Keekwulee Falls

Keekwulee Falls is located just west of Snoqualmie Pass, along the Melakwa Lakes Trail. 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, shortly after turning left onto Road #5830 and following it a quarter mile to its end at the trailhead. To avoid backtracking, westbound travelers can exit at the West Summit (Hyak) exit at Snoqualmie Pass and follow the frontage road towards Alpental, then pick up Road #58 where Alpental Road bears right, and follow it down to the Denny Creek area in another 2-1/2 miles. On foot, follow the Melakwa Lakes Trail, which climbs moderately along its duration, for 1.8 miles to trailside views looking down at Keekwulee Falls where the trail crosses a boulder field. Note that the trail crosses Denny Creek just over a mile in between the Denny Creek Cascades, without the aid of a bridge. When the creek is running high this ford is not recommended because the rocks are slick and another waterfall is found just downstream from the crossing.Denny Creek sports a number of waterfalls, some quite a bit more noteworthy and conspicuous than others. Keekwulee is the most significant of the bunch and is one of the prime attractions along the Melakwa Lakes Trail near Snoqualmie Pass. The falls occur as Denny Creek emerges from a narrow canyon, spreading across a broad granite shelf and cascading 29 feet in undulating sheets of water. At the base of the cascade the creek veils out further, sometimes splitting into as many as three distinct channels, and plunging 142 feet into a narrower and deeper section of the canyon than above. The appearance of the lower tier of the falls has changed considerably over the year, and it appears it may not be prevented from changing again. Currently the creek occupies one primary channel, however in the past a second major channel could be seen to the right of the current one, with the water stepping down twice via a narrow cleft. It appears the debris has currently clogged this path, but it may open up again after a few substantial floods.
While Denny Creek isn't exactly a large stream, it can see a rather considerable volume of water after heavy prolonged rain, as well as during the peak of snowmelt season. This results in the character of the falls varying significantly over the year - shifting from a rather impressive booming waterfall in the spring and late fall months to a delicate fountain-like plume of droplets which seems to dance in the wind during the dry summer months. If the summer has been considerably dry the falls may even be reduced to just a trickle, but the drainage basin is large enough that it should never dry out.Keekwulee falls was named by a party of Mountaineers in 1916, but it is not known for sure when the falls were discovered by westerners. Keekwulee is a Chinook Jargon word meaning "to fall down" - rather apt for this waterfall. Denny Creek was named for the Denny Family, Seattle pioneers (likely for whom Denny Way was named as well), who had mining claims in the area.