Join us on the Snoqualmie Falls hike! Snoqualmie Falls is the most famous waterfall in Washington. We’re visiting in early June, when the water flow is at its peak from rain and snow melt.
The Snoqualmie Falls hike is a short 1.4 miles, and it takes you from the upper falls viewpoint to a viewpoint at the bottom of the falls. Here is the link to the hike description on AllTrails, for reference: [ Ссылка ]
In today’s video, we’ll share the highlights of the Snoqualmie Falls trail and a bit about the fascinating history of the falls. If you enjoy this video, remember to give it a thumbs-up, and subscribe to our channel!
Snoqualmie Falls is about a 45-minute drive west of Seattle.
Parking is free at the upper falls lots, and a footbridge connects the parking to the first waterfall viewpoint.
Snoqualmie Falls is a special cultural place for the Snoqualmie Tribe. In 1899, there were no protections for such places, and a power plant was built here. I’ll explain more about that in the video when we get to the lower falls.
A caveat about this waterfall: It’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state, so it’s very developed and likely to be crowded when you visit.
The walkways at the entrance are paved, and if you take the trail to the lower falls, it transitions into a normal walking trail.
The trail to the lower falls viewpoint passes through a very peaceful Pacific Northwest forest of mixed maple trees, firs, cedars, and hemlocks. There are a number of interpretive signs, which I always enjoy so I’m able to learn more about a place.
The hemlock trees were particularly awesome along the trail. Hemlocks often grow out of the rotting stumps of older, giant trees. As the nurse stumps decay, the hemlock roots are left, seemingly suspended in the air.
The upper and lower falls themselves seemed pretty busy and crowded, but I really enjoyed the peace of the walk between them.
And then suddenly the trail pops out near the lower falls, where you can see and learn about one of the power stations. Just beyond the hydroplant, the trail becomes a boardwalk right along the river, for the final approach to the lower waterfall viewpoint!
Snoqualmie Falls is a place of contrasts—a sacred place for the Snoqualmie people, while also busy with visitors, and the site of a key regional hydroelectric plant, which interrupts the landscape but produces electricity without carbon emissions. I was left thinking it’s a beautiful, but complicated, place.
