I love WTA and find it very helpful, but we discovered that the hike description for this trip has a few errors as we hiked to the first two lakes.
As you drive up to the trailhead and cross under the freeway, keep straight onto the dirt forest service road (which is unsigned). You will need to go slow to navigate the potholes but you'll quickly arrive at the roads end (blocked by a barrier, not a gate).
As you ascend, the forest service road quickly begins to resemble a trail as disturbance specialist plants colonize the nice space with lots of light. Toward the top the road resembles an alpine meadow teeming with white Pearly Everlasting and Goldenrod and Kendall Peak soaring up behind.
The WTA trail description says to take the trail to the left after the switchback at 4100 feet. This switchback is marked with a an old fire ring of stones. The trail does NOT start here. Continue on to the next switchback at 4400 feet then, after 186 paces and not long before you run out of logging road, you will see a clear (but unsigned) trail heading to your left. (This was the only clear trail off the road that we saw). Follow this trail cut into the ridge/hillside as it quickly ascends up to the first lake.
The first lake first appears as bright verdant green alpine meadow which reveals itself as you get closer to indeed be a lake, just one stuffed with water loving sedges and grasses. The trail to the second lake heads through blueberry bushes (with ripe berries!) along the lake shore. However, when you cross the creek outlet other lake trails intersect so take note of the trail you're on for your trip back.
The second lake, though small, featured an entire air force of brilliant colored dragonflies backlit against soaring hills and peaks on three sides. The trail to the third lake leads from here. We didn't go to the third lake but ran into a young and fit hiker coming down who reported a pretty lake stocked with trout but also a hard to find trail that he located only on the way down.
Going up we actually went to the first lake from the switchback at 4100 feet by following the barest trace of a trail up a steep forested hill side. There, climbing ladder like through scrub and small trees (a few marked with old plastic flags), we discovered a downed tree with an ancient sign still attached reading, "Kendall Peak Trail". Clearly something resembling a trail once ran through here but now you face a bush wack. We used the new trail on the way down and highly recommend it as not only being shorter and easier on the vegetation but requiring less scratches on your arms and needles in your hair.
Bringing a map on this trip, especially if going to the third lake, can be very helpful. Our Green Trails map had the trails and elevation correct to the first two lakes.
Fewer folks seem to visit this area than other Snoqualmie/1-90 destinations and we saw more wildlife signs than usual; a flock of grouse, bear scat and the tracks of a racoon and some big cat (a bobcat perhaps) in the mud at the second lake.
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