My sister Katie was visiting last week so we headed out to the Snoqualmie/North Bend area for a quick and easy hike to Twin Falls.
Distance: 2.6 miles, RT
Gain: 500 feet
Pass: Discover Pass (WA State Parks)
Hiked: 3.10.18
We got there late in the day after Katie’s day of flying cross-country to visit, so we were losing light as we hiked. From the trailhead, we followed the trail that parallels the river.
There was a surprising swampy area that has skunk cabbage in the spring and salmonberries in the summer.
As we climbed up and away from the river, and through the woods (I am singing over the river, and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go! right now as I type), there’s a large boulder along the trail. Keep climbing as you move along the switchbacks.
When we came to The Benches, we took a short break to enjoy a partial view of the Lower Falls. (Isn’t Koda’s face funny?)
After stopping temporarily, we continued down the the trail. Katie pointed out a former trail below us which was rebuilt in 2016 that was destroyed by a slide.
According to WTA, at the bottom of this hill you’ll find the Big Tree. There used to be a fence to protect the soil around the base, but it’s collapsed so WTA requests that hikers stay away from the tree. It’s here that Koda found her mid-hike snack that previous hikers left. *Insert Dog-Mom Facepalm* She gobbled up what we think was a sandwich. Someone wasn’t following the Leave No Trace principles, and thankfully Koda was okay.
After this hill, the trail climbs up again until we hit a spot to descend 104 stairs to view the Lower Falls. This was our stopping point this time, but there’s an option to continue upwards to the Big Bridge (where you can see up and down the valley and Twin Falls).
Some other hikers were coming down cautioning us to be careful as the last part was slippery. Since we were quickly running out of sunlight, we chose to stop at the Lower Falls viewpoint.
This was a great spot to take an out of town visitor for an easy-going hike with PNW features.
For more info, visit WTA’s guide here.