The season for crunchy leaves is just about over, although you may have two or three weeks left.
There are very few things that I like more than a fall run on a thick carpet of crunchy leaves. This trail is one of the best in Cougar Mountain for them, for two main reasons.
Certainly the dense mixed deciduous canopy is one. Alders, cottonwoods, both kinds of maples, plus a few salmon berries and other shrubs all gather along this side of the mountain. But the bigger reason is that thiis is one of the last of the trails in the park to get blown off by the maintenance folks. Kevin does such a good job out there, but I must admit, I wish he and his crew were a little less diligent in the fall leaf blowing department.
For those others who love trails covered with leaves, I would recommend getting out here now, and focusing on the east side (although there were spots on Wildside today that were great, too)!