An old bus sits in the forest on Tradition Plateau, beside a former logging road. The City of Issaquah calls it a 1930s-era bus. Tom Anderson, writing for the Issaquah Alps Trails Club, believes it is a Kenworth split-level bus from about 1929, a type used for cross-state travel. He calls that his best identification, not a settled fact. The trail beside it carries its name, and this fall the Bus Trail is getting the most attention it has had in years.
The City's Parks Operations staff and the Washington Trails Association have been rebuilding the ADA-accessible loop that runs past the bus and along part of Lake Tradition's shoreline. For a November walk, three other things matter as much as the new surface. The transit route to the trailhead is gone, the access gate closes at dusk, and starting on the Bus Trail avoids a bridge drop on the standard route.
What the crews have been working on
The City's October 23 notice lists the work. WTA staff and volunteers improved drainage, cleared overgrown vegetation, removed decommissioned viewing platforms, and replaced damaged trail edging. All of that prepared the route for new gravel.
The project covers two named trails, the Bus Trail and part of the Around the Lake Trail. Together they form a one-mile accessible loop. The City expected the work to be finished in early November, and the trails stayed open throughout construction.
The City plans to rebuild the Lake Tradition viewing platform at a later date. Until that happens, the shoreline itself is the view, and the loop's other points of interest are spread along the trail. The City mentions the bus and a series of interpretive wildlife-track signs showing raccoons, deer, and other animals.
Why the Bus Trail is the better way in
The drainage and edging work fixes a lot. It doesn't fix one detail on the standard route to the lake. The Washington Trails Association's Tradition Lake Loop guide describes a bridge on the trail to the lake with a 3 to 4 inch drop on its lake side, and says wheelchairs with tie-down pins have snagged on it. WTA's suggested workaround is to reach the loop and the trailhead by the Bus Trail.
The same guide says about the first half mile of the Around the Lake Trail is designated wheelchair accessible. It also notes that some stretches of very soft gravel can be hard to push through slowly, or to get moving again after a stop. New gravel surfacing is aimed at exactly that kind of problem. That description was written before this fall's work, though, so a first visit is the real test.
Starting on the Bus Trail also puts the bus near the beginning of the walk. Anderson's history says the trail follows an old logging road, and it passes on an oral tradition that logging crews used the bus as a bunkhouse before leaving it behind. For anyone walking with kids, a stroller, or a mobility device, that order works out well. The landmark comes first, then the shoreline, without the bridge drop.
The bus to the trailhead no longer exists
For years, the way to reach High Point without a car was King County Metro Route 208. WTA's guide still says Route 208 runs between Issaquah and North Bend, stops at 270th Ave SE on weekdays, and leaves a short walk to SE 79th St, then about 0.9 miles more to the main lot.
That route is gone. Metro's fall 2026 service change page lists Route 208 as deleted and new Route 215 as its replacement, with changes that started August 29, 2026. Route 215 runs between Mercer Island, Eastgate, Issaquah Highlands, Snoqualmie, and North Bend. Its current timetable, valid through March 26, 2027, doesn't list 270th Ave SE or High Point among its named stops.
Metro's seasonal Trailhead Direct service isn't an option either. Its 2026 season ran on weekends and holidays from May 23 through August 30, and its Issaquah Alps stops were Margaret's Way and Squak Mountain, not High Point.
| Older guidance | As of fall 2026 |
|---|---|
| Route 208 stops at 270th Ave SE on weekdays | Route 208 was deleted on August 29, 2026 |
| Route 208 links Issaquah and North Bend | Route 215 now serves Mercer Island, Eastgate, Issaquah Highlands, Snoqualmie, and North Bend |
| Walk to SE 79th St, then about 0.9 miles to the lot | Route 215's timetable doesn't name a High Point stop |
| Trailhead Direct as a weekend backup | The 2026 season ended August 30 and didn't serve High Point |
In practice, Lake Tradition is now a place you drive to, at least until the next service change.
In November, the gate sets the schedule
Driving in means working around the gate. WTA's directions describe the route this way:
- From I-90 a few miles east of Issaquah, take Exit 20 for High Point and turn south on 270th Ave SE.
- Just a few yards south of the freeway, turn right onto SE 79th St and head west.
- The pavement ends after 0.4 miles. A gate there is open daily from dawn until dusk.
- If the gate is open, drive on to the main lot and watch for potholes. If you arrive before dawn or plan to leave after dusk, park along the road and walk the trail about half a mile to the lot.
On short November afternoons, step four matters more than it does in July. A late-afternoon start that would be fine in summer can leave a car on the wrong side of the gate. Parking on SE 79th St adds about a mile of walking round trip before the loop begins. That's an easy addition for a hiker, but it cancels out the accessibility the fall work was meant to improve.
WTA's guide lists a Discover Pass as the parking requirement for this lot. It also notes a toilet at the trailhead and no regular water source.
The lot is larger and smoother than it used to be. A 2017 renovation, described by the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, paved and striped High Point, added ADA access and a bus turnaround, and gave it 87 stalls. The Greenway called it one of the busiest trailheads in the state. That same article explains why the land around the lot changes hands. High Point serves both the Tiger Mountain Natural Resources Conservation Area, managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and the Tradition Plateau Natural Resources Conservation Area, managed by the City of Issaquah. The bus, the lake, and this fall's resurfacing are all on the City side.
When one mile isn't enough
The accessible loop is the short version of a larger network. WTA's Tradition Lake Loop runs 2.9 miles round trip with 150 feet of elevation gain. WTA's Bonneville Trail guide names the connecting Adventure, Gas, Wetlands, Section Line, and Bus trails. A WTA reporter there describes the Bonneville Trail as a Bonneville Power Administration power-line road, and the Around the Lake Trail as running along the lake's south side.
The most recent trip report on WTA's loop page, dated Sunday, October 11, 2026, rated the trail in good condition, the road suitable for all vehicles, and the route free of snow. That reporter took a longer multi-trail route, about 4.75 miles, and called it mostly flat and well maintained. That report came twelve days before the City announced the resurfacing work, so the gravel on the accessible loop may look different now from what that hiker saw.
For a weekday walk this month, a simple plan covers it. Drive in through Exit 20 early enough to be back before dusk, start on the Bus Trail, pass the bus, and follow the Around the Lake Trail along the south shore.
Trails like Tradition Plateau are part of what makes the street you live on worth what it is, and they're something we keep in mind when we talk with Issaquah homeowners about value. If you're curious how close-in access to the Issaquah Alps shows up in your own home's numbers, Donita Dickinson and our team are happy to have a calm, no-pressure conversation. Get a Free Home Valuation.
