The least known of the Big Three area parks, Nolte State Park is a great get away close to home. Go to Kanaskat Palmer for camping and exploring the Green River just above the gorge. Enjoy Flaming Geyser for tubing down the Green, picnicking and nature hikes as the river flattens out here. With the park at Nolte surrounding Deep Lake, the pace is more leisurely, particularly now that school is back in session and summer temperatures have cooled. Fall colors make walking along the trail around the lake a real delight. Even in winter there is natural beauty to be seen. The two photo's included in this post were both taken in January earlier this year.
Of the three parks, Nolte offers probably the best fishing, boating (no power and you have to pack it to the lake to launch), swimming and picnicking of them all and the trail around the lake (about a mile) is easily accessible to all ages and physical condition. In total, the park is 117 acres of which Deep Lake accounts for 39 of these acres. Like many lakes in our area, it was once home to a resort and was donated to State Parks in the early 1970's by Minnie Nolte.
Because Deep Lake is in fact deep (at 76', it is deeper than the deepest part of Lake Sawyer), it is home to healthy populations of rainbow trout, coastal cutthroat trout and kokanee in addition to crappie and brown bullhead.
Looking to get out, try Nolte State Park located 6 miles northeast of Enumclaw and just south of Cumberland.
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