Denny Creek — Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015

Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass

We decided to go on a hike today, with the intent of doing our longest yet family hike. Reports had come from various groups that the Denny Creek Trail was a good trail to hike, and that it was a relatively easy hike, so we decided to disembark for a 6.5 mile round trip hike with the kids in our Osprey Poco Plus packs (recommended highly, by the way). We set out from Tacoma, up to 18, to 90 East, and followed the directions to the trail head. Road was in great condition, but due to it being a Saturday and a popular hike, the campground and trailhead area was quite crowded. There are restroom facilities (primitive, no running water, and SMELLY) at the trailhead. Thanks to recent (yesterday) rains, the trail was a bit wet and muddy in places, but overall in good condition. The climb was pretty easy, steadily climbing a few hundred feet over the course of the 1.5ish miles to the Denny Creek crossing. The crossing is easily the highlight of the hike, with a large slab of rock providing a good rest area and place to hydrate and eat. There is no bridge here, but it can be crossed without getting wet, if you're careful, though it's also a spot where you can take an opportunity to cool your feet, if you wish, but be warned, even in August, the water is almost bitingly cold. We crossed the river, and headed up toward Snowshoe Falls. For the next probably quarter mile, trail conditions were pretty much the same as the lower portion of the hike, being damp and slightly muddy, but easy for footing, even while topheavy with the children buckled on our backs. Then the hard part started. The grade got a bit steeper, but that's not what added the challenge. For the next 1.5 miles, the trail essentially crosses and doubles back across a series of rockslides. Anything from golf ball sized rocks to boulders the size of a car engine lay strewn about on the path. Some of the rocks are loose, others are sharp, and still others provide tall step ups that seem easy at first, but through the sheer sum of them, it provides a leg-shaking, fatigue-inducing challenge. Expect a half-dozen or more switchbacks (I lost count) along the way. There are a handful of vistas from here, where one can see a few different waterfall areas, including a remote-seeming outcropping of rock that looks inviting for a rest, but it's on the other side of a ravine, and seems inaccessible from the Denny Creek Trail. We hit our goal, reaching as far as a vista that looked across at Snowshoe Falls (not very impressive this time of year), snapped a picture at our turnaround, and headed back. All told, the hike was more difficult than we were led to believe. As just the two of us adults, it would have been a vigorous effort, but when 30-35 pounds of extra children's weight get added above our centers of gravity, it posed a more significant challenge. I'm not NOT recommending this trail, but the people that are saying this one is easy are probably fairly experienced hikers, and aren't carrying heavy packs. Families, be advised that younger ones might have difficulty carrying on past the creek crossing at about 1.5 miles.