Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Otter and Big Creek Falls - Taylor River
Featured In:
Day Hiking: Snoqualmie Region,
by Dan A. Nelson and Alan L. Bauer.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. Start up the Taylor River Road/trail and in about 0.4 mile, when the road forks, stay right--the left-hand trail leads to Lake Blethen and Rooster Mountain. Weave up the valley, and cross an old bridge structure at Marten Creek, about 3 miles up the track. Modern planking has been added to the bridge deck to ensure safe crossing. But once across, peer under the bridge to gain an appreciation of the type of timber harvested from this area. Huge cedar logs serve as the spanners that support the bridge. From here, the trail rolls gently onto the Big Creek bridge at about 5 miles. This structure appears to be out of place here. The wide concrete bridge belongs on a highway - somewhere other than a backcountry trail - but it's a remnant of the old road and a developer's dream, a dream that fortunately died. The wide road that was planned into the headwaters of the Taylor River valley never progressed much beyond a logging road, and even that has largely disappeared, leaving this primitive trail. The Big Creek bridge may be the first thing to grab your attention when you reach the creek, but it fades into the background as soon as you step onto its deck. Big Creek Falls tumbles off the hillside on the north side of the bridge - over a series of granite steps and down smooth granite faces to create a sparkling tapestry of watery jewels. A deep plunge pool lies at the foot of the falls, just below the bridge itself. Big Creek Falls makes an ideal lunch stop - the sun streams down onto the bridge deck and the concrete curbing along its edges serves as a fine bench. Be sure to pause on your way back to the trailhead and take a side trip to Otter Falls. Watch for a small sign and a cairn (pile of rocks) about 0.25 mile from Big Creek. A side trail leads north through the woods for a few hundred yards, ending at a wide but shallow pool of water at the base of a huge vertical granite slab. A ribbon of water slides down the smooth gray rock face to splash into the pool. This is Lipsy Lake and Otter Falls.
Driving Directions:
From Seattle, drive east on I-90 to exit 34 (Edgewick Road). Turn left (north) onto 468th Street and follow it to the junction with the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road (Forest Road 56). Turn right and continue up the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road for 12.5 miles to the Taylor River Road (just past the Middle Fork trailhead parking area). Turn left onto the Taylor River Road and drive to a wide parking area at its end, in about 0.5 mile. Recent Trip Reports
Hiked here recently?
Submit a trip report!
There are
186
trip reports for this hike.
See all trip reports for this hike.
Otter and Big Creek Falls - Taylor River, Snoqualmie Lake
— Dec 31, 2011
— AP
Day hike
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
This was a beautiful snowy hike, and this time of the year we had plenty of solitude. We had...
This was a beautiful snowy hike, and this time of the year we had plenty of solitude. We had a party of 6 people and 2 dogs, and we didn't run into anyone else along the trail. We started at the parking lot for the Taylor River Rd by the gate. At the fork, we went to the right headed toward Snoqualmie Lake. We continued for maybe a mile or two before we stopped to turn around.
There was plenty of fresh snow from the previous day, and we got to make fresh tracks on most of the trail. Snow got a little deeper as we headed up the trail, but we were all fine with just hiking boots and no gaiters. Views of the surrounding snow-covered peaks and trees were amazing, and we even got plenty of blue sky today. The creek is a beautiful color blue and running very fast with all of the recent rain. Middle Fork Road Conditions: This is the limiting factor for getting to this hike. The road is in great shape for the first few miles - getting to the parking area for Mailbox Peak and also Blowout Creek is achievable for any vehicle. Once you pass the sign for the National Forest boundary (and also a big yellow gate a little further down), be prepared for a very bumpy ride. You will definitely need 4 wheel drive and a high clearance vehicle. There were some very deep and frequent pot-holes that can't be avoided. There were only 4 vehicles parked at the trailhead when we returned - and they were all 4WD trucks. There was not too much snow / slush on the road. Maybe 2-3 inches in most places, but one spot about midway had up to 5 inches for less than a mile. Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
Reached the trailhead at 10am, after a long, bumpy ride. Saw quite a few hunters parked along the road, but...
Reached the trailhead at 10am, after a long, bumpy ride. Saw quite a few hunters parked along the road, but there was just one car at the trailhead.
Hiked about half a mile past the turnoff for Otter Falls to the large concrete bridge over Big Creek. Found the turnoff on the way back: It was marked with a small cairn, a pair of swimming shorts in a tree, and some engravings on said tree. The trail was in good condition, just a few simple stream crossings, and a thin layer of fresh snow in some of the more open areas. Other than a party camping at Otter Falls, we didn't encounter anyone. Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/[…]/OtterFallsNovember2011 Tracklog: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/128244738 Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Water on trail
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
with photos
this hike is very long. it's very flat with little elevation gain and very good for people who want to...
this hike is very long. it's very flat with little elevation gain and very good for people who want to do long distances without a lot of elevation. There is a lot of water throughout the hike. every couple of miles you have to cross creeks here and there, so this hike is not good for people who are not nimble. I was here in October at the end of the dry season and right now all of the creeks are running dry, so it was quite safe - but you still had to hop from rock to rock to get across dry creek beds. I imagine when the water is running high, this would be quite different and you would be contending with a lot of water crossings. the trail is extremely rocky - the entire trail is made of baseball/softball sized rocks. good boots are a MUST. when you first start out, you dont notice how rocky it is, but by mile 7, you can really feel them. you have to watch your footing with every step in some parts or you will roll your ankle. but its a very safe trail, as it is flat. it is an in and out, and not a loop and the trail is very easy to follow. a straight path that leads you to a very strange huge cement bridge in the middle of a forest! the falls are AMAZING. they are HUGE and pictures do not do them justice. even with the trickle of water at the end of the dry season, I was impressed, but i can tell it would be AMAZING after some rain. they are huge smooth granite looking slabs of rock extending up hundreds of feet. very worthy of the trek to see them. I did see the marked path on the tree for Otter Falls, and climbed up the hill, but there was so little water that they were nothing. This hike is best seen during the wet season.
Otter and Big Creek Falls - Taylor River
— Sep 10, 2011
— Mark
Day hike
Features:
Ripe berries
Issues:
Blowdowns | Overgrown | Bugs
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
I read several printed guide reports about this hike. The directions to the trail were fairly vague. When we arrived...
I read several printed guide reports about this hike. The directions to the trail were fairly vague. When we arrived at the trailhead there were signs posted to Quartz Creek(left) and Snoqualmie Lake (right). There was no signage for Otter and Big Creek Falls. The directions from the guide book I used said follow the road to the left. After hiking up the road for a mile or more, the road ended and we started following an old creek bed/ overgrown road. We encountered several other hikers at this point that were trying to hike Otter/ Big Creek Falls as well.
After hiking up this trail for several miles we figured out that we were not on the correct trail. I am still not sure whether we were on Rooster Mountain trail or Quartz Creek. After descending and returning to our starting point, I noticed that someone had faintly carved "Otter Falls" onto the signage for Snoqualmie Lake. I will return at a later date to hike the correct trail, but be aware that in neither guide book I read was it mentioned to take the Snoqualmie Lake trail to access Otter/ Big Creek Falls.
Otter and Big Creek Falls - Taylor River
— Aug 21, 2011
— jkwayland
Day hike
Issues:
Bugs
Expand report text
Hide report text
Read full report
Trail was well maintained with a few spots where you need to hop across small streams or use the rocks...
Trail was well maintained with a few spots where you need to hop across small streams or use the rocks in the stream to get across. The bugs were more of a problem at the beginning of the trail than later on. Finding the trail to Otter Falls was not difficult - the rock cairns were quite visible. However, there were many off-leash dogs. So, if "don't worry, he's friendly" isn't for you, I'd recommend this trail during the week, when there aren't so many people about.
|
Otter Falls is a delicate slippery slide down to Lipsy Lake. Photo by Trip Report poster 'Eelpi.'
Map it
|
Document Actions
- Email this page
- Print this
- Share
Forgot your
New user?
