Squak Mountain is the second most westerly mountain of the Issaquah Alps

Issaquah Alps

The Issaquah Alps are the highlands near Issaquah, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, including Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Taylor Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge, Rattlesnake Mountain, and Grand Ridge...

 mountain chain in Washington state. It is situated between Cougar Mountain

Cougar Mountain

Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park is a regional park in King County, Washington, near the towns of Bellevue and Issaquah. The park was established in June 1983 to protect the central core of Cougar Mountain...

 to the west and Tiger Mountain

Tiger Mountain

Tiger Mountain is a mountain in the U.S. state of Washington.-The mountain:The mountain has six peaks in the center of the Issaquah Alps forming a triangle between Interstate 90 on the north, the Issaquah-Hobart Road on the southwest, and State Route 18 on the southeast...

 to the east. Interstate 90

Interstate 90

Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...

 parallels the base of the north side of the mountain. Much of the Squak Mountain watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 drains in to Lake Sammamish

Lake Sammamish

Lake Sammamish is a freshwater lake east of Seattle in King County, Washington, United States. The lake is long and wide, with a maximum depth of and a surface area of . It lies east of Lake Washington and west of the Sammamish Plateau, and stretches from Issaquah in the south to Redmond in...

. Most of the mountain is protected by Squak Mountain State Park and Cougar/Squak and Squak/Tiger Corridors of King County

King County, Washington

King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....

.
The name "Squak" comes from the Southern Lushootseed placename /sqʷásxʷ/, which is also the source of the name Issaquah Creek

Issaquah Creek

Issaquah Creek is a small stream flowing through the city of Issaquah and nearby communities, in the U.S. state of Washington. Its headwaters are on the slopes Cougar, Squak, Tiger, and Taylor mountains in the Issaquah Alps. Tributaries of Issaquah Creek include Holder Creek, Carey Creek,...

 and the city of Issaquah

Issaquah, Washington

Issaquah is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 30,434 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the State of Washington to be ranked....

.

The Park

The well-signed trail system consists mostly of abandoned roads that are narrowing to single-track trails, more so each year. One such road-trail leads to a foundation and fireplace that is the remnant of the Bullitts'

Dorothy Stimson Bullitt

Dorothy Stimson Bullitt was a radio and television pioneer who founded King Broadcasting Company, a major owner of broadcast stations in Seattle, Washington...

 summer home. Distant views are infrequent because of the forest. The major attraction of Squak Mountain is its urban wilderness

Wilderness

Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...

.

Residential development in Issaquah extends to the park boundary to and elevation of about 1100 feet (335.3 m). The park is accessed from a trailhead (elevation 740 feet (225.6 m)) at the hairpin turn of Mountainside Drive in the north, and the signed state park entrance on May Valley Road in the south (elevation 350 feet (106.7 m)). A lesser trailhead is found on the Renton

Renton, Washington

Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...

-Issaquah Road on the west (elevation 400 feet (121.9 m)). Other trailheads may be reached via Sycamore Drive SE and Sunrise Place SE.

History

While generally a quiet and safe park, Squak Mountain State Park has seen mayhem over the years.

• On January 15, 1953 during a heavy storm, a DC-4 from Boeing field to Burbank, California was blown off course, clipped trees near the summit and came down near a farm in a fiery crash that killed all on board.
• On May 4, 1991, Donna Barensten who suffered from dementia disappeared while hiking with her husband Ron in Squak Mountain State Park. Her body was found nearly one year later.
• In April 25, 2004, the body of Alena Stathopoulos, 29 was found on the Squak Mountain trail not far from SE May Valley Road by two hikers. Her roommate Esther Rose Havekost was convicted in December 2004 for murdering her in their shared apartment and for paying a man $10,000 to dump the body. She was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

External links

• "Squak Mountain". SummitPost.org.
• "Squak Mountain". Peakbagger.com.
• "Squak Mountain-West Peak". Peakbagger.com.
• "Squak Mountain-Southeast Peak". Peakbagger.com.
• Green Trails Maps Map of Cougar and Squak Mountains.
• Washington State Parks Map of Squak Mountain State Park.