Quick walk early Saturday morning along the Tolt MacDonald and Ames Lake Forest trails. Parking at John MacDonald park is free, easy and plentiful. There are sanicans available at the park but they are very well used, no facilities once you get up on top of the ridge in the Ames Lake area. The lower camp area is currently very busy, completely filled up with campers, etc, but once up on the ridge we saw only one trail runner and a small group of mtn bikers. We parked at Tolt then walked across the cool pedestrian suspension bridge, past all the campers then up the switchbacks to the Ames Lake Forest area and did the big exterior loop counter clockwise. No trail issues the entire distance.
A quick reminder for folks looking to do this walk - the upper area has been completely logged in the past several years so the forest is no more. But in its place are some very nice road walks through meadow areas with birds, flowers etc and some spectacular views back east towards the cascades and up the Snoqualmie valley. Rainier is even visible over the Issaquah Alps to the south. A very nice little walk in the Snoqualmie valley.
Comments