Franklin Falls and Denny Creek

I hiked to Franklin Falls twice last year, and didn't once get a picture. Finally, on my third trip there, I got plenty of pictures, as you will soon see!

Franklin Falls is a rather large waterfall that is right under I-90 Westbound, just west of Snoqualmie Pass. I have driven over I-90 hundreds of times in my life, but never knew it was there. The first time I went, the falls were roaring, but we could walk around the pool at the base of the falls.

This time, however, there was so much water, we all got stuck on this little ledge and had to take pictures from there. The whole area at the bottom of the falls was covered by several feet of water! I was not expecting that!

Buddha and Tina

From Franklin Falls, we walked back to the trail head, then off to the Denny Creek trail head. From there we hiked up into the forest, until we came across Denny Creek.

Now, last year, it was low enough that we could rock hop all the way across. This year, we had to do the balance beam on a log dam. I was so proud of myself for not getting wet on the way across, but on the way back, I stepped in the water on my very last step! (Thanks a lot, you unstable but stable looking rock!)

Once we got across Denny Creek, we meandered though the forest some more before coming up to the rock field and hiking our way up in the heat. We stopped several times where ever there was shade to drink water and snack.
 

Our group. Photo by Valerie.

We got to Keekwulee Falls, which we couldn't see because of all the brush in the way, but then we arrived at Snowshoe Falls. Isn't that pretty? I do love me some waterfalls!

Snowshoe Falls

After that, we decided to trek as far as we could go before there was too much snow and we had to turn around. While we were taking a rest break, a guy stopped to let us know that the snow cover on the way to Melakwa Lake was rather thin and that he had fallen several times up to his waist because of snow bridges. He had also tried to cross the creek, and said it was very difficult when he did it. Not wanting anyone to get hurt, we got to the first large snow patch, Tina made a snow angel, then we packed it in and headed back down. 

Rebecca and Buddha near the waterslide. Photo by Tina.

We stopped to dip our toes in the icy water of Denny Creek at the "waterslide," which is a natural rock formation that kids use in summer as a waterslide. It didn't appear to be working very well, but the kids that were there were still having fun!

Maxwell hitching a ride across the logs. Photo by Tina.

Then we crossed back over the log jam and headed back to the cars. I am very tempted to make the trip up to Melakwa Lake, but I'm definitely going to wait until the snow has melted! 
 

Total time: 6 hours 

Distance: 2 miles, 400 ft for Franklin Falls, 4 miles, 700 ft elevation gain to Denny Creek
Passes: NW Forest Pass required
Location: off exit 47 on I-90, GPS: N 47 24.780, W 121 20.493

Thanks for reading!

Lodge Lake

I've been dragging my toes on writing this post, and I'm not quite sure why. Probably because I'm not really in a writing mood, but I'm going to get it done today!

On the 4^th of July, I joined a friend for a short hike up at Snoqualmie Pass. I had always wanted to hike around the Snoqualmie Pass ski area during summer to see what the terrain looks like without the snow, and I finally got my chance. 

 

 

We started out in this little parking lot off the side of Snoqualmie West, then hiked up to the ski slopes and under the chairs. There was still quite a bit of snow in the shade that we hiked over. Once we got to the ski slopes, there wasn’t any snow and it was rather hot out in the open. I was fascinated by all the landforms I had skied over and never knew where there, like the board walk shown above.

We got across the ski slopes and headed back towards Beaver Lake. Along the way we met an older gentleman who was planning on fishing at Lodge Lake, and was so proud of himself for carrying all his gear, including an inflatable raft. We chatted with him, as we walked over some snow patches, then he slowly trailed behind us. We met him again as he was setting up for fishing at the lake later in the day.

Beaver Lake is a small pond on the edges of the ski area. I would have never known it was there since its usually covered with snow! It was quite picturesque, but I was still wanting to get to Lodge Lake. We trekked along further into the forest, along the PCT, until we came to Lodge Lake. There were a few creek crossing, and we both had a few mishaps involving slippery rocks, but we made it there in one piece. 

Beaver Lake

Lodge Lake

The lake was absolutely stunning against the view of the mountains (I believe that is Denny Mountain in the background), and we lunched on a log that jutted into the lake. After a quick snack, we headed further along the trail, just to see how far we could get. We got to a small unnamed lake, then decided it was time to head back.

The trail was rather easy to follow, except for the snow covered parts. It was not very difficult and  didn’t have much of an elevation gain. This would be a perfect hike for small kids, or anyone who wants a stroll in the forest, without the crowds. I can’t wait to visit again!

Total time: 4 hours 

Distance: 4 miles, 400 ft elevation gain
Passes: NW Forest Pass required
Location: off Snoqualmie Summit West exit, turn R into parking lot, then follow to west end. There are no markings, but park there and follow the main trail to the ski slopes.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Rachel

Mirror Lake

I've hiked Mirror Lake before. It's one of the more beautiful views I've seen on a hike to date. I was really looking forward to revisiting the area, and I'm happy to report that it's still a wonderful place to spend the afternoon trekking and exploring.

The hike to Mirror Lake itself was only about 2 miles, but we trekked a bit further so in total we hiked about 5 miles. We saw two other lakes and even got to walk in some snow that was still on parts of the trail. What I loved about this hike is that we got to do a little bit of everything: it wasn't super taxing physically but we enjoyed the changes in scenery, and I got to take a lot of pictures! I wish the weather had been a bit more sunny, but I was happy that it didn't rain so I really couldn't complain.

After a short rocky uphill, we reached the trail-head, and in no time we reached our first viewpoint, Cottonwood Lake. If you choose to do this hike in the summer months I recommend bug spray, as there were lots of mosquitoes buzzing around.

Rachel gets excited like a kid on Christmas Day when she sees snow, so she was very happy that there was still a fair amount on one part of the trail we hiked through. I had just received my new Leki trekking poles in time for this hike, and I felt very comfortable in the snow using them for added traction. The weather wasn't particularly hot, but it felt nice to have the cool snow crunching under our feet as we got closer to our destination. 

Mirror Lake, how I missed you! The last time I had set foot on its shores, it was much earlier in the hiking season and there had been much more ice and snow. We didn't meet a ton of other hikers on the trail, but with the warmer weather we did run across a lot of campers and volunteers maintaining the trail. There was a group of guys and a pup camping right by the lake, so we enjoyed the sights, took some pictures, and ventured a bit further down the trail to stop and have lunch.

We reached an area that seemed nice to stop and snack, and I explored the surroundings to check out the view and take pictures. There was a pretty waterfall and lots of my beloved bear-grass and other flora to catch my eye and camera lens. 

I could have stayed here all day, mesmerized by the flowing water. If I was big on meditating, this would totally be my spot. There were other sights to see however, so we moved on further. We hiked to the last lake of our journey, Twilight Lake. It was in the middle of a swampy, boggy meadow, and it felt like our own little private patch of forest. 

One of our fellow hikers brought her pup, and it was a blast watching her swim around in the lake, run out onto the grass, and flop on her back and wriggle around. Rachel managed to get a group shot of us with Ollie (or Olly?) racing right through the picture. Way to photo-bomb like a pro!

After a short stay at Twilight Lake, we decided that this would be a good turn around point, so back up we went. Back past the falls, back for one more glance at lovely Mirror Lake, and back once again on the snowy path. 

It was great to revisit a place you'd once been and be reminded of how much you had enjoyed yourself while creating new memories. Like an old friend, Mirror Lake welcomed me back to its shores, and I left with the promise to return again soon. 

Squak Mountain - Bullitt Fireplace

I just love the name of this mountain: SQUAK! Sounds like a bird, huh? Apparently, it came from the sound of the Southern Lushootseed name for the mountain. Who knew?

 
Anyways,  I had been wanting to hike the Phils Trail-Thrush Gap Loop trail for a while, but I still haven't finished the whole loop. Me and another gal from my meetup group started out after work and made out way up the mountain. It was definitely not a walk in the park! This trail kicked my butt!

We passed over creeks and went up, up and up! It seemed like there was not flat part of the trail. There were a couple of trail intersections, but it was fairly easy to follow. We wanted to at least get up to the top of the mountain before 7 pm, our turn around time, so we kicked it into high gear!

We got to the Bullitt Gorge Trail in pretty good time, so we continued up it. According to the signage at the trail intersection, the area near the top of the mountain was originally owned by the Bullitt family, who had built a lodge at the top. When they gave their land to the state to make it a park, they wanted it to stay as pristine as possible, so only hikers are allowed on the top portion of Squak.

Eventually, the trail leveled out and we hiked through a swamp. We were a little off on our map location, but we eventually found the remains of the lodge, which are the foundation and a fireplace.

The fireplace was absolutely beautiful! I so would love to have one like that in my house.. sigh, someday. While we snacked and rested near the fireplace, another large group came hiking up the hill. They were also a meetup group! Fancy that, huh?

We took their pictures, and they took ours, then we headed back down the hill. We made really good time because we got back to our cars before it got dark out.

Overall, I would say this was a really fun hike that was definitely a workout! I still have the other half of the trail to finish, but I think I will save it for a weekend so I don't have to rush through it.

Total time: 3 hours
Distance: 5 miles
Passes: Discover Pass required
Location: 13201 Squak Mountain Rd SE, Issaquah, WA

Thanks for stopping by!

-Rachel

Ardmore Trails

Ardmore Park is a 28-acre park off of Bel-Red Road in Bellevue. The park features a maze of trails  through a forest that makes you feel like you are out off of Snoqualmie Pass, not in the middle of a suburb.

The trail we took was roughly 1.5 miles round trip, with very little elevation gain. The trail meandered through the woods, crossing over a stream that runs through the park. There are some stairs but other than than it's fairly flat..

Ardmore Trails is a great place for an after work walk or trail run. There was hardly anyone on the trail (3 people!), excluding the parents and kids at the play area. It was quiet and peaceful, a great place to gather your thoughts.

Total time: 45 minutes
Distance: 1.5 miles
Passes: none required
Location: 16833 NE 30th Street Bellevue, WA

Thanks for stopping by!

-Rachel