Finally was able to go up and see Franklin Falls before the weather warms up. The recent stretch of freezing temperatures has the ice formations looking incredible.
The road down to the parking lot was compacted snow but not difficult to travel for pretty much any vehicle. I stopped at the top and put chains on just to be safe. Plenty of parking upon arrival at noon, with most cars parked in the first lot. (I suspect that most people, like me, parked in the first spot available and did not continue past this lot to realize that there's another one closer to the trailhead)
To find the trail, locate the bathrooms (clean but out of TP at my visit), then go down the (ice-and-snow-covered) stairs next to it. Cross the road to the (closed) bathrooms and disabled parking stalls (also closed) to find the sign pointing to the trailhead.
The trail is well compacted and easy to follow. Snowshoes not necessary, but microspikes were helpful. Especially for the final descent to the waterfall basin, which was icey and slippery. I also appreciated having snowshoeing poles with me, with their sharp spikes on the end, to help dig in at this point.
The falls, as expected, look amazing. All ice, with just a small funnel of rushing water in the center. Several ice-climbers were tackling the falls yesterday, while many more people brought blankets for a Valentines Day picnic at the falls. Here is the one place snowshoes might have been useful, because the snow right around the base of the falls is quite deep and it's possible to posthole up to your thighs if you attempt to get right up to the waterfall.
All in all, a wonderful day, and I'm glad I got to see the ice formations before the weather warms up again.
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