Otter Falls

April 18, 2010

Otter Falls is a beautiful granite waterfall arrived at via a wide, meandering trail through towering forest. The Snoqualmie Lake Trail, also called the Taylor River Trail, is actually and old road gone wild. I've deemed this the perfect companion hike trail, because the old road means it's pretty easy to walk side by side for the entire hike, and the small 650 foot elevation gain means you're never too out of breath to stop talking. Of course, those same characteristics, set against tall cedars and rushing waterfalls, also make this a very zen hike to do by yourself.

At 4.5 miles, look for a trail to the left that leads through the woods to the falls. Apparently some people have had a hard time finding this in the past, but there is a pretty big sign nailed to a tree, and a huge cairn, with a "cairn" attached to it, which cracked me up. If you know what a cairn is, you don't need a sign, and if you didn't know what a cairn was, the signage probably isn't so instructive.

The trail blends into the dirt and pine needle forest floor, but the falls are very close and hard to miss. In less than five minutes you get your first glimpse of the falls, and a short trail down the embankment brings you down to the lake at the bottom of the falls. We sat down on a log to have lunch, taking in the full effect of the falls. Watching torrents of water slide down the huge granite face so quietly was meditative. We couldn't help ourselves from looking up and then following the water down. After a long while we got up, much more calm and content than we arrived.

Directions: From Exit 34 on Interstate 90, drive under the freeway and pass Seattle East Restaurant (also known as Ken's Truck Stop), turn right on Southeast Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road (No. 56). Drive 12 miles and cross the Taylor River. At a junction just beyond the bridge, turn left on the Taylor River Road and in less than a half-mile reach the gated bridge and trailhead parking.