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Trip Report    

Day Hike - Talapus & Olallie Lakes

Fabulous group of 9 Mountaineers enjoyed hiking to Talapus Lake and wading in Olallie Lake on a beautiful July Thursday morning.

Courtenay Schurman Courtenay Schurman
July 24, 2025
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • Beware the pothole as you transition off pavement to gravel - clearable but watch where you go so you don't pop a tire. Northwest Forest Pass is required (NOT Discover Pass) and there is a kiosk at the TH. The portapotty is running very low on TP; consider bringing your own. The parking lot had 8-10 cars when we arrived just after 6 a.m., perhaps 25 when we descended just after noon. 

    There's abundant running water in almost all of the streams, all of which are totally crossable without poles. The trail is in fabulous condition except for the boardwalks which could use a few new boards. Loose, with a few holes - watch your footing.

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9 of us from the Mountaineers enjoyed a "sunrise start" from Exit 47 (Pratt Lake TH) walking by 6:30 a.m. for a fabulous visit first to Talapus Lake, where we took a 20-minute chat and snack break, then Olallie Lake on our way back, where we enjoyed 40 minutes and some wading time. 3-4 of us cooled off our feet (I totally swear by it for recovery!) Balmy.

We enjoyed a lovely breeze; the bugs weren't too bad (I had my head net at the ready) and we had wonderful shade on this hidden gem of a trailhead. I cleared most of the cobwebs leading out front which meant we were first on the trail; I'm guessing most of the cars had backpackers enjoying the many lakes accessible from this trailhead.

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On the day we had 15 bird species including all 4 thrushes, Pacific wren, a few flycatchers, golden crowned kinglets, and brown creepers, in addition to steller's and Canada jays at Talapus Lake. No stealing of food, however.

The hike itself couldn't have gone any better. Our average pace was 2.2 mph up and 2.5 down for a 2.4 average.

I strongly recommend that you check on road construction for the next 4-6 weeks, as we got stuck in not one but TWO areas of traffic slow-downs: at Exit 32 westbound (I-90) where crews were paving and 3 lanes merged into one -- man, those trucks, where did they all come from? -- and northbound I-5 on the ship canal bridge. Each added about 20+ minutes to our driving time returning home.

Take the express lanes or consider hiking up north of Seattle so you don't have to deal with heavy traffic delays. Or, like I did, have great passengers to keep you entertained. My group was simply a-MA-zing.