Beware the pothole as you transition off pavement to gravel - clearable but watch where you go so you don't pop a tire. Northwest Forest Pass required and kiosk at the TH. Portapotty is running very low on TP, consider bringing your own. Lot had 8 cars when we arrived just after 6, not many more when we descended.

9 of us from the Mountaineers enjoyed a "sunrise start" from Exit 47 (Pratt Lake TH) walking by 6:30 a.m. for a fabulous visit first to Talapus Lake, where we took a 20-minute chat and snack break, then Olallie Lake on our way back, where we enjoyed 40 minutes and some wading time. 3-4 of us cooled off our feet (I totally swear by it for recovery!) Balmy.

Lovely breeze, bugs weren't too bad (I had my head net at the ready) and wonderful shade on this hidden gem of a trailhead. Still abundant running water in almost all of the streams, all of which are totally crossable without poles. Trail is in fabulous condition except for the boardwalks which could use a few new boards. Loose, with a few holes - watch your footing.

On the day we had 15 bird species including all 4 thrushes, Pacific wren, a few flycatchers, golden crowned kinglets, and brown creepers, in addition to steller's and Canada jays at Talapus Lake. No stealing of food, however.

The hike itself couldn't have gone any better.

Traffic getting back is another story. I strongly recommend that you check on road construction for the next 4-6 weeks, as we got whammied with not one but TWO areas of slow-downs at Exit 32 westbound (I-90) where crews are paving and 3 lanes merged into one -- man, those trucks, where did they all come from? -- and northbound I-5 on the ship canal bridge. Each added about 20 minutes to our driving time returning home.

Take the express lanes or consider hiking up north of Seattle so you don't have to deal with heavy traffic delays. Or, like I did, have great passengers to keep you entertained. My group was a-MA-zing.

 This is a nice, moderate to easy hike on an excellent trail...with two pretty lakes to reward your efforts. We arrived at the trailhead a little before 7:30 and found only a half dozen or so vehicles in the parking lot. When we returned around 12:30 or so, there were only two or three open spaces and cars were parked along the road below the lot. 

The trail is in great shape, with turnpikes and other good work to bypass muddy areas....some rocks in the trail and a few roots but no problem at all. We encountered one Mountaineers group and a couple of other hikers on the way up to Olallie and then joined them at Lake Olallie. But there is plenty of room to spread out, avoiding feeling crowded. Olallie is a shimmering beauty below the mountain in the distance.

Heading down, we met a fairly steady stream of hikers and a couple of backpackers heading up and stopped for a look at Talapus Lake at its outfall. 

A great hike, lots of friendly people and some nice leashed (or under control) dogs on the trail. A great day out on a beautiful hike.

Logistics:

• Arrived at TH just before 7:30...about 30 - 40 minutes for lunch at Olallie. Back at lot around 12:30
• Lots of parking spaces on arrival...basically full with overflow down road on return from hike
• Very few if any bugs...practically none!
• Road in pretty good shape...a few potholes but not too bad
• Toilette at the trailhead

Talapus and Olallie is one of my favorite hikes, especially when I am working on Trail Patrol for the USFS.

I got to the TH at 8 on Wednesday, July 23. There were 10 cars in the lot. The hike is not super difficult and offers peaceful hiking (except for the bluetooth music that 1 group was playing while hiking) in a beautiful wood. 

Talapus Lake is about 1.5 miles up. It offers a nice view of a talus field in the distance. 

Olallie is another 1.5 miles up with a number of switchbacks. PLEASE DO NOT CUT THE SWITCHBACKS. Doing so causes a lot of erosion making the trail not as viable and safe. 

Once at Olallie, I enjoyed a delicious dip in the lake. The water was not really cold. 

There are several pit toilets along the trail. Please make use of them and DO NOT PUT YOUR TRASH IN THE PIT TOILETS.

I got back to the TH around 1:30. There were 15 cars in the lot and 6 parked along the road.

wonderful! Some people but not too crowded. well maintained!

Gorgeous day for a lovely hike! Trails are well established and (happily!) very clean: it was easy to follow the route up to Talapus and then onto Ollalie--both of which offered lovely, serene moments of escape in the forest. A few folks were enjoying the water, and we passed several folks starting their hike in the afternoon with SUPs or other water activities in hand.

• The road up to the trailhead has some serious potholes, but is navigable by most cars. Drive slow!
• We arrived to the trailhead around 10:45am on a Thursday, and the delineated spaces were all full. 
• Bugs we prevalent by Ollalie but less so by Talapus