Started from the trailhead on the Middle Fork side. Snow free until Deer Lake, then patches of snow but didn’t feel like microspikes were needed. Be mindful of higher water levels with the snowmelt. Made it halfway around Deer Lake before hitting my turnaround time and a flooded trail.
Otter Falls was pretty great, well worth the 0.5mi or so detour from the main trail. The signed trail wasn’t marked in Gaia, so watch for the sign. Looks like a fresh trail, or at least recently maintained.
The creek crossings until the wilderness boundary weren’t too bad, no need to get wet. Trail is nice and level.
Starting about 0.75mi from Snoqualmie Lake there were 3 tricky creek crossings with swift water. I didn’t get wet but spent a fair bit of time picking a route I could leap across with my long legs. The first 2 would be a little far for someone shorter to stay dry, at least while the creeks are running high. I could see a simpler route, a couple inches underwater… The third crossing had a lot of options with rocks spread out. One route was marked with cairns, with the water level up I preferred a different route. The cairns were very helpful finding the trail on the other side after going up/downstream looking for a better crossing.
There were a couple large downed trees but all of them had clear routes around them.
And the lake… was beautiful! A couple backpackers at campsites but otherwise serene with calm blue waters. 18.5mi RT, 2700ft elevation gain including the bit out to Deer Lake and detour to Otter Falls.
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