Nolte State Park sits near Kanaskat-Palmer State Park in Enumclaw, Washington. Two nearby state parks include Green River Gorge and Flaming Geyser. Despite the name, Deep Lake, nestled inside the park, is only 76 feet deep.
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Nolte State Park at a Glance
Access: Veazie Cumberland Road (park info)
Round Trip: 2.6 miles
Elevation Range: 774′-830′
Essential Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-friendly: yes
Playlist: Ethereal
A Rainy Day Stroll by Deep Lake
I’ve been saving the state park for rainy days; today was the perfect day to visit. Surprisingly, with a 1.5-mile loop trail, my total mileage reached 2.5 miles. The distance was likely due to the side visits to the high point and various spots along the lakeshore.
Two cars were in the parking lot in the early hours as I arrived near Cumberland. It started drizzling right after I stepped into the open area behind the shore. But it wasn’t much of a concern since I’d be in the trees for most of the outing.
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First Stop, Nolte State Park High Point
I greeted a hiker soon after I started my walk around the water counterclockwise. Then, I decided to check out the high point before more people entered the park. Since the off-trail area butted against someone’s driveway, I didn’t want people to think I was sneaking around.
Like last week’s trip to Saltwater State Park, today would also be a short outing. Once again, I shot some video footage to take advantage of the short distance and the small number of people. The dog wasn’t with me today, so I wouldn’t feel bad about constantly stopping and going.
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The Shelter by the Interpretive Trails
The hazy day didn’t offer much to see past the lake, aside from a glimpse of Enumclaw Mountain. En route, I took two extended breaks to wait out the rain under the trees. Before long, I was in the park’s southwest corner, viewing the lake from the shelter.
Soon, I looped through the adjacent interpretive trails before exiting from the south end. It took only a minute to reach the starting point behind the shore. After several photos and a few hellos, I returned to the near-empty lot behind the ranger station.
See more trip photos here.