(2) Squak <= (3) Talus => (4) Zoo Hill Complex
Talus is a development on the east side of Cougar mountain, named after a bone in the ankle. Or maybe a rock deposit on the hill. At least it’s not “Summer Bluff”, or “Raccoon Forest” (thanks to the excellent Real Estate Subdivision Name Generator for those), or my development’s name, “Malibu Vista”.
Anyway, Talus is a climb that I’d never done until recently, because it was a one-road “up and back down” sort of climb. At least, that’s what I thought, but a bit more research and a test ride showed that I was mistaken, and there’s a nice hidden climb there.
After leaving the starting point, we turn left onto Renton-Issaquah road, and then turn right onto James Bush Rd. The sign says, “no Talus access”, but that’s just for cars, not for us. Gear down before you turn. The road immediately kicks up, climbs a bit, and then kicks up some more as it narrows to a single lane climbing up through the trees. Make sure to start this climb slowly; if you hit it too hard it will be difficult to recover. Please pay attention so that you don’t slow down other cyclists on this section.
Eventually, you’ll come to a gate and the climb will spit you out into the development. Turn right and continue to climb, then bear right towards the park and take the 20% cut-through to keep climbing. This will spit you out again on the road, and you can continue to climb until you top out.
We then traverse to the south to do the second half of the climb, which works its way up to recent higher development. Then there’s a descent down the south entrance. .
The overall Talus climb is about 750’.
The descent has a stoplight at the bottom, so watch your speed. We turn left and ride towards the park.
The gradients here feel pretty close to me.
I looked at this last fall and thought that pathway off James Bush fed through. The upper development was fenced off so it should be a neighborhood with a decent amount of climbing in it when they open it up.