I’ve been meaning to do this hike for years. The Poo Poo Point trailhead is ten minutes from my house. No pass required, dogs welcome, solid elevation gain. Every time I’ve thought about it, I’ve talked myself out of it because the parking lot is famously brutal on weekends.
Wednesday morning I stopped making excuses. Out the door at 7:45am with Basil and a 35-pound training pack. Five hours later: 13 miles, 3,400 feet of gain, and one extremely unbothered Aussiedoodle.
The Route
The PP West Tiger TMT is a lollipop starting at the Poo Poo Point trailhead on SE Evans Street. You climb to Poo Poo Point, continue past it to West Tiger 3 (~2,600 ft) via the One View Trail, then loop back down the West Tiger Railroad Grade Trail to the same parking lot.
Distance: 13 mi RT | Gain: 3,400 ft | Time: ~5 hrs | Dog-friendly: yes (leash required)
The first two miles are a slog. No warmup, no gradual ramp — just sustained elevation gain right out of the gate. Good for training. Unpleasant in the moment.
Rainier appearing to the south around mile 1.5. Worth the calves.
Around mile 1.5, Mount Rainier appeared to the south on a clear line of sight. It’s the kind of view that makes you forget your calves exist for a minute.
The Forest
The forest throughout is dense and legitimately old-growth in sections. It’s the kind of trail where you stop noticing how far you’ve gone because the canopy keeps pulling your attention.
Basil investigating a moss arch. He was unimpressed. I was not.
Old-growth forest — the kind that makes everything else feel small.
There are several stream crossings along the route. All were running well and easy to navigate.
Basil conducting a thorough water quality inspection.
Poo Poo Point
Poo Poo Point itself is a good stop — open meadow, solid views west toward Issaquah and the Sound, and paragliders launching off the edge while you’re eating a snack. It has a strong “you’ve earned a weird thing to see” energy.
The paraglider launch at Poo Poo Point. Worth the stop.
Someone had a better commute than I did.
From here I continued to West Tiger 3 via the One View Trail. Currently a bit overgrown with a few blowdowns — nothing that slows you down, but it’s not pristine right now if that matters to you.
West Tiger 3 Summit
West Tiger 3 looks out over Lake Sammamish and the Bellevue skyline. I sat up there about twenty minutes, fed Basil some snacks, and let my brain just take it all in.
West Tiger 3 summit. Bellevue and Lake Sammamish to the west.
There’s a small memorial plaque bolted to a granite boulder at the top:
“Atop every mountain pause to remember those you love and those who love you.”
I read it, sat with it for a minute, and thought about that.
Coming back down the Railroad Grade Trail is smooth and wide — the kind of descent where you can turn your brain off and just move.
What Held Up (and What Didn’t)
Gear-wise: The Altra Peaks with the lace lock performed. Feet felt stable the whole way up and on the more technical One View sections. I want to run the same setup with Topos at some point — that’s the next data point.
What didn’t hold up: Miles 9 and 10. My feet started dragging, which I’ll chalk up to this being the longest hike of my year so far. Not pain, not cramping — just that heavy, slightly uncooperative feeling where your legs are done and your brain is still negotiating. I finished, but I felt it.
The 35-pound pack was fine throughout. Noticed it less on the ascent than I expected, noticed it more on the descent when fatigue was already accumulating. Good signal that loaded training is working.
The Parking Situation
Even on a Wednesday, the lot was nearly full at 8am. On a weekend you’re looking at pre-7am or you’re circling. This trailhead is ten minutes from downtown Issaquah — people know it exists.
No pass required, which is genuinely nice. Don’t let that make you complacent about arriving late.
What I Took Away
Rainier was out. The pack held. The Altras held. And when I was driving home trying to decide what to do next, the first thing that came to mind was Mailbox Peak.
That one’s been on the list for a while too. I think I’m ready.
Basil was unfazed by the whole thing and demanded fetch when we got home. Born for this.