Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park is one of the most incredible natural resources in the King County Park System. Surrounded by the cities of Bellevue, Newcastle and Issaquah, and just minutes from downtown Seattle, Cougar Mountain Park truly is a natural oasis amid urban King County.

Cougar Mountain Park covers more than 3,000 acres and is the largest park in the 20,000-acre King County Park System. For perspective, Marymoor Park near Redmond comes in at 640 acres. Located in the "Issaquah Alps," Cougar Mountain Park is famous for its many trails - more than 36 miles of trails for hiking, and over 12 miles for equestrians.

The most popular entry point into Cougar Mountain Park, Red Town Trailhead, is also the site of a former mining town. In 1883, the town had 750 residents and produced coal for steamships, railroads and the city of San Francisco. Prospectors and coal miners worked Cougar Mountain for nearly 100 years, digging coal, waste rock and clay.

• Hike Indian Trail which is believed to date back 8,000 years and which was also part of an overland trade route used by Native Americans to reach North Bend and the Cascades.