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 Snoqualmie Falls is a 268 foot waterfall on the Snoqualmie River between Snoqualmie and Fall City, Washington, USA. 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, where there is a two acre park, an observation deck, and a gift shop.
Most of the river is diverted into the power plants, but at times the river is high enough to flow across the entire precipice, which creates an almost blinding spray. High water occurs following a period of heavy rains or snow followed by warm rainy weather. This can occur during the rainy season which lasts from November through March. During high water, the falls take on a curtain form.
For the Snoqualmie People, who have lived for centuries in the Snoqualmie Valley in western Washington, Snoqualmie Falls is central to their culture, beliefs, and spirituality. A traditional burial site to the Snoqualmie, the falls are "the place where First Woman and First Man were created by Moon the Transformer" and "where prayers were carried up to the Creator by great mists that rise from the powerful flow."The mists rising from the base of the waterfall are said to serve to connect Heaven and Earth.
The falls were first nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 as a traditional cultural property for its association with the beliefs of the Snoqualmie people. However, the property owner, Puget Sound Energy, objected to the listing. The falls were subsequently determined eligible for listing in the National Register when the owners rescinded their objection and on September 2, 2009, the falls were formally listed in the National Register. |
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Snoqualmie is a city next to Snoqualmie Falls in King County, Washington. The city is home to the Northwest Railway Museum. Movie actress Ella Raines was born on August 6, 1920, in Snoqualmie Falls, a mill town across the Snoqualmie River that is now part of Snoqualmie.
Many of the exterior shots for David Lynch's Twin Peaks television series and movie (Fire Walk with Me) were filmed in Snoqualmie and in the neighboring towns of North Bend and Fall City. The name Snoqualmie is derived from the Lushootseed name, generally interpreted to mean "ferocious people", a name applied by another Coast Salishan tribe in reference to the Snoqualmie tribe. |
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The top of the waterfall is less than 100 yards from the parking lot, which has a gift shop, espresso stand, and bathrooms. The main views are from the side of the falls, with a fence separating visitors from the edge of a cliff. This area has picnic tables and benches, and a small grassy meadow called the Centennial Green, where weddings are performed through the summer. Here the river trail descends 300 feet in 1/2 a mile passing though temperate rain forest with moss covered Bigleaf Maple, Douglas-fir, Sword Fern and Salal. There are places to step off the trail and rest or enjoy the scenery. Heavy use makes wildlife sightings uncommon. The park does allow pets. At the bottom of the trail is the 1910 powerhouse, not open to visitors, and a view of the falls. |
Below: Several views from the upper level platform |
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Looking down the cliff from the falls. The first photo below shows a bit of where everyone is standing to view the falls; a fenced-in platform. |
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Looking down,
there's a faint rainbow on land. |
A posted print of how strong
and wide the falls used to be. |
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The two RV Gypsies walked to the boardwalk on the lower level. |
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The Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Plant is at Snoqualmie Falls, currently operated by Puget Sound Energy. It consists of two power houses, Plant 1 and Plant 2. Plant 1 was built in 1899 and operates at the base of the falls, embedded in the rock 270 feet below the surface. It was the world's first completely underground power plant. Plant 2 was built in 1910 and further expanded in 1957, and is located a short distance downstream of the falls. Approximately 1% of Puget Sound Energy sales comes from the plant. These two power plants provide 44,000 kilowatts of electricity, which is enough to service 16,000 average homes. The 1899 generating system was designated an ASCE Civil Engineering Landmark in 1981. |
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Please continue on to page 2 of Snoqualmie Falls,