Garfield Ledges lies north of Stegosaurus Butte across Middle Fork Snoqualmie River. It also sits below the west of Mount Garfield’s extensive ridgeline. Meanwhile, the trail past Middle Fork Campground goes straight to the viewpoint.
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Garfield Ledges at a Glance
Access: Garfield Ledges Trailhead
Round Trip: 2 miles
Elevation Range: 1100′-1800′
Gear: none
Dog-Friendly: yes
Walking Through the Open Forest
Even though we haven’t been to the ledges, I’ve wondered about the location over the years. Feeling antsy toward the end of a Friday, we visited the overlook. It looked to be a quick trip judging by the online reports on WTA.
I’ve driven across the bridge over Taylor River many times. But what continued to irritate me were the deep potholes past Middle Fork Campground. It felt like an unfinished job after several years-long paving projects.
See more trip photos here.
Hiking Through the Open Forest
The dogs and I left the trailhead as a group came down the trail. Running against the remaining daylight, we soon dashed up the path with little stopping. But of course, I stopped to take some photos along the way.
In one mile, the excellent trail soon took us to the overlook perching atop the cliffs. En route, we met the last two people coming from the lookout. Then we followed the faint trail and explored uphill briefly before returning.
See more trip photos here.
Garfield Ledges Views
Given the reasonably late start, we didn’t see much remaining daylight. But it was undoubtedly the vantage point to view many familiar places. Besides, The Pulpit and Quartz Mountain looked much more dramatic from here.
After the viewing party, we left the ledges at sunset as the valley dimmed. Then it was a quick one-mile downhill to the parking area by Taylor River. And now we were back to contending with the potholes by the bridge.
See more trip photos here.