Another entry in my mission to hike everything along Middle Fork.
Arrived at trailhead @ 9:00 A.M., to a mostly full parking lot - we had to park down the road a wee bit. The last quarter mile or so of the road is very bumpy with potholes - low clearance vehicles beware! Our friend's old Toyota Camry seemed to fare well enough. Trailhead bathroom was clean and in good condition with plentiful T.P., but no soap/sanitizer.
A beautiful warm, sunny morning. Pacific trillium & salmon berry everywhere. Trail was rather busy this morning, with a lot of large parties, but the trail is wide enough where it never seemed like a conga line. Spirits were high and the good cheer was contagious! Also noticed a few groups of trail bikers, and a lot of off-leash dogs today.
The trails climb was near imperceptible, and so made for a wonderful opportunity for gabbing and catching up with friends. The trail was very dry, save for the several stream crossings. In two instances the water is ankle deep as you hop from stone to stone, and the streams had a healthy flow, so poles are recommended.
The turn off for Otter Falls comes directly after one such crossing, ~4 miles in. There is a small tree-mounted sign on your left that is easy to miss, which directs hikers towards some meandering social trails climbing up through the open forest to Lipsy Lake & Otter Falls. The falls are unique and gorgeous, and we shared the lake with a few other groups while we lunched and goggled at the climbers working their way up the rock face of the falls. It being my birthday weekend, I took a quick frosty dip in Lipsy Lake - holding out hope that this is the fabled fountain of youth?
I noticed a lot of dispersed campsites along this trail, especially a group of about 6 or so right after the bridge @ the trailhead. But there are a few signs at the trailhead and along the access road which announce that Dispersed camping is closed in these areas. A little Internet sleuthing has led me to believe it is because of high bear activity in these areas? If anyone has further information about this please let me know!
Met a few groups of 2 to 3 folks headed up for overnighting @ Snoqualmie Lake. Overall, the trail was very clean - I only needed to pick up one dog poop bag (right by the trailhead, per usual).
Parking lot was about half full when we returned to the car @ 1:00 PM.
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