Franklin Falls Trail is a 3.2 kilometer heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Snoqualmie Pass, Washington that features a waterfall and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, running, and camping and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
SEASONAL ROAD CLOSURE: The road leading to this trailhead is subject to closure during winter. If the road is closed, visitors must park on Denny Creek Road and walk 2 miles to the trailhead. This addition adds 4 miles roundtrip to the hike so be prepared. For more information, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mbs/recreation/recarea/?recid=80203&actid=50 The Northwest Forest Pass is required or there is a fee for parking. Discover Passes are not accepted for National Forest land. Franklin Falls Trail is a popular, easy hike that is only a few miles round trip and is easy to reach thanks to the paved road and the ample parking lot. It is a great hike for the whole family, so feel free to bring kids, even the little ones. The path is clearly marked and has plenty of stopping points. This is a highly traveled trail so parking fills up quickly, but that also means that there are restrooms available at the trailhead. This is a great hike year-round. You can take a dip in the summer, enjoy a classic foggy Pacific Northwest day, or experience a winter wonderland when it is snowy (though you will want to consider bringing snowshoes or at least sturdy hiking boots and hiking poles). This can also be done as a loop by connecting with the Wagon Road Trail.
Federal Northwest Forest Pass
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Snoqualmie District (North Bend) Tel: 425.888.1421
From Seattle, E on I-90 to exit 47. Left off the freeway. Right at T in road for .4 miles. Left on FSR 58 for 2.5 miles to FSR 5830. Turn left and park before bridge, trailhead is just before bridge on the right.
April 22, 2021The entrance to the trail was closed off. Had to walk almost two miles. It got very snowy and the road conditions were bad. I didn’t have the right shoes on so I turned back. Not many people there today. It was fairly secluded.
April 17, 2021Full of snow
April 12, 2021The snow is deep, we didn’t even make it to the falls. The road is “closed” so we parked at the entrance and walked 5+ miles to the trail head but other people were going passed the road closed signs and parking as far up on the road as they could. Very slippery! At the actual parking lot the snow was as high as the bathrooms. Still beautiful though!
April 11, 2021Easy hike! Beautiful falls, I had my engagement photos taken here!
April 5, 2021April 4, 2021Awesome
March 24, 2021It was gorgeous but it was difficult to get to and the avalanche blocked most of the view. Also a lot of the icicles that were there before are gone. It was still beautiful and snowy I reccomend parking at the ski resort and walking to the trail. Bring snow spikes for sure and lots of warm layers.
March 22, 2021We walked the longer way from the snow resort through the snow bank, walked underneath a bridge to slide down this steep snow hill to find there was a man-made avalanche that covered the falls. It was disappointing.
March 17, 2021A little icy but well worth seeing the gorgeous waterfall.
March 15, 2021March 12, 2021They really messed up the view of the waterfall with what they did. I’m an Army Chaplain and just took a group of over 50 to the waterfall - it’s a little disheartening to make it there and then the view be severely blocked by debris.
March 12, 2021Pretty short trail. Very icy in the winter. The waterfall is blocked off by an avalanche. I would recommend this trail for beginners.
March 4, 2021March 2, 2021Tough hike! A friend and I went on Feb. 28, 2021 and the base of the falls is totally covered by an avalanche pile right now, leaving just the top half of the falls visible. There's a small path on the avalanche pile to climb, but with the water underneath, it's probably very dangerous to hike on. There's a lot of trail covered by soft, deep snow, and we saw quite a few regular footprints sunk 2ft down into the snow. So I'd definitely recommend snowshoes (or at least microspikes) and trekking poles for the whole way.
March 1, 2021Beautiful hike! We took exit 52 and parked at the ski resort and worked our way to the falls. This route is faster then the other this time of year. The I-90 avalanche work dumped snow down wiped out the majority of the area at the bottom of the falls, so if you want to get close, it’s a bit of a climb over the fresh avalanche snow if you want to get near the falls. Looks (and smells) as though some trees came down with the avalanche. I prefer micro spikes for this trail (Alpental) over snowshoes as the path is quite narrow. It is quite a workout coming back up!
March 1, 2021Went there today, it was a beautiful hike. A little slippery, sticks and chains would help, if you want to get closer to the fall. Smelt lovely pine from trees falling from the avalanche. Park your car along the road right after you get off I-90. Saw ppl was parking in front of the entry restricted sign. And rangers was taking pictures and giving them tickets.
February 27, 2021February 27, 2021February 26, 2021I went on Sunday, 02/21/2021 and it was a blast! The parking situation sucks but otherwise it was a lot of fun. I was able to go without any micro spikes but it’s a little easier if you have some! Lots of people and sadly just 50% were wearing masks ..
February 25, 2021Went there yesterday, the fall is destroyed by avalanche control it looks terrible!
February 24, 2021February 21, 2021beautiful snowy hike. go early
