Parking lot was very full when we got there around 9:30a. We got one of two remaining spots. Bathroom was clean and stocked.

The trail was in decent condition, though there were quite a few fallen trees. Some you had to climb over, some were stomped through. Nothing too crazy though. The trail was pretty damp on the last two miles and there were a few stream and creek crossings to get across. There were some areas of snow around the lake itself, but not on the trail up. One creek crossing relies on cairns to get you across in a relatively safe way.

I haven't hiked in a little while and was looking for a trail that offered solid mileage without a ton of ups and downs. The hike to Snoqualmie lake offers both. What it lacks in variance it makes up for in convenience and tread as smooth as butter.

The first few miles past Otter Falls and up to the wilderness boundary are flat and easy for walking. Pretty much right after the wilderness boundary the trail becomes more rugged. Besides some non insignificant incline, expect a handful of blowdowns that are relatively simple to navigate. The stark contrast at the wilderness boundary is a reminder of the need for experienced sawyers who know how to wield non motorized tools to keep our trails accessible.

I only crossed a few very short snow patches before enjoying lunch and turning around. The lake is thawed out but I did not push onto Bear or Deer lakes to check conditions higher up. There were a lot of users on the trail today — dog walkers, hikers, backpackers, trail runners, cyclists and backcountry fishers. Only a handful of doggy doodoo bags, too (any bags is too many).

The parking lot was about 85% full when I arrived around 9 a.m. and had thinned out considerably by my departure around 2:45. The bathroom was well stocked and clean. Potholes should be navigable for most cars if you drive slowly.

17 miles
2,379 feet gained
5:19 moving time

The Middle Fork road gets very potholed in the last quarter mile before the Snoqualmie Lake trailhead, it might be a bit challenging for a low clearance car. The creek crossings are all rock hops, no wet feet needed. My little 20 lb dog made it through all of them fine but a timid dog might find a couple of them challenging. There were maybe six blowdowns that we needed to crawl over or around. One I had to carry the dog over. Otter Falls is spectacular right now with the snowmelt. At the lake there are 3 possible campsites, one right near the outlet stream in the left, could fit two tents, a nice group site at the waters edge with a potty across the trail, and one marginal site on the right a bit further down. They were all full by 1 pm. There might be others that are buried in snow but we didn’t see any. We explored further to Deer Lake and the views down to
Snoqualmie Lake were nice. The snow got deeper at Deer Lake and it looked like people had gone further but were postholing so we turned around. It was a nice quick getaway.

Arrived at the TH just before 7:00am I was the 2nd car in the lot. I didn’t see another hiker until mile 7 or so, just before the Snoqualmie lake junction.

The first 7 or so miles along the old road were in good condition only one blowdown that was easily navigated with a detour off trail. Several water crossings that were manageable without poles and thoughtful foot placement.

Detoured to otter falls for a micro break before heading up to Snoqualmie lake.

After the Snoqualmie lake junction the trail became muddy at times with a dozen or more blow downs, most were easy to navigate however, one was a little difficult with my dog. There are several stream crossings all manageable without poles. About a half mile from the lake the trail became a little difficult to follow as it entered a river bed, follow the cairns and stay as left as you can without hiking in the water.
Just before the lake there were a few snow patches although nothing that required spikes or poles. I imagine it’ll be snow free by next weekend.

The lake was well into its thaw with only a thin layer of ice left.

Ended the hike around 1:30pm every trailhead along the Middle fork was overflowing.

3rd car at TH at 7:30am on a sunny Saturday.  Potholes as bad as everyone says, no problem for a Forester or similar.  Saw several other low clearance cars later too.

If it were not for the large loose rocks in many stretches of this trail, it would be a perfect bike-and-hike opportunity.  At this point I prefer to just walk it the whole way.  We did see 1 guy biking up the road conversion portion though, so probably a skill level thing.

Several blowdowns, all manageable and safe to go over or around.  The trail portion is as rough as I recall, with lots of rocky zones and a couple of slippery creek crossings - poles were very good here.

Still a few snow patches hanging on in the shadows, but no equipment needed at all.  We went just a little bit around the lake and settled in for lunch at a huge rock by a campsite.  Fairly fresh campfire sign here; probably not strictly legal since it was within a few feet of the lake!

I'm really hoping they fix the Lake Dorothy road; which would make this a perfect key-exchange one way hike.  Walking back on all that road conversion is a real drag!

We clocked 16 miles.