We (me, my wife, and my dog) began our hike on the Taylor River trail 1002 at 11am, Friday, July 4th. The trail was dry but there were dozens of blow-downs throughout the 6 miles to the Snoqualmie trail fork. These blow-downs are crossable but very annoying for backpackers with lots of gear. Look for cairns on the left marking your way to Lipsy lake. We didn't take that excursion however. The 2 mile Snoqualmie trail was grueling but beautiful. There were no downed trees but the incline offers plenty of leg burn. There is a very pretty waterfall halfway to the lake. The trail disappeared on us at about 1.6 miles. Look upstream and to the left for cairns marking the way. The trail and stream become one at this point leading to the snow. This time of year makes the snow difficult and dangerous. I lost my dog for about ten minutes as she post-holed her entire body into a three-foot hole. I had to pull her out. Oh yeah, leash your dog. Snoqualmie lake still has a good deal of snow covering the campsites. We ran into six others here. It was difficult to find flat dry land to camp. It was colder than we anticipated at Snoqualmie lake so we headed back to the falls to camp by the river the next day. There are a few nice camp sites by the falls and by the river, look for a trail next to a large boulder. I recommend staying there. The rain hit and did not stop all night for our camp on the river. The rain made the trip to the car more difficult as the streams were rushing hard and were impassable for my dog. I carried her across. The streams were up to our knee on the way back but didn't even get my shoes wet on the way there. If I hike this again I am doing it in late August when I can enjoy the lake more and not have to deal with melting and unstable snow.

Taylor River trail to Otter Falls - lots of blowdowns, and a really pretty deep creek to wade just below the Falls. We saw two people make it across without taking to the water, but it looked pretty sketchy. Much safer to remove the boots and put up with the mid thigh-high icy water for 20 feet. The falls are dramatic, with a huge amount of water coming over - much more than I've ever seen. But the lake shore is non-existent for the same reason, so really no room to sit and enjoy, especially considering the number of visitors. M&M

This was my first time on this trail with my goal being the Otter Falls. It was a beautiful, sunny and warm day and arrived at the trail head about 11:00AM. Parking was rather full and ended up having to park about 100 yards from the bridge along the edge of the road. Speaking of which, this is a very bumpy and pothole ridden road for about the last 10 miles. Hit the trail by 11:30. The first mile and a half of the trail is in very good shape. At about 2 miles you cross a bridge at a very beautiful water fall, well worth a picture or two. After this bridge is where you begin to run into the blow down trees and there are a lot of them. You can work your way over, under or around all the trees but in a few cases where you go under if you have a large backpack on it can be rather challenging. There are a few creeks that are flowing across the trail (creeks on this day were running at max capacity due to the warm weather). Two of the crossings are a bit difficult but not impossible. I just took my boots and socks off and waded across due to the bottle neck of hikers waiting their turn to cross on the narrow tree limbs and rocks. Found the cairn of rocks identifying the cutoff point to get to Otter Falls, glad they are there because you would never see the ""Trail"" otherwise. There really isn't a trail persay but it is an easy scramble up the hill side about 200 feet were you cross the ridge and drop into Lipsy Lake. The falls were spectacular, one of the prettiest I have seen and well worth the trip. The snow was all gone except two very tiny patches on the trail. Hiking time trailhead to Otter Falls is about 2 hours.

I injured my knee skiing in April and was looking for an easy but rewarding hike to see how it felt. The 10 mile trip up to Otter, and Big Creek, Falls and back was a good test hike. My knee feels pretty good today so maybe next week I'll try a hike with more elevation gain. Anyway about the hike. The trail goes through the forest the entire way so you aren't going to see anything but trees. However both the Big Creek Falls and Otter Falls at the end were well worth the hike. There are still a lot of blowdowns on the trail. Most are easy to get around, over, or under. There are a couple that take some maneuvering to get through. A couple of the streams that you will need to cross are a bit tricky. We watched one woman slip and fall into the water at one crossing. We got a little laugh out of that. She wasn't hurt and she was wearing an Oregon Ducks sweatshirt. My friend and I are Husky grads. At one of the crossings it is easier to just walk through the water instead of trying to inch your way across the thin, slick log. This creek seemed to be a high traffic point as both times we crossed it there were multiple pairs of hikers on each side waiting to cross. There is snow on the trail just before you get to the cairn for Otter Lake, but it is almost melted away and easy to walk through. The snow makes for a great way for your dog to cool off though. Mine dove face first into the first snow patch he found and then ran around in circles acting like he was a puppy again (If you have a dog you know what I mean). The cairn was only 3 small rocks stacked on top of each other when we got there and somebody knocked it over by the time we came back for Big Creek Falls. I piled more on to make the cairn larger and stuck a stick in the middle so if it lasts it should be easier to see. There is no trail to Otter Falls, just hike up the hill the easiest way you can. I think a lot of people make the mistake of turning around after seeing Otter Falls and skipping Big Creek Falls. We saw twice as many people at Otter Falls than at Big Creek Falls. I was equally impressed with both. The ugly cement bridge at Big Creek Falls actually makes a great place to sit and have lunch while being cooled from the wind and mist coming down the chute. The drive to the trailhead was in great shape until about 4 miles to go, which is the point I think you cross into the National Forest. After that it is heavily potholed. Be carefull the smoothness of the road up to this point will have you probably going to fast and there will be no warning when the potholes start. The driver of the brand new Volkswagen Beattle, that we passed on the side of the road with a blown out front left tire can attest to this.

Many downed trees make this otherwise easy hike a workout for legs and gluts; expect to do lots of climbing and ducking. Expect at least two significant stream crossings before Big Creek; downed branches and partially submerged rocks will serve as your bridge across the rushing water. Find a big stick to help with balance! The trail is snowfree until around mile 4.5 - Otter Falls and Lipsy Lake area. Though marked as a destination at the trailhead, there does not appear to be a trail to direct you to Otter Falls/Lipsey Lake. As you make your way across the snowbank after the second streamcrossing, look for the fire pit. From here, you'll have to scout your own route uphill. Unfortunately, the lack of trail is making an impact on the vegetation and landscape in this area as it gets trampled by the many hikers attempting to find the falls. The FS should consider designating one route to the falls, or better yet put in an official trail. Despite the difficulties of downed trees, this trail made a wonderful solstice celebration hike. The falls are worth it!