Bullitt Fireplace Trail
Fall color is arriving, mushrooms abound
2 this month · 60 reports
Issaquah Alps
Squak Mountain's Old Griz trail is generally in good condition, with most blowdowns cleared, though some areas are becoming brushy. Fall colors, particularly yellow from maples, are present, and numerous mushrooms are visible. One report from October 18 notes that the trail is easy to follow despite some narrow and overgrown sections. The road to the trailhead is suitable for all vehicles, and there are no significant bug concerns as of October 18. A recent trail closure was noted at the Sycamore Access Trailhead for bridge work, though it may not have impacted Old Griz directly.
Generated from 19 trip reports. Trails change faster than reports do, so check anything you’d turn around for.
Generated from the most recent trip reports, newest 3 weeks ago. Check anything you’d turn around for.
A trail closure was in effect from October 19 to November 25, 2026, for bridge work near the Sycamore Access Trailhead, as reported on October 20. However, this report also mentioned that hikers were still able to cross the old bridge and continue their hike to Central Peak on that day, suggesting potential intermittent access or that the closure may not directly impact the Old Griz trail itself.
As of October 18, the trail has minor obstacles posing few problems, with occasional blowdowns that are easy to walk under. Another report from August 16 mentioned that the trail was in great condition after being cleared of significant blowdowns from a past storm, though it was starting to get somewhat brushy in places.
The most recent observation of fall color was on October 18, with yellow colors noted on vine and big leaf maples on surrounding hillsides. Red and orange hues were also present on some vine maples and trees lower in Issaquah.
A large black bear was observed about 200 feet below the Bullitt Fireplace trail on August 16, making a displeased huffing sound. No other wildlife sightings were mentioned in the recent reports.
Fall color is arriving, mushrooms abound
2 this month · 60 reports
Big-leaf Maples are showing off fall colors
2 this month · 24 reports
Bridge work may cause closures
2 this month · 16 reports
Closed until end of November
2 this month · 14 reports
Fallen leaves and early fall color
1 this month · 104 reports
Nettles are still an issue on the eastern half
1 this month · 45 reports
Trail notes generated from recent reports. Conditions change fast.
I'd checked this site in advance for trip reports of Central Peak, including one report that matched our route, but no issues reported. I didn't think to check reports for every trail, nor for Sycamor...
Made a loop with the five trails listed. Been nearly two years since a major storm brought down a ton of trees on some of these trails. Various trip reports in that time have mentioned the chaos that ...
The East Side trail in great condition currently after a slightly brushy start. Thank you to those responsible!The Old Griz trail is a testimony to the outstanding trail work that our community is ca...
I did a loop on Squak in the rain today. Some Squak trails are better for a rainy day than others. This is in trail order:The hike started at the Bullitt Fireplace Trailhead on Mountainside Way. I fig...
Started at the Bullitt Fireplace Trailhead on Mountainside Dr SW and strung together a number of trails to create a six mile lollypop loop around Squawk Mountain. Almost every trail had it own conditi...
I parked at Crystal Creek Circle, where the loop at the end has some reasonable space to park without being in anyone's way. I only saw a few folks inclined to venture out on a rainy day. One woman me...
I hadn't hiked on Squak Mountain since before the bomb cyclone in Nov '24, and this loop feels almost like a completely different trail now. I'm really amazed they were even able to re-open Old Griz T...
A nice hike to bring in the new year. We are having a strong inversion. Lots of pollutants are getting trapped at low elevation so it was nice to be above it. There were at least 30 cars parked alo...
Counterclockwise loop, starting from Mountainside Dr, and passing by the west summit and the fireplace.Trail Conditions.No major obstacles, even the Old Griz trail, where there had been an astounding ...
Huge thanks to the team that cleared a path through the damage on the Old Griz trail. Last year's bomb cyclone pummeled the north side of the mountain and the amount of work that must have gone into o...