I parked at the second parking lot to get just a bit more walking in. Went around the trail counter-clockwise to get most of the distance in before getting to the creek. There are multiple spots to head off the trail to the creek for your pup to play in the water. Super easy hike, fantastic option for kids, dogs, or just a relaxing stroll.

On this beautiful sunny, blue sky day we meandered the Oxbow Loop Trail. We parked in the large parking lot and took the connector trail to start the loop which we did clockwise. The 2 outhouses were clean and had been restocked with 3 rolls of TP. Bring your own sanitizer! The moss covered trees, rocks and the many lichens add to the beauty of the area. We saw no birds, but did see a few ducks. A hooded merganser pair were the only who allowed their photo to be taken. There were a few fungi and many cobwebs with water droplets on them on the trees and bushes. Many others were enjoying the Middlefork area on this beautiful Day!

Had a hard time getting out of bed, so decided to make a quick trip over to the Middle Fork area.  I'd not done the Oxbow Loop before, and decided that yesterday was going to be the day.  Road in was in good condition and free of snow and ice.  There were some sections that had water running over them (very shallow), so watch out for ice if you're there in cooler temps.

Started from the eastern TH (with the outhouse).  Toilets were clean and stocked with TP for all that they were signed that they weren't being maintained daily.  No hand sanitizer, so bring your own if you want it.  Day started out foggy, which with the sunshine, mosses and lichens made for some pretty fantastic scenery!  I didn't make much hiking progress until the fog started to lift as I was too busy enjoying the views.  I am considering renaming the area Mirkwood based on the extreme number of spider webs in the trees and bushes along the loop.

Did the loop counterclockwise, including the marked River Trail that leaves from the SE section of the loop and takes you to a nice beachy area with access to the river, then walked about 0.1 miles down the road (from the western Oxbow trail access point) to Bessemer Road.  Took that up to the CCC Road and went west until I hit Wise Creek before turning around.  This section of the CCC road was in good condition; lots of smaller branches down, but nothing that impeded travel.  Did a bit of pole brushing as I went.  There were a lot of small streams running perpendicular across the trail; all but one were easy to get across without getting your shoes wet.  There was a wider one about 0.5 miles west of where Bessemer Road hits the CCC Road trail that was a little more problematic.  It was too deep to walk across without getting your feet wet and too wide to hop.  There were some rocks you could use to step across, but I was very, very glad to have my poles with me to help with stability. 

Was a gorgeous day to be outside, though a little disconcerting to have it be so warm and to see so little snow out there.  Gaia clocked the day at just over 7 miles with ~650 ft of elevation gain.

Decided to go for a short afternoon hike as my youngest wanted to go to the "mountain". I thought I'd try for Oxbow Loop since it's pretty short and we would layer up to prepare for the forecasted wind gusts.

As expected, Middle Fork Rd was pretty icy and I saw a nice Jeep Rubicon stuck in a ditch. I drove pretty slow at around 20 miles per hour. I think any car with traction tires should be able to make it to the trailhead, but definitely drive with caution.

Oxbow Loop was really nice in the snow and  Middle Fork Snoqualmie River looked partially frozen. It was very beautiful. I loved the mosses too. The trail only had thin layer of soft snow so no traction was ever needed. There was one icy patch on the trail towards the end of the loop but it wasn't a big deal.

I thought it would be super cold, but it was a pretty nice walk and there were only occasional wind gusts. Kids seemed to enjoy it but my toddler was cranky towards the end (I think it was more of the lack of nap than the low temperature).

Middle Fork rd was less busy than usual, except for Mailbox parking lot. There were at least 10 cars at the lower lot at around 3:30 PM.

Stats: 1:51 mi. Time: 49 mins

Halfway through the hike are two large Alder trees that have collapsed and are hanging over the trail. A month ago there were three. One has fallen and the other two are barely supported by trees across the trail. With this being a popular trail to take young children this should be addressed soon.  I have the tools necessary to bring these down and remove them but would need others to keep hikers from coming through while the work is being done. Please contact me as to how to proceed.