We meant to start the morning with a little longer hike as we ease back into hiking form so hit the trailhead around 7:30 to beat the weekend rush to Otter Falls. There were already a few vehicles in the parking lot. It was a nice walk on an old road all the way to the Otter Falls turn-off. Berries, where found, were ripe and bugs were only bad when closer to water sources so not much of a bother. When we arrived at the Falls, there were already three rock climbing parties going up the falls and three more parties arrived to queue up while we ate a small snack. Since Otter Falls are outside the Alpine Lake Wilderness, it seems a popular spot to ride bicycles in to rock climb...
Looking more for a relaxing spot, we decided to push on and see how far our legs could take us. The walk to the Nordrum Lake split didn't take any time at and it was neat to see the remains of old signs despite the clearing being the first spot really teeming with mosquitos. There was one tree across the road between the falls and this point that was easily walked around. We pushed on!
From the fork, the trail pushes uphill through beautiful greenery with interesting spots of roots, rocks and mud to make sure you're paying attention to your footing after that long stroll in. The vegetation is really pushing in over the trail in some spots near the top but nothing you can't easily wade through. We were rewarded by our efforts with a refreshing dip in the lake. A large party had grabbed the campsite on the lake - they were off somewhere - but otherwise it was still quiet. Only one other party showed up while we were soaking our feet in the water.
We walked a little further after our lunch to where the trail starts to move away from Snoqualmie Lake and turned around since we were only here for a day hike. The hike down back down to the Nordrum fork was relaxing and berry-filled. Then we hit the flat for the last trek out. Once we passed Otter Falls the other way, there were lots of dog walkers, bicycles and outgoing rock climbers sharing the road. All in all, we put a comfortable 19 miles and had a very pleasant day. This is definitely one of those we're adding to the "would do again" list but may consider bringing a tent and sleeping bags next time.
Comments