Taylor River - Otter Falls — Friday, Jun. 26, 1998

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

Hiked the Taylor River trail to Snoqualmie Lake. Nothing much to report on the Taylor River trail up to the trail junction where the trail splits to Snoqualmie Lake or Nordrum Lake. The lower part of the trail is fairly rocky. The extra mileage to Otter Falls is well worth it. The falls are spectacular. Made it to the trail junction at 6 miles in a fairly quick 2 hours. However, the remaining 1.7 miles to Snoqualmie Lake took me another hour. The creek bed, I mean trail, is more like a stream than a trail. The trail is overgrown with brush in many places. Route finding is required in the upper reaches of the trail. Look for the the stacked rocks that mark the trail. A good pair of boots is essential as well as rain gear when going through the brush. After the rain on Friday, I would have been soaked without it. The Lake is pretty with good camping spots. Watch yourself on the way down. It would be easy to break a leg. On the way down ran into a group of hikers who wanted to know what was ahead. They didn't have a map. Also ran into two young ladies in shorts and tennis shoes, without water or any other provisions. They informed me they were going to Snoqualmie Lake. Hopefully, I talked them into only going to Otter Falls. A good hike if you want a 15 mile round trip and a little adventure. The entire trip took about 6.5 hours. The trail to Snoqualmie Lake is in need of some serious work.