Coal Creek Falls (Cougar Mountain)

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Coal Creek Falls (Cougar Mountain)

Photo: Walter Siegmund · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

🥾 Hike · Newcastle

2 hours · Free · No reservation needed

age fit
0–1 yr
★ 2.0
1–3 yrs
★ 3.0
3–5 yrs
★ 3.0
5–10 yrs
★ 4.0
  • 🚗
    About 15 min drive
    From Bellevue · Parking: Free at the Red Town trailhead, tight after 9am on weekends
  • 🎒
    Carrier recommended
    Terrain isn't stroller-friendly; a carrier is easier
  • 🌳
    Lots of shade
    Good on cool days · Handles heat · Rain-OK
  • ⏱️
    Typical visit: 2 hours
    Best seasons: Spring · Fall · Winter

The most kid-friendly waterfall hike on Cougar Mountain: about 2.5 miles round trip on a gently graded dirt trail through dense second-growth forest, ending at a small 28-foot waterfall.

💡 Tips
The falls are most impressive in the rainy season and may shrink to a trickle in summer. The trail has roots and mud, so use a carrier; kids 3 and up can walk the whole thing. Cell signal is poor in the hills, so download a map first.

What this place offers

✓waterfall
✓forest
✓dirt trail
✓restrooms (trailhead)
✓carrier

Featured in these guides

This weekend's weather in Newcastle

Forecast at the destination itself (coast and hills often differ from home)

🌦️
Sat 10/17
Drizzle · 47–56°F · 56% rain
☁️
Sun 10/18
Overcast · 40–58°F · 0% rain

Location

Newcastle, Washington

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