Trip Report
Day Hike - Olallie and Talapus Lake from Pratt Lake Trailhead
Fabulous group of 12 journeyed to Olallie and Talapus Lakes from Exit 47. We encountered snow and ice from the Pratt-Olallie junction and everyone appreciated having microspikes and poles. A barred owl, varied thrushes, Pacific wrens, ravens, and Canada jays added to the enjoyment.
Courtenay Schurman
- Tue, Mar 4, 2025
- Talapus Lake Trail
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road rough but passable
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There are some ruts in the short road from I-90 to the Pratt Lake trailhead and traffic up SR18 delayed several participants from our starting time but the snow piles on the sides of the road are quickly disappearing. The porta-potty remains closed for winter, and there is some mud but the biggest obstacle (totally manageable with microspikes and poles) is the snow and ice from the Pratt-Olallie Junction to the lakes.
Strong group of 12. We all opted to add Talapus Lake once we reached Olallie. We left the Exit 47/Pratt Lake Trailhead parking lot at 8:20 and didn't see anyone else from either exit all day. Lovely to be in solitude. We spent 15 minutes at each lake and crossed the log bridge one at a time. Everyone was prepared with microspikes and poles.
Our outing took 6 hours to cover 9 miles and 2600' with 4:43 round trip moving time. We enjoyed some Canada jays, a barred owl, raven, golden-crowned kinglets, juncos, a few Pacific wrens, and a lovely serenade by varied thrushes. We also heard a mammal or two crashing through the woods beneath us, I'm guessing 1-2 deer.
We expected far more snow -- the warm weather the past few days has removed a lot of it. Spikes are helpful.
Can't wait to try Pratt Lake next week!