Franklin Falls

Franklin Falls is located just west of Snoqualmie Pass, between the lanes of Interstate 90 near the Denny Creek viaduct. Depending on which direction you are traveling from, directions to the trailhead will vary. For travelers heading east from North Bend, depart I-90 at Exit 47 (Denny Creek and Asahel Curtis), then turn left from the off-ramp and cross the freeway, and bear right at the T-intersection. Drive just a quarter mile, crossing under I-90, and then turn left onto Denny Creek Road #58 where signs point to Denny Creek and Franklin Falls. After 2.3 miles pass Denny Creek Campground, and shortly after turn left onto Road 5830 to find the lower Frankin Falls trailhead promptly. If you wish to shorten the hike, there are two more access points along Road #58, found about one-half of a mile, and 1.3 miles beyond the campground respectively - both at sharp switchbacks in the road.
Travelers heading west from Cle Elum will need to exit I-90 at the West Summit exit (Hyak), then follow the frontage road past the ski area towards Alpental, then bear left onto Road #58 after crossing under I-90. The lower trailhead will be 2.5 miles down Road #58 from its junction with Alpental Road, and the middle and upper access points about 2 and 1.4 miles respectively.
Depending on which trailhead you start at, the hike to the falls will be either one mile, six-tenths of a mile, or one-fifth of a mile in length respectively. To reach the two upper tiers of the falls, continue half of a mile east from the uppermost trail access point to a pullout near the top of the falls, and look for an obvious trail which leads a few hundred feet through the woods to the river between the two tiers. Easy paths lead to views of both drops.Franklin Falls is the uppermost waterfall along the South Fork Snoqualmie River which bears an officially recognized name, as well as developed trail access. More uniquely the falls have the distinct characteristic of being situated in between the east and west lanes of Interstate 90, with the westbound lanes crossing a talus slope directly above the falls on a high viaduct. Compounding this surprisingly unobtrusive influence of man, the trail to the falls is among the most popular in the Snoqualmie Pass area thanks to its ease and kid-friendliness.
At first glance Franklin Falls may appear to be nowhere near as tall as the figures we present here, but the falls are actually considerably larger than most may realize. The total height of the formation comes out to 186 feet, split between three distinct tiers, only a portion of one of which can be seen from the base. The uppermost drop begins as a broad cascading fall of 19 feet set amid tall timber. Shortly below the second tier makes a similar cascade type drop, but veiling outward as it falls 28 feet into a scenic green-hued pool framed by cliffs. The outlet of this pool marks the top of the third tier, which starts out by cascading for 30 feet down an incline which squeezes through a narrow gap in the cliff, and then reverting to a sheer plunge for the final 109 feet of the falls, which is the only part of the falls visible from the trail leading to its base (though if one were to wade out into the river at the bottom of the falls it may be possible to see part of the slide above the plunging portion of the lower tier).
Despite being situated only a few miles from its source, the volume of the river at Franklin Falls can vary tremendously through the season. During the peak of snowmelt season the volume can swell to twenty times or more its volume in the driest summer months, at which point so much water is forced through the gap at the top of the lower tier of the falls that it explodes outward over the cliff, creating a massive arching plume of water. But come August and September the river is reduced to a placid mountain brook and the water clings to the cliff face as it plunges into its pool - which very nicely becomes an outstanding swimming hole (if you can bear the cold water).