Gossamer Falls

Gossamer Falls is located on a small parcel of Department of Natural Resources land in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River valley near North Bend. Exit Interstate 90 at Edgewick Road (Exit 34) and head north past the truck stop for one-quarter mile to SE Middle Fork Road and turn left. Proceed just over 7 miles (the first 2.5 are paved) to a signed and gated road on the left and park. This marks the beginning of the DNR’s Bessemer Road. As of 2012 a Discover Pass is required to legally park here. Begin hiking along the gated road, which climbs gently for the first mile, to where it intersects the CCC Trail. Continue following the obvious road up the hill where all trails and spurs branch off. About a mile and three-quarters from the trailhead is an active quarry, where trucks and heavy equipment may be encountered during the weekdays – stay clear of traffic and out of the quarry area. Continue straight past the quarry, climbing up three sharp switchbacks. At the 2.6 mile mark you will encounter Switchback Falls immediately adjacent to the road (see link below), and one more sharp switchback and a fifth of a mile further will cross at the top of Switchback Falls. Gossamer Falls can be seen upstream from this point, with a closer approach available by scrambling up the slope to the left of the stream and traversing through the open forest for another 300 feet upstream to the base of the falls.Gossamer Falls is a surprisingly significant waterfall found along a small unnamed branch of Big Blowout Creek on the south side of Bessemer Mountain. The likely seasonal stream spreads out and veils over a fractured granite face, dropping 102 feet into what was formerly a scenic grotto of ferns and alder trees. The falls have a moderate pitch and are significantly affected by foreshortening when viewed up close On February 9th, 2020 a massive debris flow let loose well above the falls and severely altered the drainage. The falls do appear to still be intact, but the flow ripped out all surrounding trees for at least 100 feet on either side of the falls, as well as deposited a thick coating of mud everywhere. The Bessemer Mountain Road was also destroyed in four places where it crosses this stream, rendering access to this waterfall likely quite tedious at best for the foreseeable future. For the time being the falls will at least be more visible than previously, however after events such as this, it is common for fast growing foliage such as Red Alder to take over in the absence of other plants, and the result may be that this waterfall could be severely obstructed from view within the next decade, depending on how active the unstable earth in the channel remains.We don’t know this waterfall to have ever been recognized or named, though given the DNR’s relatively heavy use of the Bessemer Road, they may have an unofficial title for it which hasn’t been published anywhere. Lacking any evidence to suggest otherwise, we are operating on the assumption that it is not a named feature and have proposed the name Gossamer Falls for it’s lacy, delicate veiling character.