Trip Report
Day Hike - Talapus & Olallie Lakes
12 of us got lucky with conditions and weather and enjoyed 9 miles and snow along the trail to both lakes. Strong group, fun conversations, 8 bird species, and the downpour held off until we were heading home. Love days like that.
Courtenay Schurman
- Tue, Mar 3, 2026
- Day Hike - Talapus & Olallie Lakes
- Pratt Lake Trail
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road rough but passable
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The pothole at the end of the parking lot continues to grow; slow as you approach. And the boardwalks between Granite / Pratt sign and Pratt/ Talapus sign is needing repair.
Restroom is open and stocked; pay stations are closed for winter, as is garbage, so please prepare to pack out what you pack in. I picked up a dog bag, water bottle, balled up paper and banana peel on the day.
The trail is snow free until the first boardwalk, where we all stopped to put on microspikes. Icy conditions made traction very helpful; we would have slowed considerably without. On the day for our 9 mile trip we averaged 2.4 mph moving time, with 15 minutes at Talapus Lake and 20 at Olallie. We were back to the cars just after noon.
PERMITS: I did see a sign that said "Sno Park permit" but didn't see one at Pratt Lake trailhead on the kiosk sign, so I don't think it still applies right now. None of us got ticketed, in any case, and we all had Northwest Forest Passes.
BLOW DOWNS: There is one large tree between Olallie and Talapus Lakes that we clambered around in one direction going down to the lake, in the other coming back up fromt it - classic 6 of one, half dozen of the other, not sure there was an "easier" way. About 2 minutes from the parking lot there's another area of blowdown that diverts foot traffic but is much easier to get past. Otherwise, some mud in places. When I pulled out, there was a small crane and bulldozer working on removing blow down debris just north of the I-90 turnout, but not to block the road.
BOARDWALKS: The boardwalks between Granite Junction and Talapus/Olallie/Pratt sign are in dire need of repair and has been for the past two years. The freeze-thaw this year has not helped conditions any. I'd even be willing to sign up for trail maintenance if we could get a crew out there - not sure the process for recommending trail assistance but please, get some people working on the boardwalk. There are dangerous ankle twisters and rotten boards, and they're only going to get worse.
12 of us from the Mountaineers met at Exit 47 this morning for a 7:04 departure to visit Talapus Lake first and then backtracked to Olallie. I spotted a few icicles that caught my eye (below), as well as Twin Trees and Elephant Tree.
We had spitting conditions when we first started hiking, and pouring conditions on the drive home, but only a light fog and mild mist during the hike, just about perfect. It kept other hikers away (we only spotted two young gents in thin cotton who turned around at the main falls just past the Granite-Pratt junction). I adore Exit 47 - my favorite trailhead for all the access to a wide variety of lakes, running water year round, and beautiful tree coverage in even the hottest conditions.
We enjoyed green ice which appears to be quickly melting at Talapus Lake. The ice at Olallie is quite thick still, enough to hold people walking out in the middle. No wading yet. Maybe in another month.
We had 8 bird species on the day: varied thrushes, a few robins, Pacific wrens, pine siskens, a few red-breasted nuthatches, kinglets, and chickadees. I forgot my moss ID booklet from a workshop I attended over the weekend, but was pleased I could recall 5 different mosses and lichens. Success! A pleasant day with great company.