Took exit 47 for Franklin Falls. The road to the Franklin Falls trailhead is not open, so the hike is a few miles longer. Instead of about 1.5 miles to the falls from the trailhead, the hike was 3.5 miles one way.
I put micro-spikes on at the car and kept them on the whole hike. The road is covered with ice/packed snow (shown in a photo). The micro-spikes really are needed near the water falls as the steps getting down are packed with heavy ice.
The falls are not yet frozen, but they are flowing strong and still pretty.
There are extra photos on my Facebook page, which is available from the link.
Comments
- Uli on Franklin Falls, Franklin Falls - Winter
I thought the Franklin Falls parking lot is a Sno-Park in the winter. At least it said so a few weeks ago, just before the flooding. But the road is closed?
Posted by:
- Uli on Dec 28, 2025 09:58 PM
proxie on Franklin Falls, Franklin Falls - Winter
I'm also confused by this. The "winter route" for the trail seems to imply that "Asahel Curtis Sno-Park" is where you can safely park, and start to walk along Denny Creek Road which should be closed, but OP mentions taking exit 47 for Franklin Falls which implies heading to where the summer route normally starts? Google Maps explicitly has a "Franklin Falls Winter Route" mark, but this isn't near the "Asahel Curtis Sno-Park"
Posted by:
proxie on Dec 28, 2025 10:43 PM
- Uli on Franklin Falls, Franklin Falls - Winter
Unless the road to the summer parking lot at Fanklin falls / Denny Creek is explicitly closed with barricades / signs (there is local access for the cabin owners along the road....) then the road is open.
Posted by:
- Uli on Dec 28, 2025 11:01 PM
nwhsolohiker on Franklin Falls, Franklin Falls - Winter
The USDA Forest Service site says the Denny Creek road will not be plowed this year and thus will not be open.
Both Denny Creek and Asahel Curtis trail heads are accessed from exit 47.
I always thought the “winter route” for Franklin Falls was to take exit 52, park at Summit West, walk under the highway to Alpental Road and take an immediate left down Forest Road 58 (not plowed in winter, but perfect for snowshoeing) from the top rather than from exit 47.
Posted by:
nwhsolohiker on Dec 29, 2025 09:14 AM
- Uli on Franklin Falls, Franklin Falls - Winter
Yes, from exit 52 was the winter route until 2023 when the Summit ski area implemented a $50 a day parking fee every day for non-lift ticket holders for the 24/25 season. That was significantly reduced in cost and scope for 25/26, so it may be an option again.
If the USFS web site says its not plowed then it contradicts the sign at the trail head parking lot (at least as it was posted 3 weeks ago).
It said that a Sno-park pass is required. And the rationale for charging extra in the winter for sno-parks is the cost of plowing.
The Franklin Falls / Denny creek parking lot has only been a sno-park for the last couple years. Before then.the road wasn't plowed and cleared, and there were clear "road closed" signs posted about 1/4 mile from Exit 47, just after the I-5 underpath. If there are no road closed signs it should be open (unless snow or trees block the road). Since parking isn't allowed anywhere along the road any more you'd either have to make it all the way to the parking lot, or park near exit 47 and walk the road.
Posted by:
- Uli on Dec 29, 2025 11:25 AM
Old Rod on Franklin Falls, Franklin Falls - Winter
Yes, the Franklin Falls parking lot is a Sno-Park. Also, the whole area is a Sno-Park. To hike to Franklin Falls from the exit 47 area requires a Sno-Park pass. The road is closed and does have a barricade at the start. Local home owners can move the barricade to get by, but not the general public.
Posted by:
Old Rod on Dec 29, 2025 03:49 PM
- Uli on Franklin Falls, Franklin Falls - Winter
Exit 47 (Granite Mtn / Pratt lake trailhead) is not a Sno-park area. At least it hasn't been in the past. Are you saying you need a Sno-park to park there now? If not, walking into a sno-park area has never required a pass - just driving and parking there.
Posted by:
- Uli on Dec 29, 2025 03:55 PM
Washington Trails Association on Franklin Falls, Franklin Falls - Winter
Hi everyone, just wanted to clear up what the Forest Service had conveyed to us regarding the Franklin Falls situation this winter, which is in the Franklin Falls - Winter Hiking Guide entry. We have added the following links to the entry as well.
The Franklin Falls Sno-Park is not operating this year; Denny Creek Road will not be plowed and the gate will be closed to motorized vehicles. The closure alert can be found on the Forest Service website here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mbs/alerts/franklin-falls-sno-park-closed-winter
Instead, hikers will need to park at the Asahel Curtis Sno-Park; parking for the Asahel Curtis Sno-Park will be located before the gate to the Asahel Curtis picnic area this year at exit 47 on FR 9035. Because this is sno-park parking, it will require a sno-park permit. The information on the location of the Asahel Curtis Sno-Park parking this year can be found on the Forest Service website here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mbs/recreation/asahel-curtis-picnic-area
The hike to the falls will be about 7 miles roundtrip, since it will include the hike along Denny Creek Road.
We hope this clears up some of the confusion!
Posted by:
Washington Trails Association on Dec 30, 2025 07:35 AM
- Uli on Franklin Falls, Franklin Falls - Winter
Thank you WTA for the clarification and the links to the relevant USFS websites.
Two additional comments:
1) The Pratt Lake / Granite Mtn trailhead is not mentioned as being a Sno-Park lot and is only 1/4 mile or so from the Asahel Curtis Sno-Park. So if you don't already have a pass for this winter, an additional 1/2 or 3/4 miles round trip can save you the money for a sno-park pass if you park at the Pratt Lake trailhead.
2) the USFS website says the road to Franklin Falls parking lot is closed effective Nov 21 - April 1st. However, as of Dec. 8th there were no road closed signs out and the road was clear of any obstacles. This may be quite different by now, though.
Posted by:
- Uli on Dec 30, 2025 08:12 PM