Oxbow Loop Trail, Pratt Balcony — Feb. 27, 2026
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
2 people found this report helpful
Today my daughter and I hiked Oxbow Loop and then up to the Pratt Balcony.
We arrived at 10 and parked at the double privy lot for Oxbow. We did the clockwise route Oxbow. Love this loop for its flat trail and marvelous missy trees. Not too long too.
Left Oxbow after an hour or so and drove to the pullout two miles up road. On the left.
The trail up to Pratt veers off to the right and uphill just before the first creek crossing ( now dry).
It’s a bit of elevation gain but not too far then… the balcony! Such a great view. We had the spot to ourselves today probably because it was overcast.
You can take in the view from the opposite direction if you turn around and head up the hill behind Pratt. There’s a little bench there.
Hardly saw anyone all day. 5.37 miles total and back to our car by 1:30. MJB
Oxbow Loop Trail — Feb. 22, 2026
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
Taylor River - Otter Falls, Oxbow Loop Trail — Feb. 18, 2026
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
4 photos
Beware of:
trail conditions
39 people found this report helpful
Good news!
The large potholes near the Taylor River bridge (near the Garfield Ledges trailhead) have been covered. We saw the Forest workers covering the potholes and thanked them. If you happen to visit Garfield Ledges or Snoqualmie Lake after today, you now dont need a 4WD to park right at the trailhead. Yay! See picture!!
What an adventure today! Our plan was to hike Oxbow Loop and Stegosaurus Butte today. We decided to hike Oxbow Loop and then head to Otter Falls instead. My Garmin recorded 13 miles!
We arrived at Oxbow Loop trailhead at 9am. There was just one car at the trailhead.
I had done this loop last week and we wanted to check it out on this snowy morning. This is an easy kid friendly trail with Middlefork mountain views and lots of mossy trees. The lush green mossy trees with snow on them made everything look even more beautiful today. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. We had the trail to ourselves, just met one couple. There are a few downed trees which are easy to cross.
We then drove towards Garfield Ledges trailhead. Since we did not have a 4WD this time to get past the potholes, we parked just before the bridge and started walking towards the Snoqualmie Lake trailhead(Otter Falls). This added extra mileage to our hike. This is when we saw the Forest Department working on the potholes.
The hike to Otter Falls is a beautiful hike along the Taylor River. There was fresh snow pretty much on the entire trail. Bring microspikes, snowshoes, gaiters, water proof shoes and a raincoat. We dint need any traction today but you might need them tomorrow for sure. With the temps dropping tonite, some of this snow will freeze. Wearing a raincoat helped us stay dry as snow kept falling off the trees :)
There are small streams we had to cross. Wearing waterproof shoes will help.
There are a few washouts to navigate on this trail but there is one massive washout that happened due to the recent floods. There is a huge fallen tree and it's blocking the trail. On your left, you will see the pink ribbons guiding you. Follow them and get back on the trail. Other than that, the trail is well maintained.
A Beautiful winter hike!
Oxbow Loop Trail, Garfield Ledges — Feb. 11, 2026
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
4 photos
14 people found this report helpful
We started our hike at the Oxbow Loop Trailhead on this gorgeous sunny day. This was my first time hiking here and I loved this trail. This is an easy kid friendly trail with Middlefork mountain views and lots of mossy trees. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. We had the trail to ourselves. For me, the highlight of this hike was discovering hair ice. Found so many on this trail. Nature is wonderful in its creations. I have left some notes on hair ice at the end of this report in case you're interested.
From here we drove to the Garfield Ledges trailhead, it's just a couple of minutes away.
A lot of previous reports mentioned needing a high clearance vehicle because of the big potholes near the trailhead. So, we drove in one but found that one could just park before the bridge and walk to the Garfield Ledges trailhead. It's just a couple hundred feet that one has to walk!
Garfield Ledges is a short, kid friendly and a steep hike with rewarding views! There is absolutely no snow on the peaks :( Wish this changes soon!
From the summit, you can see the convergence of Taylor River and Middle Fork River. You can also see the Stegosaurus Butte and Preacher Mountain. There're no downed trees. The trail is well maintained. We met just 3 other hikers on the trail today.
Highly recommend this treasure.
Copied this from Google - Hair ice, also known as ice wool or frost beard, is a type of ice that forms on dead wood and takes the shape of fine, silky hair. This is a rare, delicate phenomenon where 0.02mm-thin strands of ice grow on rotting, moist broadleaf wood at temperatures slightly below. It requires the fungus Exidiopsis effusa, which shapes the ice as moisture is pushed from the wood and freezes upon exiting. It appears as silky, white, candy-floss-like formations that last only a few hours or days. It is incredibly fragile and melts immediately upon being touched or in the sun.
Oxbow Loop Trail — Feb. 7, 2026
Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area
4 photos
