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Running trails in Issaquah, WA
Issaquah has 21 trails in the directory — 2 paved and 5 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 6 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 4 open 24 hours. 14 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 6,563 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Poo Poo Point Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,933 reviews
Scenic mound & gateway to the Chirico Trail, popular for paragliding & vistas of wooded peaks.
Tiger Mountain State Forest
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,718 reviews
Forest & conservation area on 13,745 acres, with trails for walking, biking & horseback riding.
High Point Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 514 reviews
Starting point for several scenic, wooded trails on Tiger Mountain, including one around a lake.
Squak Mountain State Park Natural Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 477 reviews
Day-use park with 1,500+ acres of forest lands, plus trails for hikers & horseback riders.
Margaret's Way Trailhead
4.5 ★★★★★ 376 reviews
Park with kid-friendly hiking trails featuring scenic views on clear days.
Cable Line Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 256 reviews
Trail for workouts with elevation gain in a location that doesn't require a pass.
Grand Ridge Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 173 reviews
Cedar groves, a salmon stream & a 7-mile multi-use trail featured on 1,200 forested acres.
East Sunset Way Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 167 reviews
Popular area for hiking featuring many loops and trails that connect to Poo Poo Point, plus a shooting range.
Tradition Lake
4.5 ★★★★★ 143 reviews
Peaceful scenic space at the base of Tiger Mountain, featuring a lake and hiking trails.
Tiger Mountain Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 139 reviews
Destination for hiking and mountain biking with trails that lead to the top of Tiger Mountain.
May Valley Loop Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 122 reviews
Kid- and dog-friendly hiking area featuring scenic trails through the woods.
Rainier Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 108 reviews
Wide, paved, dog-friendly trail that meanders through various areas, featuring a wooden-sculptured troll.
Issaquah Highlands Lake Loop
4.8 ★★★★★ 103 reviews
Small hiking area featuring a pond, a water feature, and a walking trail.
Squak Mtn- Bullitt Fireplace Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 103 reviews
Forest, fern and tree-filled landscape, traversed by an array of trails for hiking and walking.
Salmon Run Nature Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 53 reviews
A 2.31-acre natural, grassy park known for its creek & salmon conservation.
The Rainier Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 47 reviews
Hiking-friendly trails, some paved, that offer views of Seattle and Bellevue.
Grand Ridge Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 14 reviews
Issaquah Preston Trail
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Issaquah
- Match the surface to your legs. Issaquah gives you a choice: 4 natural surface, 4 mixed, 2 paved, 2 boardwalk, and 1 crushed gravel. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 6 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Issaquah is Tiger Mountain Trailhead at 7.7 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 4 trails in Issaquah are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 14 of the 21 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 4 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 19 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Issaquah. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 9 that runners describe as quiet, 14 dog-friendly, and 9 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Issaquah trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Mixed trails
- Paved trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Crushed gravel trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Issaquah
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.