18.5-mile Hike

When I was completing a rotation at the Puget Sound Veterans Hospital, a patient of mine told me about the hike that he went on one weekend. He mentioned a waterfall called Otter Falls. It was so refreshing to hear about a waterfall named after a cute, cuddly animal than for say something that bites (i.e Rattlesnake, Bear). Therefore, Otter Falls has been on my bucket list of places to visit since August 2012.

During Memorial Day Weekend I finally visited it. Otter Falls is located in Snoqualmie and Mt. Baker National Forest. The trail is not a loop so my friend and I were going to hike 5 miles in and then turn around and hike back to the trailhead; however, we got ambitious and ended up hiking 18.5 miles, which took us about 6 hours.

As expected, it rained, trail was muddy...but an added bonus was that we had rushing creeks (from the melted snow) that we had to cross. There were moments when we were literally up a creek without a paddle; in other words, my socks and shoes got wet. In addition there were lovely logs that we had to climb over and a there were sections of the trail covered with mossy rocks; therefore, I had several graceful moments. In comparison with other hikes that I have gone on this one was the best marked, which was much appreciated. The trail terrain was diverse and I loved it. The scenery was monotonous (lush, green forest) but that didn't bother me one bit. After the waterfalls then the trail has a more abrupt incline to the lakes (Snoqualmie, Deer, and Bear Lakes), it was here that the scenery changed.

Overall, I LOVED this hike. I would love to go back and camp overnight and hike further into the forest and see more of the lakes. The trailhead required a Northwest Forest Pass which I picked up the annual pass at REI beforehand. To find more information about the trail one can look on the Washington Trail Association website. At the trailhead there is a map that I recommend hikers take a picture of before beginning the hike. It was immensely helpful when deciding when we should turn around and which paths to take.

Here are some pictures from the trail:

The rushing Taylor River that one encounters at the beginning of the trailhead

What the trail looks like for approximately the first 3 miles

Otter Falls

The bridge over Otter Falls.

The trees in the forest.

The density of moss covering the trees in the forest.

One of the creeks that you have to cross to get to Big Creek Falls. My socks and shoes got wet on the way back over this creek.

Also known as the "peeing behind" rock

Behold another creek that one needs to pass

Big Creek Falls; it my opinion more impressive than Otter Falls.

On the path to Snoqualmie, Deer, and Bear Lake

The trail on the way to the lakes becomes rockier and more of an incline in elevation.

Once the fog let up you could really see how lush and green the forest was from far away.

I thought this log covered by moss looked like a hairy tarantula.