– With the aim of leaving some of the park totally wild for the cougars, bears, deer, and other wildlife, much of the eastern portion of the park has been designated a Habitat Conservation Area. This is the area between Bear Ridge trails to the north, East Fork Trail to the west, and Shy Bear/Whittaker Wilderness Peak/Gombu Wilderness Cliffs, and Squak Mtn Connector trails to the south, and the abutting Talus Open Space to the east. Letting this large portion of the park go fallow enhances its value as an urban wildland. The park map includes the admonition "Park development and trails have been excluded to protect threatened wildlife. Please help nature's recovery by staying out of this section of the park." King County Parks and the Issaquah Alps Trails Club no longer perform maintenance on the old trails in this region, and they are no longer described in new editions of guidebooks. , obscure trails enter the region from the east and north but their junction is overgrown as is easterly access to the Claypit. Lewis Creek Connector – Runs from behind a white fence with pullover parking on Newport Way at the junction of Lakemont Blvd. and Exit 13 of Interstate 90, to Peggy's Loop in City of Bellevue Lakemont Park. A rough bridge across Lewis Creek may be impassable in winter. Pre-park history WWII anti-aircraft gun site Cold War Nike missile site Now an open field near the Sky Country Trailhead, this was an anti-aircraft Nike missile installation during the Cold War used to protect the region from nuclear attack by Soviet long range strategic bombers. All that is left from that era are a few concrete pads, landscaping features, a deteriorating chain-link fence, and an interpretive sign. Current amenities include restrooms, picnic tables, a playfield, wildlife interpretive signs, and access to the great trail system. The radar site supporting these missiles was located on Anti-Aircraft Peak one mile to the northeast where another interpretive sign provides more history of the site. Newcastle mining town second location References Sources Manning, Harvey & Owen, Ralph. Hiking and Strolling the Trails of Cougar Mountain, Issaquah Alps Trails Club, Issaquah, 1991. McCrone, Charles. The Authoritative Guide to the Hiking Trails of Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park and Surrounds, Issaquah Alps Trails Club, Issaquah, 2000. External links Cougar Mountain Trails Detailed color map of the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park Cascade