Arrived at 7:45 on a Friday morning. Second car in the lot. When I left there were about a dozen cars. The last .3 miles of the road have some deep potholes, but I think most cars can manage it if the drivers take their time. Pit toilet was clean but almost out of TP. I’ve learned to keep TP and hand sanitizer in my car for trailhead pit toilets.
This is a beautiful hike. The distances and elevations posted at the trailhead are correct. These match what I recorded on my hike, 7.9 miles one way (16 miles round trip), about 2,200 elevation gain. The distance in WTA is not correct.
The initial walk to Otter Falls is easy, a good portion of it is on river rock, but it is flat with a few easy stream crossings. Otter Falls is the main destination for most of the people parked in the lot. You may encounter a few hikers, tail runners and an occasional backpacker heading towards the Snoqualmie, Bear or Dear lakes.
The elevation on this hike is not difficult, but it does get a bit more technical in the last few miles to Snoqualmie, it should not an issue for anyone who is in shape and has basic trail awareness. During this time of high water run off there is a stream crossing that I questioned a little, I posted a photo. There is a log and two planks you can use for stream crossing, however it felt a little sketchy, I couldn’t see that anything was anchored in anyway. It held my weight but if it shifted it could be bad. Also there is an area where the runoff from the lake split the stream into several streams branching in different directions. Generally if you can’t see the path, you just follow the shallow stream. In this case, follow the multiple cairns and rock hop your way up the hill and you’ll find the path again. I imagine in a few weeks the water will go down and this will be less water hoping and more rock stepping.
This hike is beautiful! Soak it up on the way up, because on the way down you’ll be staring at your feet as you manage your footing. You can avoid stepping directly into the water and mud if you take your time, but my shoes became soaked from the heavy moisture from the vegetation. It rained heavily the night before and the path narrows so that you’ll be brushing against the plants. I was thankful for quick dry clothing and extra pair of socks. At this time, much of the path is rough rock and shallow stream, this will probably be much dryer soon.
I had the lake all to myself. I didn’t explore too far around the lake since it took longer than I expected to hike up, I saw at least 3 camping sites, and I heard there are several more, plus other camp spots at the other lakes. When I sat to eat lunch some no-see-ums found me but a light mist of bug spray took care of them. This was a picture-perfect moment of an alpine lake in the PNW. A foggy day with hills and trees pushing into the blanket of clouds, quiet solitude except for the sound of the stream and birds calling out. Swallows silently skimming the water for bugs, an occasional fish jumping out of the water. I’ll be heading back here with my pack soon to enjoy this more fully.
Hike #13 of 52
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