Klaus, Boyle, and Bridges Lakes

Date: 2007/07/29
Trip type: hike
Elevation gain: approx. 255 feet
Car-to-car time: 5 hours 12 minutes
USGS quads: Snoqualmie, Mount Si
In area: North Fork Snoqualmie Drainage

I parked on the North Fork Snoqualmie Road between gates 11 and 10, hiked west past gate 10, and entered the trail on the west side of the 3-way intersection. I crossed Ten Creek on the log bridge and turned left onto the logging road at the first intersection. At the next intersection (four-way), I went straight (NW) on the road that passes between Fuller Mountain and Klaus Lake.

At a grassy pull-out area on the left I left the road and took a fisherman's path, the path was partially hidden by salmonberry bushes. At the end of the path I found three fishermen and Klaus Lake. I returned to the road after watching the lake for a few minutes (I saw two fish jump).

Back on the road, I continued north. At the first intersection with a non-overgrown road, I went left onto a lesser-used, grassy road that soon turned into a well-traveled trail. The trail crossed the Boyle Lake outlet (this was labeled "Joe's Crossing") and passed along the west shore of Boyle Lake with a couple side trails that led to the lakeshore.

Past Boyle Lake the trail was obviously rarely (if ever) traveled. There was a lot of blackberries, salmonberries, devil's club, and downed trees blocking the path, but the trail never completely dissappeared. Eventually the trail crossed the Bridges Lake outlet (this was labeled "Ron's Crossing") and skirted the east shore of Bridges Lake. I didn't find any side paths to the lakeshore.

Near Bridges Lake I ran across a sign that read "to biergarten" with an arrow pointing up the trail. I followed the trail as it switch-backed up to where it stopped at the end of a logging road. No beer garden in sight. It was getting late, so I turned around here.

Maybe I'll go back sometime and see if I can find that beer garden.

References

Driving Directions

Take I-90 E from Seattle. Take exit 31 and set your odometer to zero at the stop sign. Go N on Bendigo Blvd. At 0.7 miles go right on N Bend Way. At 0.8 miles (two blocks) go left on Ballarat Ave N. At 1.3 miles Ballarat Ave N turns into 420 Ave SE, then at 1.5 miles the arterial turns into NE 12th St, then at 2 miles the arterial turns into 428 Ave SE, and finally at 3.8 miles the arterial turns into North Fork Road SE. At 4.9 miles at a Y (with deadend signs for both forks) go to the left (uphill). At 5.3 miles North Fork Road SE turns to gravel.

North Fork gate 11 (which blocks road 32000) is at a large 4-way intersection 3.5 miles after the North Fork Road turns into gravel (8.8 miles from I-90). A permit is required to drive past gate 11, see North Fork gate 11 for more.

Travel Times

Car-to-car time: 5 hours 12 minutes

34 minutes ascending from gate 10 on North Fork Snoqualmie Road to Klaus Lake
3 hours 2 minutes ascending from Klaus Lake to above Bridges Lake
1 hour 36 minutes descending from above Bridges Lake to gate 10 on North Fork Snoqualmie Road
1 hour 9 minutes driving back from gate 10 on North Fork Snoqualmie Road to Lower Queen Anne

Ten Creek bridge

Joe's crossing (between Klaus and Boyle lakes)

Sign between Boyle and Bridges lakes

Biergarten? (near Bridges Lake)