Evans Creek Preserve Loop

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Our Hiking Time: 1h
Total Ascent: 100ft
Highest Point: 200ft
Total Distance: 1.8 miles
Location: N 47° 38.5200, W 122° 2.6760
Required Permit: None
Difficulty: Easy

During the off-season, when mountaintops and forest roads are still covered in snow, we will often go looking for some low-elevation alternatives. There are quite a few “hidden” parks, reserves, and recreation areas tucked into the Cascade foothills. Some have extensive trail systems that provide real hiking opportunities, others are smaller and their trails are ideal for shorter walks. A few weeks ago, we visited Evans Creek Preserve, one of those areas on the smaller end of the scale, and found more variety than we were expecting on this former farmstead.

Around 1900, Calvin and Minnie Galley settled on the land we now know as the Evans Creek Preserve, built a house, and started a farm. As the years passed the farm become home to their son, Newton Galley, and his wife Kathryn, who lived there until they passed away in the mid-1990s. After owning property for nearly 100 years, the Galley family willed it to their alma mater, the University of Washington, as well as Children’s Hospital, the Children’s Home Society, the Masonic Home, Redmond United Methodist Church and Whitman College. These organizations agreed to sell the farmstead to the City of Sammamish for $1.5 million in November of 2000. That sale began an 11-year effort that eventually resulted in the Evans Creek Preserve.

The city originally intended the 179-acre Preserve to have ball fields and other play spaces. But by 2002, the decision was made to protect and preserve the wetlands and forests contained within the property. The effort to convert the property from farmstead to preserve involved over 400 workers and volunteers, thousands of hours of work and at least one deployment of 50 goats to clear vegetation. The Washington Trails Association contributed 250 volunteers who put in over 7000 hours building the two and a half mile trail system. The buildings from the farmstead had to be torn down and removed, including the house built by Calvin Galley in 1900. By 2011, the work was complete and the Evans Creek Preserve opened to the public on October 22 of that year.

From the parking lot, the trail heads over a creek and branches off through meadows and into wetlands and mixed forest. The interconnected trail system is a series of loops complete with small bridges, viewing platforms, and an extensive boardwalk. Take a slow stroll through the varied landscape, enjoy the occasional view and, if you’re lucky, spot some wildlife. Although Evans Creek Preserve isn’t the rugged outdoors, it is a decent alternative for those looking for something different. The new trails are perfect for trail running, walking the dog, or just spending a little time outside. The ADA-accessible sections of the trail will also support strollers as well, making this perfect choice for introducing a little one to the great outdoors.

To get there, take SR 520 to the Redmond Way exit (SR 202). Veer right and merge onto SR 202 (also known as the Redmond-Fall City Road). Follow SR 202 for about three and a half miles to 224th Ave NE. Turn right and find a small parking area a short way down the road. Note that there is also a sign at the intersection of SR 202 and 224th indicating that NE 34th, a private road, begins at the end of 224th. -Nathan

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Snow Lakes Trail #1553 to Enchantment Lakes

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Our Hiking Time: 9h
Total Ascent: 4200ft
Highest Point: 5500ft
Total Distance: 13.6 miles
Location: N 47° 29.1540, W 120° 44.9100
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass, Enchantments Permit for overnight stays
Difficulty: Hard

One of our backpacking excursions last fall took us into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and up to The Enchantments. While we have backpacked through the region before, this was the first time we have been able to experience the fall colors and the changing of the seasons. Our approach took us up to Snow Lakes, a popular stopover point for those heading up to the Enchantments Basin.

Back in the 1930s the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam had an immediate impact on salmon runs. The Bureau of Land Reclamation worked to solve the issue through fish hatcheries, one of which was built on Icicle Creek to release into the Wenatchee River below the dam. Unfortunately, the Bureau quickly realized that fluctuations in the water levels of Icicle Creek would cause problems for a sustainable hatchery. The problem was a lack of cold water; the solution was to tap the nearby Snow Lakes seven miles upstream.

In 1938 the Forest Service cut a trail up to Nada Lake and the Snow Lakes and a base camp was established on Nada Lake. From 1939-1942 crews worked to drive a 9-foot wide, 2,250-foot long tunnel through solid granite under Lower Snow Lake to the bottom of Upper Snow Lake. At the same time, a small dam was constructed to regulate the water levels between the upper and lower lake. Today, water drains from the bottom of the 150-foot deep Upper Snow Lake to a bulkhead where it is funneled into a pipe and shot out toward Nada Lake. A series of valves controls the amount of water discharged. On average the system is in operation 77 days a year, usually between July and October, and releases an average of 3,700 acre-feet of water.

The hike to Snow Lakes begins from the parking lot by following a maintenance road over Icicle Creek and past concrete canals. From the road the trail begins a slow switchback up into the sloping canyon. As you climb, evidence of the fires that ravaged the area in 1994 can still be seen. The skeletons of charred trees line the trail, though after nearly 20 years the underbrush has obscured much of the damage. However, the underbrush has yet to grow up enough to provide much in the way of shade, so this first section of the hike has a lot of sun exposure, making it hot and dusty during the summer.

As you leave the burn area and the faint smell of ash behind, the trail enters a pine forest and bends closer to Snow Creek, providing access to occasional creekside rest stops. Around the two mile mark the trail meanders past large cliff faces that are frequented by rock climbers and soon begins to veer up the rocky canyon slopes. Continue another two miles through talus fields, scattered sections of forest and brush-lined sections of trail to the sturdy footbridge crossing Snow Creek. Soon find yourself sharing the trail with Nada Creek as you push up to the marshy end of Nada Lake. While most hikers press onward to Snow Lakes on their quest to reach the Enchantments Basin, some choose to overnight in the quiet solitude of Nada Lake. Several campsites line the lower section of the lake. If nothing else, the shores of Nada Lake are an excellent resting point to recharge for the final push to Snow Lakes a mile and a half up the trail.

Continuing onward, the trail quickly and steeply rises up the slopes above Nada Lake. If water is being released from Snow Lake, you will see the spray gushing from the cliffs above Nada Lake. As you get closer, at a switchback in the trail, a bootpath leads out to the tunnel and the control valves for the drainage system. Push upward through rocky terrain to the relief of the forests that surround Snow Lakes. The trail leads across the small dam that controls the water level between the lakes. Depending on the time of year, Upper Snow Lake may be quite low, exposing sandy shores covered in the bleached wood of fallen trees. The craggy heights of The Temple rise dramatically above Upper Snow Lake creating a scene that epitomizes the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Many campsites can be found around both lakes.

Snow Lakes is a decent backpacking destination unto itself, though most folks undertake the dusty trek with the intent of pushing upward into the Enchantments Basin. Because permits to overnight in the core Enchantments Zone can be hard to come by, the Snow Lakes make a perfect base camp for day hiking the area by using the more easily obtained overnight Snow Lakes Permit. Somewhat challenging, this trip is best taken in the company of those with at least some wilderness and backpacking experience. It can be done as a long day hike, though we recommend against it. The difficulty of the trail on a hot summer day combined with the chance that Upper Snow Lake could be low and somewhat less than majestic probably makes this a little too much effort for one day. Save this one for a short overnight or as part of your exploration of the Enchantments Basin.

To get there, take US 2 to Leavenworth. Just before you enter town, take a right onto Icicle Creek Road (FR 76). Follow Icicle Creek Road for just over four miles to a large parking lot on your left. Park and find the trailhead at the far end of the lot. -Nathan

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Noble Knob Trail #1184

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Our Hiking Time: 4h 10m
Total Ascent: 500ft
Highest Point: 6,011ft
Total Distance: 7.0 miles
Location: N 47° 2.7540, W 121° 29.5500
Required Permit: None
Difficulty: Easy

A few months ago, back before the autumn leaves fell and the winter snows settled in, we were planning a hike out toward Mt. Rainier along Highway 410. With relatives in tow we wanted a hike that was not too difficult, but would also offer a destination with some good views. After doing a little research, we settled on the well-trodden Noble Knob trail, which proved to be the perfect choice.

Noble Knob is perched at a high point along the Dalles Ridge. It is named for the Nobel firs that would cover the summit if they had not all been burned in forest fires. Over the years, the area around Noble Knob has seen its fair share of fires, including a large burn in 1890. The exposed ridgeline and prolific wildflowers are a lasting legacy of those fires. A fire cabin was constructed on Noble Knob in 1934, shortly after another wildfire ravaged the area in the 1920s. Evidence of that forest fire and the newly-constructed cabin can be seen in this 1934 photograph looking southwest from Noble Knob. More evidence of the fire is shown in photographs taken looking to the north and southeast. The cabin was destroyed in 1954 and was not replaced, probably because other towers had been constructed nearby.

There is a trailhead at either end of the Noble Knob Trail #1184, one from Corral Pass and another off of Twentyeight Mile Road (FR #72). The Corral Pass approach has a more developed trailhead, whereas the Twentyeight Mile Road approach has paved portions that make access a little bit easier on your vehicle. We opted for Corral Pass mostly because it’s by far the more popular of the two.

From the Corral Pass Trailhead the route begins mildly, alternating between roadbed and trail while wandering through meadows and sparse stands of fir and pine. During the late spring, these areas are bursting with wildflowers, and in the fall the underbrush is a sea of reds, oranges, and yellows. The first mile or so is more or less flat, quickly transporting you to your first glimpses of snow-covered Mt. Rainier at roughly a mile and a half from the parking lot. As you gain the ridgeline and traverse along the southern shoulders of Mutton Mountain the trail continues to open up while skirting the edge of the Norse Peak Wilderness to the north.

Just before the two-mile mark you will reach a junction with the Deep Creek Trail #1196. Stay to the right and continue following the ridgeline as the trail turns north continuing to parallel the Norse Peak Wilderness to the west, ever so briefly entering it for a few moments two and three-quarters of a mile from the trailhead. You’ll know you went through the Wilderness when you encounter the junction with the Dalles Ridge Trail #1173 at three miles. Head right, staying on the Noble Knob Trail to the next junction in a tenth of a mile. Here the trail splits in three directions. The path to the right is the Lost Lake Trail #1185, leading into the Wilderness and to the shores of Lost Lake. The trail to the left heads out to the other end of the Noble Knob Trail and the alternative trailhead, as well as a side trail leading down to Twentyeight Mile Lake. To reach the summit, take the middle path straight up to the top.

As you climb, the views only improve. Catch glimpses of Lost Lake to the west, and Twentyeight Mile Lake to the east. There is some confusion around the name of this lake – some USGS maps label it Twentymile Lake. Most likely the product of a typographical error somewhere along the line, the official name for this little lake is Twentyeight Mile Lake. Before you know it you will have reached the top and its 360-degree views. Mt. Rainier seems almost close enough to touch. Look north for your first view of George Lake in the meadow-filled cirque below you. Forested peaks spread out in every direction. Find good place to settle in and enjoy the views.

This is an ideal trail to introduce anyone to hiking in Washington – whether you’re bringing the little ones, encouraging friends to get outside, or entertaining relatives in from out of town. It is a rare trail that can deliver such spectacular views with only 500ft of elevation gain. This ease of access does make Noble Knob a very popular destination during the hiking season, so expect to be sharing the trail and the views with other hikers and mountain bikers. Keep in mind that all this traffic churns up the trail, making it a hot and dusty hike in the summer. The possibility of crowds aside, we recommend everyone put this on their hiking list to tackle in the near future.

To get there, take I-5 south to Highway 18, Exit 142A. Follow Highway 18 into Auburn and take the SR 164 exit. Head left on SR 164 through Enumclaw to SR 410. Head left onto SR 410 and continue 31.2 miles through the town of Greenwater to the Corral Pass Road #7174 on the left. Follow #7174 for 6.7 miles to the signed trailhead and a small parking area. Additional parking can be found a tenth of a mile further down #7174. -Nathan

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