Trip Report
CHS 1 Graduation Hike - Otter Falls, Big Creek Falls, Snoqualmie Lake
Great way to close out the 2025 CHS season with a change-of-destination hike to sunny Snoqualmie Lake. Fall colors, a Northern pygmy owl, abundant mushrooms, and great conversations for ten hours, with just a hint of smoke and rain held off until we returned to the cars.
Courtenay Schurman
- Tue, Sep 30, 2025
- CHS 1 Hike - Taylor River
- Taylor River
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road rough but passable
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Be aware of the "dips" for drainage (on the main road leading out past Mailbox, maybe mile 6-7), and be prepared for the poor, deeply rutted gravel road for roughly 1-2 miles around Garfield Ledges. Both get me every time if I'm not paying attention.
The portapotty is open and stocked, and a NW Forest Pass is required rather than a Discovery Pass (which is useful at other spots along the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie.)
The stream crossings leading to Otter and Big Creek are completely dry for now, but I know how much things can change once rains return in fall. Otter Falls is running again and there's some foamy froth in Lipsy Lake.
With Monday's (recent) rain, the trail is a touch muddy in places, and maidenhair ferns are abundant on the steeper climb to Snoqualmie Lake. At the highest stream crossing the lower log remains a viable option - three of us took the high wet rocks, the other three of us used the tree as a handhold to cross the low log. Whatever works for each hiker. Most of my group used trekking poles for the decent; I brought one but I never pulled it out.
The sinkhole I saw on June 3 in the upper boulder field has been completely filled; impaling sticks by the red cedar ruins have been removed; and we shored up a few toppled cairns on the last boulder field. This time I took the very first left that looked more like a stream bed (it is) and had no problem picking our way up and across to the high trail.
On September 30, 6 of us closed out the CHS-1 (Conditioning for Hiking Series) season with the Mountaineers by visiting Otter Falls/Lipsy Lake, Big Creek Falls, and Snoqualmie Falls/Snoqualmie Lake. The original plan had been to visit Kendall Katwalk and Ridge Lake, but given smoky conditions and the wind/plume direction, despite the previous day's rains, I changed destination the evening before.
And it was a very good call.
We had no smoke until noon when I caught a whiff while wading in the lake eating my lunch. The rest of the afternoon we had very slight haze, the smell of smoke was intermittent, but not too bad (especially since we were going downhill after that).
What fun: it's MUSHROOM season. SO. MANY. DIFFERENT. KINDS. Go and enjoy the multitude of fungus among us.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
We started hiking at 7 a.m. under partly cloudy skies, pretty much mid 50's all day with some sunbreaks mid-day which made for some spectacular photos of fall foliage and streaming rays in the forest.
I shared a detailed trip report from another trip on 9/9: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report-2025-09-10.101241785125 so I'll just make note of what was different.
Right now fiery red splotches high up near the cliff bases are spectacular; no berries to speak of. We had 15 bird species including Pacific wren, juncos, robins, several woodpeckers, steller's jays, chickadees, kinglets, and the best of all was a northern pygmy-owl calling in the distance. I kept hoping we'd see deer or other large mammals, but other than hearing a pika and seeing what looked like a squirrel with an injured paw (poor guy froze on the trail like a deer in headlights - we wanted to help but left him to fend for himself) we didn't have any other animal encounters.
The toilet at Snoqualmie Lake (just past the campsite near the lake) is in good condition. We had sunbreaks and a little haze at the lake where we spent 45 minutes enjoying our success before heading back down. The lake level continues to be low, and we saw zero trash, zero other hikers except two backpackers heading out around mile 4. I LOVE shoulder season hiking.
Around 3 it started to cloud over, trapping some smoke (forecast was for rain starting at 5) but really we had ideal hiking conditions clear up until 5:15, just after our graduation ceremony, when it started to spit rain. It's like the universe was just waiting for us to finish up what's been an absolutely amazing season for hiking for me this year. So grateful for the mountains and trails of the Pacific Northwest and this opportunity to share the beauty with those who also want to enjoy.