This is a beautiful hike, good for children and families. Both falls are wonderful. Otter Falls is well marked today, but surprisingly people seem to miss it. Look for an arrow of rocks pointing to the scramble up an incline. The whole way you can hear the falls, and see that a clearing is upcoming. Also, a BIG hint, is Otter FAlls carved in a tree. However, I think many of us are looking down not up when hiking. The trail is not as clear beyond the bridge at Big Creek Falls. LOTS of people out today!
A clarification on the directions - drive past Middle Fork Snoqualmie campground until you reach the gate. Nothing is signed for "Taylor Creek". And there is no indication in any signage of the falls.

Just like all the other people have said the road in to the trail head is pretty bumpy, its not that bad as long as you go slowly.
We had great weather, headed out from the trail head about 10am and only saw one other group all day until we made it back to the car. The trail is totally clear of snow, just a few small trees down but they are easy to step over. several stream crossings that are flowing pretty fast from all the run off. Only one large river that was a little bit harder to cross, but as long as you have decent balance its doable. Both falls are pretty amazing right now totally worth the trip.

Warning: The last 2 miles to the trail head on the gravel road is awful with potholes that only seem to be getting worse. The first seven miles seemed graded. Bring a car with the absolute highest clearance you can manage. Our high-clearance SUV is currently getting an alignment thanks to that road and we were going approximately 5 MPH and driving VERY carefully on it. With four cars available to our party, three of them would not have been able to make it without damage.

We hiked out on Friday evening, stopping just short of the Otter Falls trail turn-off (4.5 miles) to camp the night. There were some nice, inviting spots. It was an easy hike out in the dark by headlamp, with very few technical requirements. The whole purpose of our trip was a 24-hour gear check trip, as we had all gotten new gear over the winter and needed to ensure that it was all the right gear for us this season. We started looking for the Otter Falls turn off in the dark, but decided to make camp instead.

It was a good thing we made that decision. The Otter Falls turn-off was another .2 miles or so down the trail and we would not have seen it, since all but one of us missed it in the daylight the next day. The "sign" for the turn-off is carved into a tree at about 5 feet off the ground. Currently there is a pair of board shorts hanging from a crook in the tree. The rock cairn that was mentioned previously as being covered in snow has now been uncovered. We hiked in snow for much of the .2 miles, but it was soft and slushy. I'd expect it to be gone in about a week if the weather keeps up this way.

The trail from Middle Fork to the Falls is in pretty good shape, but has lots(!) of blown down trees. Be prepared to hurdle, limbo, or just go around on your way through there for the first couple of miles from the trailhead at Middle Fork. It's not good for mountain biking yet. It's also very mushy in spots and there's a lot of water on the trail. Overall, it looks like it's going to firm up nicely this season, so I'm looking forward to going again.

On Saturday morning, we did hear a trail runner go blazing past us in crazy fashion. Then we encountered many hiking groups of various ages and skill levels as we ate breakfast. This was all during a day that was still looking gloomy, so I'd expect large crowds on any day that was predicted and promising to be part of a great weekend.

Coming back from Otter Falls to Middle Fork, we checked for some sort of trailhead or clear offshoot to Marten Lake at the bridge and were flummoxed. Perhaps someone who is more aware of it should take some trail tape out there and mark something if they're heading out. It would certainly be helpful. There were a couple spots that looked like they might be trail, but it's going to see some serious wear and tear if we don't mark the trail somehow.

Otter Falls is a little tricky to get to, and to find- if you've ever travelled the Middle Fork Road, you'll know what we mean, if not - hold onto your hats and prepare for an incredibly pot-holed and bumpy road. It's a bit shy of 12 miles from the end of the pavement to the trail head, but plan on it taking between 45 minutes and an hour (unless you'd like to donate some of the undercarriage of your car to the road, as several cars before us had done).

The trail is long, fairly flat, and meanders alongside the river and through lovely woods. At this time of year it shows lots of signs of winter - numerous blowdowns, patchy snow, and water crossings. Fortunately none of these are so bad as to make the trail unmanageable - just a little slower with these obstacles. I think the average hiker could handle all of these, though if you have issues with balance or strength, this may not be the trail for you - climbing under and over the blowdowns and balancing across rocks on the water crossings could be potentially tricky. (Tip - We found gaiters to be quite helpful with branches, snow and mud. We also had Yak Tracks which were negligible in their help on the snow - it's pretty soft, not icy, and not too slippery). There are also some really interesting broad-petaled yellow flowers in the marshy areas along the trails - and bright pink salmon berry blossoms to enjoy along the way.

The cairn marking the spur to Otter Falls must be hiding under snow (if it still exists at all). We totally missed the trail on our way up, but realized once we got to Big Creek Falls that we had passed it. Big Creek Falls was indeed a lovely place for lunch - nice wide concrete step to sit on and gaze at the falls. On our way back we kept our eyes peeled for the trail to Otter Falls and finally spotted a pair of shorts hung on a branch, and a 5" "Otter Falls" tree carving. Not the most well-marked trail, but I wonder if that's intentional to keep the crowds away?? The trail is kind of hard to find and follow, but it's so short that you can't really miss the falls - just follow your ears.

And oh, Otter Falls. They were worth every pot hole, every blow-down, every post-hole stepped in the snow, and every slippery rock. Gorgeous ribbons and sheets of water sliding down the smooth rock face - a gorgeous and unique waterfall.