Snoqualmie Lake

Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rd is OK; I drove almost the whole thing in 3rd gear at 30 mph in a 2WD low-clearance street car. No need to pave it.
Trail is snow-free to Snoqualmie Lake, in fine shape.
The side trail to Otter Falls is cairned. It is just before a huge, split house-sized boulder.
Great effort was put into this trail in 2011: new turnpike, puncheon, but mostly herculean rock work, some really pretty rock steps. They did a lot of blasting and rock-crushing. If you have memories of a tough trail, come back and see what they've done. They may not be finished; work flags are all over the place. Amazing, impressive work.
No significant obstacles to Snoqualmie Lake. The first 6 miles (old Taylor River Rd) are on old road, easy grade, a smooth cruise.
Snow and windfalls begin at the lake. Some big, steep windfalls between Snoqualmie and Deer Lake; complicated, steep, hard-to-remove. But it's not too bad.
Thinning ice but almost no open water at Snoqualmie Lake and none at Deer Lake. Two dry campsites at Snoqualmie Lk, both occupied Sunday night.
May I rant? By far the greatest impact of these two small parties was the campfires they were building. Yeah, I know, I'm an insufferably holier-than-thou no-fire snob, but if you build fires -- especially in a popular spot, right next to a lake -- don't try to call yourself a minimum-impact backpacker. This is your (and my) chance to breathe clean air. Try it.
Bugs were surprisingly thick at a couple stops on the descent.
7:45 Left trailhead
9:30 Marten Ck bridge
12:30 Nordrum Lk Trail fork
2:15 Snoqualmie Lake (not hurrying on the ascent, lots of dawdling)
4:00 Deer Lake turnaround
7:35 Big Creek Bridge/Falls (turned on speed on the road)
9:15 back at car
Hey, trail crew: Thank You! My canine companions salute your dogged determination.