Issaquah Alps facts for kids
The Issaquah Alps is a special name for the hills and mountains near Issaquah, Washington. Issaquah is a town close to Seattle. These "Alps" include several well-known mountains like Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Taylor Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge, Rattlesnake Mountain, and Grand Ridge. Even though they are called "Alps," they are not as tall as the famous Alps in Europe.
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How the Issaquah Alps Got Their Name
The name "Issaquah Alps" was first used in 1977. A famous nature writer named Harvey Manning came up with it. He wrote about these hills in his trail guidebook called Footsore 1. Manning wanted to show how important these hills were. By calling them "Alps" instead of just foothills, he hoped to encourage people to protect them. Harvey Manning even lived on Cougar Mountain himself, in a small cabin.
Protecting the Trails
In 1979, Harvey Manning helped start a group called the Issaquah Alps Trails Club. This club works to take care of the trails in the Issaquah Alps. They also work to make sure these lands become public property, so everyone can enjoy them. The club is based in Issaquah, which is sometimes called "Trailhead City" because of all the nearby trails. The Issaquah Alps Trails Club often leads guided hikes, helping people explore the area safely.
Where Are the Issaquah Alps?
The Issaquah Alps stretch along Interstate 90. They start near Lake Washington and go almost all the way to the Cascade Range. The Cascade Range is a large mountain chain in Washington state.
How the Mountains Were Formed
These hills are made of volcanic rock. This rock sits on top of older rocks that were once part of a coastal plain. About 50 million years ago, this land joined with North America as the continent slowly moved west.
Long ago, during the last ice age, huge sheets of ice called glaciers covered this area. These glaciers shaped the land we see today. For example, a large glacier called the Vashon lobe carved out Rattlesnake Ledge. It also made the sides of Squak Mountain very steep. The glaciers even left behind a huge rock on Cougar Mountain, known as the Fantastic Erratic. A "glacial erratic" is a large rock that was carried a long way by a glacier and then left behind when the ice melted.
Images for kids
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Rattlesnake Ledge
