DO NOT google maps to Franklin Falls Trailhead. It will lead you to a ski resort. Instead map to…read moreFranklin Falls. It's a two-mile hike, but it felt much longer! After Snoqualmie Falls, Franklin was a little underwhelming. It is an easy hike as it is mostly flat. The waterfall is nice, but nothing compares to Snoqualmie.

This is a fantastic hike in the Greater Seattle area, which rewards you with an up close view of…read morethe falls from the base, where you can bask in the cool gentle mist before beginning the trek back. I typically stick with hikes that are considered "easy", popular with families, and don't require hiking boots. This one fits the bill. At about 2 miles roundtrip (out and back), the trail is made up of well-kept dirt pathways and you'll experience a gradual incline of only about 400 feet. There were several short sets of wooden steps along the way, which were pretty easy to navigate since they were of even height and not too tall. Just be careful towards the end while heading down to the base of the falls. You'll go down a set of stone steps, then the pathway narrows and becomes pretty rocky with a jagged surface, so watch your footing and take it slow. You can also hang on to the rock wall on the right side for balance. I saw some people equipped with their hiking poles and hiking boots which would come in handy for this small section of the hike, however I was able to traverse it with my running shoes, taking small steps. I was grateful there weren't many bugs and the hike is mostly shaded by all the trees above. It was over 80 degrees on the day we went, but it felt like the 70s since we were never really in direct sun. The trail runs parallel to Denny Creek below, so for the duration of the hike, you can hear the tranquil sound of the flowing water. There are two sections of parking which cost $5 per day, unless you have the "Washington Forest Pass" or "America the Beautiful Pass". Toilets are located near the parking lots, but there are no sinks, so make sure to bring some hand sanitizer. During the summer, weekends can be pretty crowded, so I recommend going on a weekday for a more relaxed atmosphere. We went on a sunny Monday and there was plenty of parking left even when we headed out around noon.

One of the best hikes. A total of 8 miles. Hiked on the last day of summer last year. Some of the…read moreelevations are steep. I would recommend this for more advanced hikers.

For either day or overnight hiking not much is better than Rampart Ridge in Washington State's…read moreAlpine Lakes Wilderness. Rachel Lake is just out and out sweet (and glacially cold, so I wouldn't recommend swimming). Upper Rampart Ridge doesn't really open up to hikers until late June or July because of all the snow it gets in the winter. I've seen some of the little lakes here still mostly covered with ice in August. The beauty is unparalleled. There are people around, but I wouldn't call it crowded. To get to the trailhead (you do need a USFS parking permit), take the Lake Kachess exit about 10 miles east of Snoqualmie Pass on I-90. The trailhead is about 7-8 miles from I-90 on a paved road that eventually turns to gravel.

Annette lake is beautiful and so serene. I arrived May 17, Saturday at 9:30am and there was still…read moreplenty of spots in the lot. 8.8 miles, 2,150 ft of elevation gain and 4hrs out & back. There's a bathroom available but it smells very bad so I recommend going before the trailhead. 0.2 miles in theres the first viewpoint, a beautiful waterfall. There is still some snow at the top but you can make it without spikes or trekking poles. The lake is still partly frozen and the snow makes it even more serene. 10/10 would recommend this hike!!

4/16/25 I did not…read morerun into any other people on this hike until the last two miles which is a bit scary as bears frequent this country. Definitely bring micro spikes or snowshoes, starting two miles in you will need them. The lake is gorgeous and is beginning to thaw- there is a waterfall on the other side pouring into it. 7.37 miles, 2,014 ft elevation gain, 3 hrs to complete.

My family came here for my husband's birthday request, a snow hike! This must be our fourth time…read morecoming here and every time we hike it's all worth it! You get to experience the fresh snow, see the frozen lake and be impressed with the Mountain View! Great family venture, easy hike even for small children and elderly during summer time. It can be busy and crowded too!

Gold Creek Pond is a beautiful and peaceful spot with amazing mountain views, easy walking paths,…read moreand great scenery for families, photos, or a quick nature break. The area is especially stunning during the summer and fall. The disappointing part is that it's closed from around April through November, which feels like more than half the year and limits access during some of the best outdoor months. It's a bummer because this is one of the nicer and more accessible spots near Snoqualmie Pass. Hopefully there can be better seasonal access or clearer updates for visitors planning trips. When it's open, though, it's definitely worth visiting.

Came on a Saturday morning about a quarter past 8AM, parking lot was already full so we parked in…read morethe parking lot across the bridge, walked back to the trailhead on the street. Hike was pretty shaded for a long time, wasn't very steep, lots of runners, saw some backpackers / campers (PCT'ers?). Not the most polite backpackers that we saw though, which surprised me. Went up Kendall Peak after reading directions on how to find the intersection; the path was just a quarter mile up to the top, path was narrow and super steep, a bit rocky as well but totally worth the climb, the view was AMAZING, 360 views, beautiful weather. Back on the PCT, the trail went back up a bit until the Kendall Katwalk, which was quite beautiful and was a different perspective than the peak. Hiked to Ridge Lake and Gravel Lake, the former which was small and didn't have many people, the latter was a bit bigger but not very pretty. Not much of a mountain view at either one, water wasn't too cold, lots of mosquitoes though, bring repellent. Not many people at either lake which was nice, not many people overall on the trail. Hike down wasn't too bad, total was a bit long though, definitely recommend!

Whoooot!! My new favorite hike around the Snoqualmie area! With no true summit, Kendall Katwalk is…read morea narrow pathway with stunning views! Difficulty: Moderate (mainly because it was so long) Round trip: 11-11.5 miles Elevation gain: 2600 ft Time: 2.75 hours up, 2.25 hours down Drive: Very easy and straight froward. Right off exit 52 on I-90. Parking: The Pacific Crest Trail main parking lot that can fit around 50-60 cars. Very popular trail so come early. I came on a Tuesday morning at 9:00 am and there were already about 10-15 cars parked. Trail: The trail is in pretty good shape. Numerous of wild flowers blooming. The hike starts off at Pacific Crest Trail parking lot and into the sheltering forest. Some parts of the pathway are pretty narrow and surrounded by lots of lush overgrowth. The beginning of the trail has a very gradual mild incline. After about 2 miles, the trail splits into two junctions with a sign for the Commonwealth Creek Trail. You will stay on the right side heading upwards. There are a couple of small stream crossings. The trail then opens up into an open talus and into a rocky terrain. The trail starts to pick up a little with a moderate grade incline. There are switchbacks but some are not well defined. Around 4 miles or so, the trail starts to get narrow circling the side of the mountain. Amazing views everywhere! Kendall Katwalk is a well defined narrow pathway with huge rocks lining the edge. There are two open areas on each side of the ridge to relax and enjoy the scenery. If you keep following the trail for another 1-1.5 mile, you will reach Gravel and Ridge Lake. I didn't bother to keep going, 11 miles round trip was already pretty long to me. Lots of trail runners! Bugs: Bring bug spray. I got bit 4 times by annoying mosquitoes. Tips: The last two miles are very exposed. Be sure to bring sunblock! Overall, this trail is pretty easy and straightforward. The overall incline was very gradual and not very steep. *Northwest Forest Pass required*

I parked the Sprinter van in the Hyak parking lot and started my walk. It's about a half mile from…read morethe lot on a trail that is smooth and easy as it is a decommissioned rail track. After about 5 minutes and around a bend, there it is. It's a giant hole in the mountain. Freezing cold even in early October with a stiff breeze pouring out of the tunnel and yes, it's completely dark. There is no way I'm going more than 30 yards in without a flashlight, a second flashlight and a THIRD flashlight. It's DARK. Constructed between 1912 and 1914, it was part of the rail line from Chicago to Seattle. It saved a whole lot of train troubles going over the mountains with this 2 mile long tunnel that is part of the Iron Horse Trail. It's a crushed rock trail so no problem for walking or biking. [Review 20853 overall - 110 in Washington - 1837 of 2023.]

This park is super quiet. All that is here are trails. There are some trails that use to be part of…read morea railroad. You can walk through a tunnel in part of it. There are some campsites along the trail. You'll have to carry all of your supplies in.

Parking lot was full when we arrived but there's plenty of side pull offs to park. The FS road was…read moreactually really nice- only really large potholes at the start. The trail was a bit muddy and damp in some areas but totally manageable. Kids said there were some bugs but I didn't notice any. There were a handful of other hikers on the trail but not too bad. We didn't notice any poop bags or trash- good job people with pack it in pack it out!!! Once we arrived at the lake there were only a few hikers relaxing and enjoying the view. The lake is so clear and was so tempting to jump in but waited for another trip. There were some stones and roots but most of it was quite pleasant and we found the hike back down to be way less brutal than most hikes with some kind of elevation. It was giving me Yosemite vibes with the large rocks and mostly dry path. There was a pit toilet at the parking lot but didn't use it. It states the Discover pass is not valid there- had the national parks pass posted. The noise of traffic could be heard off in the distance but by the time you're at the lake it's completely gone and you're just vibing with the sounds of nature. Will be back again to take a dip in the lake and soak up more of the views. Hiked 6.22.2023

This hike is really catered to family friendly hikers. With that being said, it's a pretty easy…read moreand very light elevation and switch back gain. The only downside is that it can get packed, quick! Be mindful of parking. All in all the lake is gorgeous!! I highly recommend coming early and leaving early, by mid afternoon this place is packed to the gills! The views are gorgeous and you cannot take a bad picture. Enjoy!

Absolutely gorgeous hike on single lane trail to a lake. Along the way is a smaller lake which is a…read morebeautiful view. The trailhead is a large parking area which is gravel and rock. Signage for the Pacific Crest trail is also at the start of this trail which was very cool. Now I can say I have hiked a tiny bit of the PCT! lol! This trail has beautiful views of the mountains at the start as you make your way up under chairlifts. A tiny bit of snow on the side of the trail as you enter the forested area. Most of the trail is over quite slippery footing on tree roots, rocky/gravely, wet terrain in the shade. Watch your footing. Miniature water falls along the way make this a beautiful and peaceful hike. Dogs and kids galore on the trail as well. Trail runners too! A very busy trail for sure. Excellent start to summer hiking season in the PNW. SYOY

This was a nice easy hike right behind our houses. Good to take friends that are not experienced…read morehikers I will be taking some of my friend coming up in Aug on this nice hike. One hour hike!

After having read/heard about the snowshoe walk that Snoqualmie Falls Park offers, a group of us…read morefinally went and had our chances to snowshoe for the first time at Snoqualmie Falls Park. The rangers at the Snoqualmie Falls Park Visitor Center were very friendly and helpful. You could tell they love the nature and love showing off how amazing and beautiful the nature in the Pacific Northwest is! Our 90 min (the walk was actually free, but with a suggested donation of $15/person) snowshoe walk was scheduled at 10am and the weather happened to be perfect! It was sunny, not too cold...and clear sky! :) Very beautiful! The walk itself was not too strenuous...as it was just a mile walk (although it involved going up and down the hill a bit...so if you are taking someone senior, make sure they are comfortable with walking...a couple people brought their own snow/walking poles too!). There was so much snow (and even a thick, fresh layer of snow when we went!) even though it was already getting into Spring in early March. From what we found out, the walk that we did was on the snow that was 5-6 feet above the ground...how amazing was that! We started off the walk with how to put on snow shoe, then did a little race to get us more oriented into our snowshoe, did some nature walk and ended with time for some photo / snowball fight opportunities. If you are interested in the snowshoe walk, I highly recommend calling and making reservations ahead of time. They only offer free walks on weekends and only in Jan-Mar and even though we called almost a month ahead of our scheduled, the tours were very much booked (although there may be a few spots open up because of last min no-shows if you happened to get lucky). This snowshoe nature walk is a great, very fun experience for anyone (family and/or friends) and a good, short trip away from Seattle!

Did the photo snowshoe hike led by Chuck Davis on Feb 15 . http://alpinescenes.net/biography.html…read more The snow was coming down pretty hard and the cloud cover was low so not great photo ops but Chuck was terrific and prepared with thoughtful lessons on composition, histograms, etc - he covered a lot of territory and was very knowledgeable. He was warm , friendly, entertaining,and professional. His walk really had a great blend of nature, photography and safety education. He took us off trail a little which was great and we tried to find the elusive snowshoe hare. The caboose ranger was Hailu who was very nice, friendly and professional. I always felt safe and able to ask any questions or let them know if I was cold or working too hard. They were very aware of how people were feeling and ensured a pleasant time by keeping a good pace. The staff in the office was also terrific - all of them. I called several times in advance with questions and if it went to voice mail, they ALWAYS called me back - WOW! Don't get that much anymore. You can tell they love what they do and want the best for the patrons. If you have never tried snowshoeing before they'll provide you with free snowshoes, poles and only ask for a donation. It is a great safe environment to go tromping including younger ones. Highly recommend for beginners or not. http://snowshoeingsnoqualmiepass.wordpress.com/ Our trip was in Commonwealth Basin and I think it was about 3 mi roundtrip - pretty easy exercise, but some uphill. I think it ended a little early because we were getting a little chilled. The photo walk is not very aerobic so be prepared with layers to do some stopping for discussion, lunch and picture taking.

This is an absolutely beautiful location! We came across it driving into Seattle and it's just…read morebreathtaking. A natural lake nestled in a mountain where one can enjoy peace, quiet, nature, and pure serenity. Amazing!