Talapus and Olallie Lakes — Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013

Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass

Do Not Drive up FS9030 in an attempt to get to the Talapus Lake trailhead unless your vehicle is equipped for off-road driving and you are comfortable driving in varied-surface snow conditions. Surface voids caused one carload to get stuck today (1950ft) and they were unable to get a tow; we were blocked coming back down (parked at 2100ft) and were able to help, with a few other passers-by to get them back in motion after they had spent two hours there. Bring Your GPS and a map if you intend to get from Talapus to Olallie Lake. The trail has been drifted over by snow in places, diverges in many places, and there are several different routes leading to other destinations. From the trailhead to Talapus is an easy route to follow. The road and lower portions of the trail were sufficiently icy until about 9AM to support body weight with spikes. It was downright balmy to Talapus Lake (45F and bright out), and snowshoes made the going easier past the first mile from the trailhead. Several tracks across Talapus are visible, including some leading to the bowl approach to Rainbow Lake and Pratt. From Talapus to Olallie, the snow drifts increase and generally become more fluffy. The snow at Olallie was high-density powder (standard Pacific Northwest concrete).