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Nolte State Park is near Kanaskat-Palmer State Park in Enumclaw, Washington. Two nearby state parks include Green River Gorge and Flaming Geyser. Despite its 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 information)
Round trip: 2.6 miles
Altitude range: 774′-830′
Essential equipment: none
GPS tracking: available
Suitable for dogs: Yes
Playlist: Ethereal
A walk in the rain by Deep Lake
I saved 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 side visits to the high point and various locations along the lake shores.
Two cars were in the parking lot in the early morning hours as I arrived near Cumberland. It started drizzling just after I entered the open area behind the shore. But that wasn’t really a problem since I would be in the trees for most of the outing.
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First stop, Nolte State Park High Point
I greeted a hiker shortly after beginning my counterclockwise walk around the water. Then I decided to visit the highest point before other people entered the park. Since the off-trail area adjoined 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. Again, I shot some video footage to take advantage of the short distance and 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 refuge along the interpretation trails
The foggy day didn’t offer much to see beyond the lake, other than a glimpse of Enumclaw Mountain. On the way, I took two extended breaks to wait out the rain under the trees. Soon after, I found myself in the southwest corner of the park, looking out over the lake from the shelter.
Soon I was walking the adjacent interpretive trails before exiting out the south end. It only took a minute to reach the starting point behind the shore. After several photos and a few hellos, I returned to the mostly empty field behind the ranger station.
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