Middle Fork Snoqualmie River — Wednesday, Apr. 24, 2013

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

To avoid the risk of avalanches in the mountains on this warm spring day, I sought a reasonably nearby lowland hike and chose the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail. I had never been attracted to this trail as a road goes up the other side of the river. I was pleasantly surprised to find it a very enjoyable and scenic hike without sight or sound of the road on the other side. After crossing the bridge at the trailhead I turned left and hiked about 11 miles until my turn around time. The trail provides many fine views of the clear, fast running river and the peaks above. Garfield Mountain dominates the scene across the river for the first few miles. The trail was in quite good shape, but for a few mud holes, several trees fallen across the trail, and one washout at the river's edge. None of these, however, impeded my progress nearly as much as the potholes on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie road to the trailhead. Past the turnoff for the bridge across the river to the Dingford Creek trailhead at about 6 miles, the trail often followed a wide, nearly level grade cut through the landscape well above the river. Was this a road or railroad from an earlier era? Later a piece of rail on the side of the trail provided good evidence that this was an early rail to trail project. I first spotted snow patches near the side of the trail at about 7 miles. I didn't see any snow on the trail until near the end of my hike. It was a bit early for lots of flowers, but I saw quite a few early bloomers. Trilliums were most noticeable in the first few miles, but I also saw blossoming salmonberry, cow parsnip, skunk cabbage, and sticky monkey flower. I had the trail to myself all day, except when I encountered a young couple coming down the trail with ice axes. They explained that the had come cross country from Lake Dorothy.