Trail:Taylor River
From Evergreen Trail Guide
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| Name | Taylor River |
| Tech Rating | 
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| Grunt Rating |
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| Singletrack | 90% |
| Fire road | 10% |
| Paved | 0% |
| Total trail | 13 mi. |
| Alt. change | 900 |
| Latitude: | 47.548 |
| Longitude: | -121.5384 |
| Nearest medical: | Not set yet |
| Page adopted by: | No one yet |
| Get Directions | |
Trail Overview
So what happens if you get all the way to the Middle Fork trailhead and realize it's an EVEN numbered day? Or maybe you are too early or too late(before June or after Oct). Or maybe you have done the CCC extension trail and need some more miles. What DO you do? Well, you can do the Taylor River Trail! This is a short (13 miles RT from the parking lot) reclaimed road trail that follows along the wild Taylor River. This trail is open year round. There are a few unique features to this ride: Otter Falls, an grove of large Cedars, and the Big Creek Bridge.
How to find it
I-90 Eastbound to Exit 34.
Turn left off the exit, cross the highway, pass major truck stop.
Road will curve left. About 0.5mi from freeway, turn right onto SE Middle Fork Rd.
Road splits after less than 1.0mi. Either way works, easiest in to take the right hand fork (SE Lk Dorothy Rd)(NOT a one-way road!!). After about a mile, the MF Rd rejoins, this turns into Forest Road #56. Soon, the pavement ends.
After 5.2mi on MF Rd, you'll cross a major bridge. At 9.5mi you'll pass the entries to the CCC Road and CCC Trail. After about 11.5mi, look for the Forest Service trailhead parking lot on the right. Turn in and park. If you get to a major T intersection, you've gone too far.
You'll need a NW Forest Pass.
It takes a solid 30 minutes to get to the trailhead from the exit. The road alternates from easy cruising to potholed minefields and the dappled sunlight will make it even harder to miss those holes.
Typical Conditions
Since this is an old roadbed - it is surprisingly mud free. But there are obstacles -- like granite boulders and creek washouts and even a little riding IN a creek or two depending on the time of year you go there.
Current Conditions
Trail is is good shape up to Otter Falls. Past that there are downed trees here and there that need chain saw attention. Expect to carry your bike over a few washouts(nothing epic). Jackd49 10:08, 26 June 2010 (PDT)
Turn-By-Turn Guide
From the parking lot go back to the Middle Fork Road and turn right. Go past the campground, go over the Middle Fork bridge and go straight. Go past the gate(hikers usually park here) and over the Taylor River bridge and the road gradually turns to trail (all this in a little over 1 mile). You will come to a road going off to the left -- don't take it - just keep going straight. Now there is no way to get lost -- just keep going until you get to the trailhead to Nordrum and Snoqualmie Lakes (6.7 miles). Past this the trail badly deteriorates. Turn around and enjoy the bone jarring ride back to the car.
Local Points of Interest
Right before Marten Creek (about 3 miles in) see a big cedar on your right. Now on the left(uphill side) see a boot track up to a grove of large cedars. There is also a fisherman's trail up to Marten Lake hereabouts.
The big draw here is Otter Falls. After crossing Otter Creek (about 4-5 miles from the parking lot) look for a possibly cairn marked, easy to miss boot track going uphill. Follow this trail for a short 1/4 mile heading for the sounds of the falls. WTA link here These falls are stunning and worth the trip BUT they are snowmelt fed so dry up early (usually after July).
At Big Creek (about 6 miles in) you come to an old concrete bridge with great views of Big Creek Falls.
Once you hit the wilderness you can ditch your bike and hike up to some lakes. Word is it's nice up there and not crowded. Would be a good weekend trip where you wouldn't get stuck in pass traffic. I've seen pictures of recent trail work. 8-16-10
Misc. Information
Here you mention anything that doesn't fit in the other categories.
Advocacy Information
This is for information about the trail's history with respect to mountain biking, the land owner, etc.
