Cougar Mountain: tour of 3 trailheads & “Million Dollar” view

A nice forested hike to get us in shape for summer hiking. We will begin at Cougar Mountain’s Red Town Trailhead and wind our way on the southern side of the park, make our way to Harvey Manning Trailhead in the northern part of the park, stop at the “Million Dollar” viewpoint for a snack/lunch break; then, continue to the Sky Country Trailhead and finally make our way back to our starting point at Red Town Trailhead. On a clear day, Mt Baker can be seen from the “Million Dollar” viewpoint.

If all goes as planned, we should reach our snack/lunch location around 1PM. If you need energy before this break, bring something to snack while walking. I did portions of this route a few weeks ago; then, there were some fallen trees and debris to step over. Perhaps, these will be gone by now, but best to be prepared.

Meeting date/time – Fri Apr17, 9:30AM. Meet at TH. Ready to hike when we’re all geared up.
Trailhead – Cougar Mountain Red Town Trailhead. Map - [[https://maps.app.goo.gl/xUvsLpajhiU8b4mbA ](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xUvsLpajhiU8b4mbA)] Be sure to factor in the morning commuter traffic to your travel time.
Pace – social (1.5-2mph)
Distance/gain – 8.4 miles, 1300’ gain
Route map – https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/route/41e48aad-0044-4d5f-8949-64de5130d15b/
Parking – Red Town trailhead, no pass required
Toilet – toilets are located at all 3 trailheads
Weather - https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-122.102&lat=47.537