike leading to an unbelievable view of Mt. Rainier and paragliders at the summit! Be ready, this is a serious thigh burner!

The Poo Poo Point trail is a great option for beautiful forest and great views only about 20 minutes outside of Seattle. The longer and less steep of the two routes to Poo Poo Point, this trail leaves from the Issaquah High School (the shorter and steeper Chirico Trail leaves from the paragliding landing field several miles to the south). From the trailhead the trail will be unsigned but you'll pass a swampy area and then reach the first sign just 0.3miles down the way. Turn right at the sign and then bear right again to follow the old road. This section is open to mountain bikers as well so be sure to keep and eye out and give right of way.

At 0.8 miles you'll cross a stream and then come upon a power line - the trail cuts up to the right on a rocky slope here. Head up this way and you'll soon see the official sign for the Poo Poo Point trail near a large wooden gate - head right here away from the gate to continue on the trail. From here you'll starting climbing through the forest (look out for wildflowers and berries in the summer months!) and crossing a number of small streams.

When you reach a three-way trail junction keep to the right again and reach Poo Poo Point, one of the summits of West Tiger Mountain, in just another half a mile - you'll know it by the large grassy knoll and open views of Lake Sammamish and Issaquah. If the weather is right you'll also find paragliders jumping off the mountain from the Point. Stop for a snack and enjoy the view before returning the way you came.

Getting there: Head south through downtown Issaquah and at 1.8 miles from I-90 turn left at the light onto Second Ave. SE. Parking will be on your right pretty immediately - only space for about 3 or 4 cars here and the trail is unmarked. If this area is full you can park at the Issaquah High School nearby (be sure to park in an unrestricted zone if so) and walk back to the trail.

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Features

Fitness
Running
Hiking
Easy Parking
Forest
Scenic

Poo Poo Point Reviews

A short and sweat hike that’s best done early morning to avoid trail and parking lot congestion. Excellent views at the end of the 45 min workout.

It is a climb from beginning to end but very much worth the trip. Also bring some cash for parking because the free parking is hard to come by on a nice weekend.

Whenever I visit Poo Poo Point, I try to tack on a few neighboring miles around Tiger Mountain. The trail systems up here are great for long-distance training as they link and thread back into each other. I do remember one time in April getting stuck at Poo Poo Point in shorts and a thin shirt during a whiteout snow (and later, hail) storm - remember that the 4k elevation makes this an incredibly different climate than the sea level city!

I thought the journey up to the top was more beautiful than the actual view from top. Saw some paragliders take off which was pretty cool. Would possibly do it again for training purposes.

It was a tough increase in elevation, but it was worth the view.

My first hike in Seattle! My friend and I went hiking on a sunny day :) We started at 2:30 and we got to the paragliding launching point at around 3:30. It wasn't an extremely hard trail. But it was as everyone else said, it was ALL up up up the hill we go! We didn't take any breaks in between. We were sweating when we got up to poo poo point. It was cooler up there even though it was not as windy. The sun was nice and pleasant ❤️ we spent about half an hour laying on the grass looking at the paragliders and we can see Bellevue and a tiny UW building far away. It was getting a bit chilly so we decided to leave. It took us about slightly less than an hour to get down and my knees started to feel painful in the middle 😭 overall the hike was nice.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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