OTTER FALLS
An easy but long stroll through the woods to a beautiful waterfall. I did this as a trail run, which was pretty fun, but I imagine it would be a bit dull as a hike because of the lack of views for most of the trail.
Quick Facts:
Distance: 9.5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1000 feet
Location: Snoqualmie Lake Trailhead, Middle Fork Snoqualmie River area, Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
Season: Year-round
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Parking Pass: Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass
Check the weather: mountain-forecast, weather.gov
Check for recent trip reports: WTA, AllTrails
Notes: This trail crosses a lot of trails – think twice about doing it if it has rained a lot recently, and wear waterproof shoes if you have them.
Getting there:
Click here for the TH location on Google Maps
The directions at the link above are accurate. The road is paved until the last half mile where there are some quite large potholes. I’ve seen all types of cars make it, but if you don’t want to deal with the rough road you can park at the large parking lot at the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trailhead, before the pavement ends, and hiking to the start of this trail. Also there are really two parking lots for this trailhead: one right over the bridge (where I parked) and one about a quarter mile down a somewhat rough forest road.
One of many creek crossings along the trail, October 2020
A waterfall along the trail, October 2020
Hiking through the forest on the way back from Otter Falls, October 2020
Hike description:
Hike along the Taylor River trail, staying to the right at 0.4 miles at the intersection with the Quartz Creek trail. Hike very slightly uphill next to the Taylor River for another 4 miles, rock hopping across many streams along the way. At 4.4 miles from the trailhead you’ll come to an informally signed intersection with the Otter Falls trail. Take a left and work your way through a sparse forest – there’s no real trail here, but if you head uphill you’ll end up in the right place. In less than 0.1 miles, crest the hill and head steeply downhill to the edge of Lipsy Lake and beautiful Otter Falls!