Unlike every other trail listed on this website, I have not hiked Tahoma Creek, and never will. I have added it to this site in order to explain why not.

The Park Service makes their opinion on the Tahoma Creek trail extremely clear:

"CLOSED DUE TO DEBRIS FLOW AND HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. THE TAHOMA CREEK HAS TAKEN OVER THE TRAIL. NOTE: This is an unmaintained trail in an area with high risk of geohazards such as flooding and debris flows. These events have occurred frequently in the past and are expected to occur again. There are only remnants of this trail remaining. Navigation is difficult and the route is hazardous. It is NOT recommended to hike Tahoma Creek Trail."

And yet, enough people still hike this route that it gets a couple of WTA trip reports per year. It's easy to see why: the trail has a long history (it was part of the original 1915 route of the Wonderland!) and it provides day hikeable access to the spectacular Tahoma Creek Suspension Bridge, which is otherwise a long way from anywhere.

As of 2021, trip reports indicated route-finding challenges, stream crossings with no bridges, and a couple of slide areas. Plus of course the ever-present risk of unpredictable lahars. I thought this over, and decided I was willing to take on the risk of exploring the trail.

It was not to be. About a quarter mile in, I suddenly got a really strong feeling that I wasn't supposed to be there. I listen to that kind of hunch, so I hightailed it out of the geohazard zone and will not be attempting this trail again. If the mountain does not wish me to hike her namesake creek, so be it.

(this story would be better if a lahar had come rushing down the creek seconds after I was out of its way, but of course one didn't :-)