Marten Lake — Friday, Jul. 18, 2025

A fun but challenging hike! The first ~3 miles along the Snoqualmie Lake Trail were easy and beautiful with abundant thimbleberries. It took me 1H to complete this stretch at a steady pace of 3.3 mph, but an additional 1H20 to climb the last mile up to the lake for a total of 2H30 including rest.

On to the heart of the matter, the “trail” up to the lake is best described in 3 parts. In the first, you need to find the turnoff (a relatively easy feat as it is just off to the left before the bridge, but there do appear to be many “entrances” from people making their own way) and then it is a matter of finding and staying on the trail as you circumvent deadfall and an abundance of delicious blueberries (as a note this is the bit of the path that I had the hardest time following and needed to backtrack a few times to re-find the trail).

In the second part you’ll push through an overgrown thicket of salmon berries, which while delicious, when combined with the noise from the river nearby makes me caution a bear encounter as they may neither see nor hear you if you aren’t making an effort to make your presence known – please stay aware of your surroundings!

After wacking branches out of your face you’ll need a keen eye to spot the trail off to the left which will take you UP (and I have to say had me questioning if the lake would even be worth it). As the trail levels off, you’ll encounter a rock field – keep to the right and reenter the trees – and you’ll finally get to reap your reward as the lake emerges before you.

This hike is not for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy the mental challenge of finding your way through the woods and are tempted by the copious amount of berries, this is for you!

Additional notes:
- The toilet at the trailhead is well maintained and was stocked with tp
- Entering the parking lot at 8:20 on a Friday I saw 5 cars, and when I left at 14:20 there were 18 with some space still left in the lot
- I encountered a few pairs on the main trail but saw no one as I went up to the lake and had it to myself for the half hour that I stayed for lunch
- I would highly recommend pants and long sleeves for the berry thicket and poles for the whole decent.
- The main trail to otter falls was bug free, but the section up to the lake definitely has its fair share. The mosquitoes weren’t too bad while moving, but some folk may appreciate bug spray.

Driving notes
- The 12 mile drive is beautiful, and although well posted, I would pay attention to the dips just before mile 10.
- The whole road is paved excluding the last half mile to the parking lot which is riddled with large pot holes. I successfully circumnavigated it in a low clearance vehicle, but I would recommend high clearance.