Trip Report
Taylor River
Quiet gentle trail through mature forest with waterfalls
Tom Carter
- Thu, Mar 14, 2024
- Taylor River
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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More or less continuous snow on the trail after the first half mile or so, but easy to follow the trail. Several old stream crossings/culverts blown out, but passable without difficulty. Nordrum Lake trail unbroken after the junction to Snoqualmie Lake, snow up to 1' in places. Large blowdown blocks the trail shortly after the junction but can be bypassed without trouble.
Mine was the only car at the trailhead at 10am on a Thursday morning, saw only 4 people during the day, all on the way out. Followed the trail in for just over 6 miles/900' elevation gain/4:10 round trip.
The trail crosses the Taylor River bridge immediately out of the parking lot, then parallels the river briefly before climbing gently away from the bank. Trail was largely bare for the first half mile, then mostly snow covered, getting slowly deeper as I went along. No trouble to follow the boot prints on the wide, decommissioned logging road. Just icy enough after a clear cold night that I occasionally thought about putting on micro spikes, but it wasn't really necessary. Many streams flowing freely/no ice, water running in the roadside ditches. No views to speak of as the trail remains low in the valley, but Big Creek Falls is a pleasant spot to stop for a few minutes.
After the trail junction where it branches off to Snoqualmie Lake, the snow was unbroken and up to a foot deep, snowshoes might be desirable to go further than I did. A large blowdown obstructs the trail shortly afterwards but is easily bypassed.