Taylor River - Otter Falls — Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2025

Trail was mostly dry, with occasional overflow from the streams running downhill towards the Taylor River. All streams and the Taylor and MF Snoqualmie Rivers were running at very high volumes of water, with the streams and Taylor River being almost all whitewater over their entire lengths. The MF Snoqualmie River was also running very high.

River crossings were sometimes precarious, with all of the streams running so high and lots of downed trees fallen in them or over them. What would, at other times, have been easier crossings were made more difficult due to water flowing over the stepping stones that would otherwise have been above the water line, so we had to cross with our feet submerged in the water over the tops of our boots. Trekking poles were very useful for doing these crossings.

Despite the crossings, it was a beautiful day and all of the cascading streams, and the sounds of flowing water, were marvelous. We saw one Varied Thrush, a beautiful bird whose population has been in serious decline, singing in the thick of the forest. It is a very enjoyable trail and I highly recommend it.