Grand Ridge - Jan. 26, 2012

For those of you who've been in the Issaquah Alps during the past few months, know well how the snow, ice and wind storms in the 3rd week of 2012 wreaked incredible havoc on the trails.  Because of this and a report from Peter that Tiger Mt. was unrunnable, we decided to take to Grand Ridge this Thursday morning.

I had actually never heard of this trail/park thats tucked between I-90, Mitchell Hill and the Issaquah Highlands until Peter mentioned it as a nice alternative to the peaks around Issaquah.  Sure enough, it was an easy trail to access (starts on north-east side of Exit 18) and was just as beautiful as the other trails around, w/out the elevation gain of the others.  Because of this, it's a nice Alps alternative when you need a break from the (heavy/hard) climbing or just an easy or less stressful (on the legs) trail day.

Nice picture of Grand Ridge Trail when cleared of debris.

Michael, Peter, Cam and I started from chez Peter on this cold frosty morning, hoping not to run into too many downed trees.  We entered the Issaquah To High Point Trail right next to I-90 and under Issaquah's Swedish Hospital.  This wide trail actually runs parallel to the freeway all the way to Preston.  The upper-left part of the Tiger Mountain State Forest Map shows this part well.  After about a mile on this trail (looks like an old road), we took a left onto Grand Ridge Trail and headed north-east up the hill.  We ascended slowly and easily, enjoying the views (not vistas) and crossing a stream full of new snow melt.  After another couple of miles, we crossed Grand Ridge Drive (the only road crossing, which is nice) and continued on the singletrack trail into the dense forest. 

This was when things got difficult, which gave us an indication of how many people had been on this trail since the nasty storms only days earlier.  As we continued, we had to stop more and more to clear branches of all shapes and sizes.  A few miles of this cycle - run, stop, clear, repeat - got pretty annoying and after awhile we were suffering scratched up shins, knees and hands and decided to turn around.  Despite this, we enjoyed the camaraderie, conversation and beauty of the run.  We returned the same way, save a little detour (different trail) to exit Grand Ridge.

All in all, it was a good run and, given the condition of the area's trails, we were just lucky to find any trails in the area to run at all.  As a matter of fact, we're running Grand Ridge again this week, and I'm really looking forward to doing it without the concern of a splintered tree limb impaling me.

For more info, check out this website: http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/trails/backcountry/grandridge.aspx

Run Stats:  Total Distance: ~12 miles   Time: 1:36   Elevation Gain: ~600ft    Pace: 8:01