Moss Lake — Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025

It had been a couple of years since I had last hiked the trails at Moss Lake. No one else at the paved parking lot when I arrived. It is a short distance up the gated service road to the side trail down to the lake. I only saw one duck paddle around. After crossing the horse bridge over Moss Creek I hiked up the trail about 1/4 mile and turn right onto the side trail going into the conifer forest. This is a nice trail to hike on with a good dirt surface. I hiked the main trail passing by two side trails, the first one right and the second one left. The trail snakes its way northbound and comes out on an old spur logging road where there use to be a sign saying, "Secret Squirrel Trail", now gone. I turned right and headed south on a now single-track trail. At a wye in the trail, I went left and was going downhill. The trail then turned right and came to the top of a steep side hill. I could hear the Tolt River down below but could not see it through the trees. The trail went east along the hill crest covered in Big Leaf Maple leaves, then turned back north to do a loop and came back out across the old spur road from the Secret Squirrel Trail.

I then went north on the spur road and came out on the Moss Lake Loop Trail. The trail goes east and downhill where a mtn. bike rider went passed me to another trail junction (not signed). I turned left and continued on the Moss Lake Loop Trail. The trail was now on an old logging railroad grade once used by the Cherry Valley Logging Company when they logged the area from 1902 to 1930. Their steam locomotives pulled the log trains down to a log dump on the Snoqualmie River a little north of the town Stillwater (now just a gas station/minimart along Highway 203). I then got to a large stack of lumber and a crushed rock pile that King County Parks had left a few years ago. The lumber pile now has bushes and small trees growing through it. I took a snack break and used the lumber pile for a bench. It was really quiet, and I could see a big hawk come flying above me. I could hear its wings moving the air as it flew by.

After my snack I continued my hike on the Moss Lake Loop Trail. The trail goes up hill, then turns back to the southwest. At the next junction I turned right onto the Lakeview Trail and then met a couple with their dog at the wood bench with a nice view of Moss Lake. I stopped here and had my lunch with a view. After eating I finished my hike by taking the left trail at the next junction, crossing over another trail, then coming back out on to the Moss Lake Loop Trail. Then it was downhill and flat out to the Moss Creek bridge, and back to the parking lot. Saw a few dog walkers on the service road, but no other hikers on the back trails away from the lake. Made for a quiet hike in the conifer forest. About 5 miles for my lollie pop loop. George