Why is there a bus sitting in the forest above I-90, beside the flattest path at Lake Tradition? The Bus Trail began as a logging road, which is how a heavy vehicle got in there decades ago. That same road now carries the accessible loop. This fall, City of Issaquah crews and Washington Trails Association volunteers have been clearing it, fixing its drainage and edging, and getting it ready for new gravel.
The newest work on the plateau is going onto its oldest human-made feature, and the rusted hulk beside the path is what that road left behind.
The Road Came First
In a May 2024 History Corner piece for the Issaquah Alps Trails Club, Tom Anderson explains that what is now the Bus Trail was a former logging road, so in its working years you could simply drive to the site. He includes a 1952 aerial photo of the roads that crossed the Tradition Plateau at the time, and notes that the road to the bus would have been built in the decades before that for logging.
Anderson also takes on what the vehicle actually is. The City of Issaquah calls it a "1930s-era bus." Anderson goes further and identifies it as a Kenworth split-level bus from about 1929, "give or take a year or two." That model was built for cross-state travel, with a raised rear deck that gave passengers a better view and left room for luggage underneath. He compares the hulk with a vintage photo point by point, paying special attention to the unusual recessed spare tire rack on the back.
He also addresses two labels the bus has picked up over the years:
- Greyhound Scenicruiser. Anderson says it isn't one. The Scenicruiser was a much larger bus with a dual rear axle, and it didn't appear until 1954, long after this one was left in the woods.
- "Old School Bus." Some maps use this name. Anderson can't rule it out, but he calls it very unlikely, because a two-level touring bus would have been a poor fit for children climbing in and out.
As for why it stopped where it did, Anderson cites historian Eric Erickson, who has written several books on local mill and logging operations. According to the oral tradition Erickson found, a logging crew parked the bus at the site and used it as a bunkhouse while they worked nearby. It may have carried crews before that. When the crew moved on, the bus stayed and was stripped over time. That account is oral history, and the Kenworth match is one careful observer's comparison. Together they are still the best story anyone has told about the landmark.
Anderson admits the bus divides people. "Some see it as an eyesore. Some see it as a curiosity. Some see it as a snippet of history."
What This Fall's Work Adds to That Road
The logging road has been a trail for a long time. This season it is getting a deliberate rebuild. The City's October 23 notice says Parks Operations staff, with help from WTA, are improving the ADA-accessible Bus Trail and part of the ADA-accessible Around the Lake Trail at Lake Tradition Plateau, inside the West Tiger Natural Resource Conservation Area.
The groundwork came first. According to the City, WTA staff and volunteers:
- Improved drainage along the corridor
- Cleared overgrown vegetation
- Removed decommissioned viewing platforms
- Replaced damaged trail edging to prepare for new gravel surfacing
A volunteer's report on the WTA Bus Trail page, dated September 11, 2026, describes that day's brushing and drainage clearing as the first phase of a restoration project on this section. Gravel was planned for later work parties. The same report mentions an all-women WTA sawyer team cutting branches and logs farther down the trail.
The order of the work matters for a gravel path on an old road. Edging and drainage decide whether new surfacing stays put through a wet Issaquah winter, so the crews did that part before any gravel went down.
The City set early November as the target for finishing the one-mile accessible loop, and the trails remain open during construction. One piece is still missing. The City says the Lake Tradition viewing platform is planned for reconstruction "at a later date." If you remember stopping at a platform by the water, expect a gap there for now.
Where the Loop Sits on the Plateau
Lake Tradition is a shared property. The Washington Department of Natural Resources says the City owns most of the Tradition Plateau next to the conservation area and co-manages it with DNR's Natural Areas Program. The City posts its own Trails Map, and DNR points hikers to Green Trails maps for more detail.
The accessible loop runs along the lakeshore. Interpretive displays along the way show the tracks of raccoons, deer and other animals. Once you are past the gravel, the network spreads into a group of short, named trails. WTA lists them like this:
| Trail | WTA distance | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|
| Bus Trail | 0.7 mile roundtrip | Starts about 0.1 mile from the plateau trailhead and passes the bus |
| Swamp Trail | 1.0 mile roundtrip | Zoe story signs introducing the possibly mythical Swamp Monster |
| Big Tree Trail | 1.0 mile roundtrip | Passes one of the plateau's large Douglas-firs and a swamp area |
| Brink Trail | 0.7 mile one-way | Links to Big Tree, Puget Power and Adventure trails |
| Puget Power | 2.4 miles roundtrip | Branches to Big Tree, Brink, Adventure, Wetlands, Around the Lake and Swamp |
| Tradition Lake Loop | 2.9 miles, 150 feet of gain | Ties the Around the Lake, Bus, Wetlands, Brink, Big Tree and Swamp trails together past Tradition Lake and Round Lake |
That makes the plateau easy to split within a group. Someone on wheels, or a toddler on short legs, can stay on the accessible mile. A friend who wants more can add the Swamp Trail signs or the longer loop past Round Lake and meet back up near the bus. WTA's trail pages aren't dated, so some of the condition notes there may describe the paths as they were before this year's work.
Getting In From Exit 20
DNR names High Point Trailhead as the main way into the West Tiger Mountain conservation area. Here is the route as DNR and WTA describe it:
- Take I-90 Exit 20 and head to 270th Ave SE.
- Turn onto SE 79th Street and follow it to the gravel parking lot.
- The parking gate is just under half a mile from the exit. If it's closed, WTA says to park outside and walk about 0.4 mile farther to the Tradition Plateau trailhead.
- From the trailhead, the Bus Trail starts about 0.1 mile in.
For a mobility-limited visitor, step three is the one that matters most. Plan to arrive while the gate is open. WTA's own pages disagree on the closing time, with one saying dusk and another saying 7 p.m., so the posted sign at the gate is the one to trust.
WTA marks the lot as requiring a Discover Pass. DNR's Discover Pass page describes the pass as a motor vehicle permit and says you don't need one for non-motorized entry onto state recreation lands, on foot for example. That is general state guidance, so check the signs at the lot and DNR's page before you rely on it.
A November Saturday With the Plateau in It
The loop is short enough to fit into a morning, and two downtown dates sit close to it on the calendar. Downtown Issaquah's Farm Fresh Market runs at the Historic Shell Station, 232 Front St. N. The Downtown Issaquah Association calendar lists Saturdays November 7 and 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Later in the month, the Highlands Council's Holiday Tree Lighting is on the City calendar for Thursday, November 19, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Village Green Park, 2550 NE Park Drive. Mayor Mark Mullet is scheduled to light the tree at 5:15 p.m.
On a gray Saturday, you could walk the accessible loop from the trailhead to the bus, check the water where the old platform used to be, and still reach Front Street before the market closes at 2 p.m.
Drainage, edging and what lies under the surface decide how long a trail lasts, and they matter just as much to a house. Kelly Kang brings that same attention to properties across the Eastside. If you're curious how Issaquah's trail network and the areas around it fit with how you want to live, Kelly is glad to talk it through over coffee, without any pressure. Let's Connect.
