Distance: 6 mi.
Elevation Gain: 1600 ft.
Laura and I were looking for an afternoon hike that we could do near Seattle after the rain let up, and I mentioned that I’d really like to see the completed Chybinksi loop trail on Squak Mountain after doing eight days of trail maintenance with WTA to help create this new trail over the course of two years. She agreed, and we reached the Bullitt Fireplace trailhead on Mountainside Drive SW at 2 PM. There were plenty of spots to park along the road at the hairpin turn.
We began by hiking south on the Bullitt Fireplace Trail. The trail was wide and gently sloped with some nice fall colors. We took the first cutoff trail to the right (the Coal Mine Trail) and then turned left on the West Access Trail to meet up with the Chybinksi Trail, where we turned right (south) at a brand new sign.
The new Chybinksi Trail was in great shape and not muddy despite the recent rain. I was able to point out to Laura several switchbacks that I had helped craft and holes that I had helped fill, and she seemed to appreciate my handiwork. As we reached the ridge above the sun tried to poke out a bit.
Rather than continuing on the Chybinksi Loop trail we decided to do an out and back on the Perimeter Loop trail to check out Debbie’s View. (As you might have guessed, you can make almost infinite mini loops on this mountain, which can lead to both fun and confusion.) Debbie’s View was a nice little rock outcrop à la Rattlesnake Ledge and there were a couple people hanging out there but it wasn’t overly crowded. We reached the viewpoint at 3:15 PM. After snapping a couple photos we headed back toward the Chybinksi Loop.
We decided we wanted to check out the Bullitt Fireplace as well so we turned right at the West Peak Trail, which was a bit more faint and rugged but still easy to follow. This took us past some ruins and up and down some steep sections before meeting back up with the Bullitt Fireplace trail. At the intersection we turned right (east) and before long we were at the namesake fireplace. The relic was pretty cool; definitely worth making the short side trek. We turned around at 3:50.
From here we completed our loop by taking the Bullitt Fireplace trail all the way back out. There were a couple downed trees toward the top but they were easy to hike under. I’m looking forward to coming back out here and playing in this network of trails again. It would also be great for a trail run, if that’s your cup of tea. We reached the trailhead at 4:40 PM.
(Download the free Gaia GPS app on your phone to view tracks and then get a Gaia GPS membership if you want offline access. Discount below!)
Gear Used:
- Day pack
- Hiking boots (Vanessa)
- Trail runners (Laura)
- Trekking poles
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