Since we had been exploring the major urban areas of Seattle and Vancouver for the past several days, we decided to take a little break and indulge ourselves in some nature. Snoqualmie Falls comes up as one of the best day trips that you can take from the Seattle area, so we decided to make the 45-minute drive and explore it.
Snoqualmie Falls Fun Facts
First… some facts about the falls. Snoqualmie Falls is a 268 ft waterfall on the Snoqualmie River between Snoqualmie and Fall City. It is one of Washington’s most popular scenic attractions but is perhaps best known internationally for its appearance in the cult television series Twin Peaks. More than 1.5 million visitors come to the Falls every year.
Getting to Snoqualmie Falls
The drive from Kirkland to Snoqualmie Falls is very scenic. The highway winds up and down as you zoom past snow-capped mountains in distance. When you finally arrive, you might initially think the parking lot is full. Don’t worry though, there is ample parking up the hill across from the Salish Lodge. And, parking is free! Yay!
Snoqualmie Falls Overlooks
After parking, you’ll take a small foot bridge to the falls. Soon you’ll be looking at a small canyon with the falls to the left, giant cliffs to the right, and lush green evergreen trees looming over everywhere. To the left of the falls is the historic Salish Lodge & Spa. About 300 feet walk to the right is another observation deck where you can see the falls from the front. Most tourists take photos from these two observation decks and head back to their cars, but we opted to do a bit of hiking on the Snoqualmie trail to see the falls from below.
And, btw, winter afternoons are the worst time to take pictures as the sun will be behind the falls. Still a great time to visit the falls, but just don’t expect your pictures to turn out.
Snoqualmie Falls Trail
The Snoqualmie trail is a 1.4 miles round-trip easy hike that takes you through lush moss covered trees and gentle slopes. You’ll come across all sorts of native plants and trees including ferns, Douglas Fir, and maple trees. It truly is magical to see the bright green moss covering each and every tree that you’ll come across. We had never seen so much green color before and you can really feel how much it must rain here to create such a mystical forest. At times, we felt like we were on another planet. The falls were pretty, but honestly, this trail was by far my favorite part of the trip.
When you get to the bottom of the trail, you’ll come across the hydroelectric plant that’s been operating since 1898. Then you get on the final section of the trail which leads to a boardwalk overlooking the bottom of the falls. It’s really nice and relaxing to just stand, watch, listen, and take it all in. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can climb out of the boardwalk onto the rocks beneath and get an up close and personal view of the falls. We are in no way recommending you do this though since the river can rise extremely fast and unexpectantly.
Salish Lodge & Spa
After hiking up, we decided to check out the Salish lodge & Spa. They have a cute little gift shop selling all kinds of handmade crafts and snacks. Upstairs, there is a neat cafe called The Attic that serves classic Pacific Northwest cuisine. And, the views are absolutely stunning. Just imagine eating pancakes, drinking a hot cup of coffee, and looking out over the falls. We didn’t have time to eat here but we will definitely next time. It was so cozy and relaxing inside that we almost considered spending a night here until we looked at the price…$474/night…eep!!
