It seems impossible: Finding quiet solitude on a backcountry trail leading through ancient cathedral forests and past magnificent waterfalls less than a hour from Seattle. Yet the Taylor River Trail offers just that. While nearby Mount Si bristles with sweating hikers, and the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trail hosts hordes of outdoor enthusiasts, the Taylor River Trail--an old road that's been reclaimed by the forest--goes largely unnoticed and unused.

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.