Trip Report
Garfield Ledges - Day Hike
Third hike on the day to the Ledges, not a soul on the trail (climbers disappeared). Beautiful dry November afternoon.
Courtenay Schurman
- Fri, Nov 21, 2025
- Garfield Ledges
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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ROAD: The Garfield Ledges parking area is in horrendous condition, full of water and difficult to tell how deep the puddles are in places. This is my first time all year worrying about whether my Mazda CX-5 would scrape going in or out. If you have low clearance, consider parking just over the bridge (south end) and hoofing it past Garfield Ledges OR take your time (5-10 mph) so you don't harm your car. Carpooling is highly recommended so fewer cars go through here. The bridge is pretty much one-way at a time so be patient if you go on a weekend. We were fortunate this Friday morning, only a few cars coming in as I left.
The trail is in great shape, with only a few downed logs or branches to navigate around easily.
LATRINES: Garfield Ledges bathrooms are closed for the winter, but Otter/Big Creek/Snoqualmie Lake latrine just beyond is still open and well-stocked.
A Discover Pass is required here.
I did this trip as a third on the day, starting with Oxbow Lake Loop, then meeting a friend to do Otter and Big Creek Falls, and topped off with some elevation gain at the Ledges. Two other gentlemen were leaving the cars about the same time (12:50) but with climbing helmets strapped to their packs I'm not entirely sure where they went.
The trail was completely empty as I headed up at about a 2.5 mph. I considered doing some laps on the 78 stairs built into a particularly steep portion of the trail but decided to try a little scrambling above the Ledges, instead.
Feeling like I still had more in the tank, and thrilled with the dry weather, I took the "climber's trail" (a scramble) straight up, which slowed my pace considerably, followed a few pink ribbons on trees until the "trail" disappeared. Figuring it was best to be safe, I turned around and made my way back down, snapped some photos, then scouted out the Garfield Ledges picnic area and potholed road for inclusion in this trip report.
I only heard Pacific Wrens and Golden-crowned kinglets for my just-over-an-hour jaunt up to the view point, scrambling, and scouting down by the river.
On my drive out, I pulled over so two slowly moving cars could pass on the bridge. The rest of the drive was smooth sailing, though I could see where workers have removed more downed trees. Nothing like the bomb cyclone of last November, knock on wood.
