A long and very gradual climb through the woods, which we found rather monotonous as the surroundings didn’t vary much the whole way.  Only heard a couple of birds, saw a few foxgloves and a tiger lily. Just as we were about fed up, we saw the falls and it made it all worthwhile. The massive bare rock was impressive even though the falls were very small. They must be spectacular early in the spring. When we sat down, we saw a fast swimming garder snake cross the lake and disappear into the driftwood when it reached the other side. A cascade frog jumped out of our way and stayed nearby while we ate our sandwiches. We were late starters so we had it all to ourselves at 5:30 pm.

Important info: No bugs! by which I mean (alleluia) no mosquitoes, not even as we ate our lunch by the little lake. We did see dragonflies, a millipede, butterflies, and a few little gnats. If anyone in your group is motivated by salmonberries, this is a good time to go.

The falls themselves appear to be doing their seasonal drying out (if you look at the pictures from different times of year you'll see what I mean.) I read elsewhere that Otter Falls is entirely snowmelt on bedrock--hence seasonal-- so currently the falls themselves are minimal and the drainages very easy to cross. I imagine the water flow is quite impressive in April, it would be great to go again then. That said, the rock face itself is stunning even with minimal water running down--I had no idea what the scale really was until we were standing next to it. (We did not continue on to Big Creek Falls just another half mile down the trial, I was outvoted by my group.)

Quiet day on this trail, saw 15 people besides us on the hike to Otter Falls, which clocked in at just over 9 miles for us. Dispersed camping near the trailhead looked idyllic & easy, the bathroom was clean & stocked. Potholes on the last mile in were large, but not bad if you go slow.

No obstacles currently, except that you might trip over a rock while you are distracted by the lush moss and ferns on this shaded woodland hike.

A nice and peaceful day. Road to the parking lot has some large potholes but manageable. Toilet clean and well stocked. Few cars upon arrival at 10 am.
Few people on trail and only a few at Otter Falls (climbers). It's worth it to also go .5m further to look at Big Creek Falls.
And what a nice surprise the new trail up!! Thank you...that was a lot of work!
Lots of salmon berries and even some blueberries.
Still water for pup higher up the trail.

Very few folks in the parking lot at the Snoqualmie Lake trailhead when we arrived at 8:15.  This 8 mile roundtrip hike to Otter Falls and Lipsy Lake is an excellent introductory hike and especially nice on hot days (as it was today) given the forest canopy.  

The trail is soft and duffy at some points and rocky/cobbly at others....with an almost imperceptible grade increase as you journey.  Recommend no tennis shoes on this one --- stiff soles only.  Lot's of side streams with fresh water along the way and the sound of Taylor River always nearby.

The new trail at the Otter Falls cutoff is fantastic (just opened on 5/17).  Previously the route was a spider web of kicked in trail steps --- now it is a smooth ramp up the hill and a nice wood reinforced set of stairs down to the lake and falls.

Arrived at the lake around 10:00 --- had a snack and returned back to the car by noon.  An excellent day to be on a cool trail when it's hot in Seattle!

Really nice day hike. Shady, relatively flat trail in good condition. Several creek crossing that are mostly dry.

Otter falls is well worth the hike. Water volume is a little low but still a good amount. We plan to return in the spring to see it full of water.

The road is rough for only about a mile in the section past middle fork campground. the rest of the road up to that point is pothole free asphalt