ROAD: The Garfield Ledges parking area is in horrendous condition, full of water and difficult to tell how deep the puddles are in places. This is my first time all year worrying about whether my Mazda CX-5 would scrape going in or out. If you have low clearance, consider parking just over the bridge (south end) and hoofing it past Garfield Ledges OR take your time (5-10 mph) so you don't harm your car. Carpooling is highly recommended so fewer cars go through here. The bridge is pretty much one-way at a time so be patient if you go on a weekend. We were fortunate this Friday morning, only a few cars coming in as I left.
The Big Creek / Otter Falls trail is in tremendous condition with only two "holes" patched with rocks, and two downed trees along the 4.75 mile stretch to Big Creek Falls. A Northwest Forest Pass is needed for this trail, whereas just down the road, Oxbow Loop and Garfield Ledges both require a Discover Pass. I guess they're on different state land parcels.
Two of us met at 8:20 AM today to enjoy a quiet, brisk walk with only a handful of other people on the trail (3 women coming out, a couple going in, and a pair of women with a wonderful dog, Quincy, who I fell in love with very quickly).
We started out at a 3.5 mile moving pace and averaged about 3.1 for the morning, returning to the cars by 12:40, with photo stops, a 10-minute snack break at Lipsy Lake, and a few "video shoots" on the return.
TRAIL: There is water everywhere, now - on September 30 when I was last here all the creeks were completely dry, but fortunately with all the recent rain, they're all still passable, just be prepared to walk across some rocks. Use poles if you're nervous about footing. Avoid the wood/sticks, they're waterlogged and slick. A few places are muddy but not too bad, this trail is wonderful for shedding rain. Be prepared to use caution on bridges if it dips below freezing.
LATRINE: stocked with TP and still open for the winter (whereas the Garfield Ledges latrine is closed for the winter).
Multiple trip reports: I added an Oxbow Loop trip (18 minutes, https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report-2025-11-21.162533933067) as a warmup and then finished with a jaunt up to Garfield Ledges (63 minutes) including a little vertical scramble above. (https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report-2025-11-21.170947744114?_authenticator=e2d8556d865735af966693a62d88b4bff3c77c7a)
Birdsong was scant (kinglets, a Pacific wren, a varied thrush) but that may have been due in part to the sound of the river and great conversation with my hiking partner.
A wonderful outing, reminiscent of last November when I did this hike in pouring rain, but we were totally lucky this time, overcast but dry.
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