A little more than an hour in you car from Seattle, you find yourself in a huge parking lot (as far as trailheads go). Get here early, it will get absolutely packed later in the morning and during the afternoon.
We did a quick 1.4 mile trail run until we reached the main cave. Because of the low snow fall and warming temps, I’m not sure this place will be around for much longer. The other caves are non existent. One is just a tiny pile of snow. But, the main cave is absolutely spectacular!
NEVER enter the cave when approaching. We see far too many pictures on Instagram of people inside, even though everywhere you turn there’s a warning sign telling you not to do exactly that. A steady number of deaths occur here because an edge of the cave will naturally collapse piling on top of a helpless observer. Getting “the shot” is not worth your life. In fact, we saw many people wandering deep inside the cave pretty regularly while we were up there. Give a nice reminder to people who are wandering inside that it's a pretty dangerous endeavor.
There are some great waterfalls to check out to the right of the main cave. Past caves used to inhabit this location, but are gone for good. As far as trail conditions go, they were the best you could possibly hope for. Because this place is extremely accessible, and close to the city, the trail must be really nice to encourage people not to get off of it. Also, if you think about it, bring a little trash bag, or keep some spare room in your pack to pack out a few items that people seem to "forget" while viewing the caves. It's a beautiful place, and you could definitely help keep it that way!
If you live nearby, get here soon… Or you may never have the opportunity!
(GPS Link at the bottom of this Trip Report)
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