Just outside of North Bend, 34 miles east of Seattle, the Twin Falls trailhead begins at a dead end. One of the most accessible hikes in the Seattle area, its low elevation gain and clear trail make it a perfect hike for the young and old alike. Splitting off in only a few places, the trail follows the south fork of the Snoqualmie River for almost two miles to where the river plunges 127 feet over the rocks to the river below. At the one-mile mark, you will see a spur of stairs heading down the hill to your right. Bring a light meal with you and head down the stairs to the lookout and enjoy the sounds of the water rushing over the large fall.
As mentioned above, with only three switchbacks, this is more of a nature walk than a hike. In fact, this tends to be my wife and I’s favorite “fallback” hike. It’s great for those lazy days when you just want to get away for awhile, but don’t feel the energy for some of the other trails around the area. Great example of this was last weekend. In the spirit of our renewed commitment to health and excersize, we made a pact to go on a hike on Sunday. But Saturday night brought unexpected friends ( we have a no-notice required policy for friends) and there went our quiet night. Well, one drink lead to another (okay, another after that one too) and, not to say that we had hangovers, but on Sunday morning, we weren’t feeling too eager for the hike up Rattlesnake trail. So, we took our new camera and cruzed out to the “fallback” trail to get some fresh air and learn more about our new toy. Owing to an annual rainfall of 87 inches, the forests are lush and green with old-growth evergreens, ferns, pretty fungi, and several types of berry species. On any given day, you will see families with young kids and grandparents meandering along the forest trail or playing in the water. And like most trails, leashed pet’s are ubiquitous and sunday was no different. We usually take this trail at a slight jog, but this time we stopped to smell the leaves, looked for photo opportunities such as fungi on logs, and moved off the trail (in places where it was allowed) to get different views of the river than what we would normaly see. My wife, my kids and I, all love this trail and have recomended it several times to out-of town guests or visitors that have asked for easy, “get out of the city into nature” hikes.
Directions: Heading east on I-90, pass through North Bend to exit 34. Take a right onto 468th Avenue SE. Drive .5 mile and turn left on SE 159th Street.
Trailhead parking is at the end of the road.
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About the author: Brett's hobbies include cooking, weightlifting, traveling and the outdoors. He also contributes to Seowebwide.com where he writes articles on Organic SEO, Search Marketing, and Social Media. Read more from this author
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