I wanted to take the dog for a walk because we didn't go anywhere yesterday, and I decided to go see Franklin Falls because I never went there before and I didn't have enough time for a longer hike. I am glad I went, it was a nice day, the waterfall is beautiful, and I even got a peek at Denny Mountain along the way. We used Wagon Trail to get to the falls (switching to the Franklin Falls Trail near the falls), and then took the Franklin Falls Trail on the way back, so it was pretty much a loop.
The road is perfect (exit 47 then to the trailhead parking). From the parking, we went up the road and got on the Wagon Road Trail to the right. In about 30 minutes we were at Franklin Falls (a few mins before the falls is the fork with the Franklin Falls Trail). The trail was through a forest, few vies of fall foliage but mostly just forest. I liked the waterfall, though it's right next to the highway pass (it would be much nicer if the highway was not there but I am a frequent user so I can't complain). If it was freezing, the rocks to get down to the waterfall at the end of the trail would probably be a lot more slippery, but today it was completely fine, grip was good no matter what I did. Trail was very well maintained.
On the way back we took the Franklin Falls Trail. This trail is even in a better shape, almost too good of a shape. I liked the Franklin Falls trail a bit more than Wagon Road, because it was near the South Fork Snoqualmie River, and there were a number of places with nice views of the river. We went down to the river in a few places, too. Just a week ago we went to the Source Lake where the South Fork starts, so it all makes sense :-)
Alogether, it was about an hour, plus about 10 mins walking to the river and around the falls. The GPS shows 2.40 mile (starting/ending with the car), and total ascent of 243 feet. The watch shows higher ascent as usual (444 ft).
A nice trail for walking the dog, the Franklin Falls and the views of the South Fork are great, and the only negative is the proximity of the highway so we could hear cars pretty much all the time. I think we'll come again when there is more snow, though the access road is closed so it'll become a much longer hike then. Should be fun in the winter. Will also see a lot of Denny Mountain while skiing the Alpental.
Comments
Martin Saxer on Franklin Falls, Wagon Road Trail
Amazing to see how calm the South Fork is in your second picture. It looks like you were close to my cabin, which is directly across the river from the oft-photographed red cabin. I was up there yesterday and every single rock in your picture (yes, every one!) was hidden beneath a roiling brown onslaught of water that was flooding low-lying areas adjacent to the river. I'd never seen so much water, and full-size tree trunks, rushing down the river. I described it as a death river since it was legitimately scary to stand next to. I wish I could add a picture to my comment.
On an unrelated note, I think that's Guye Peak in your third picture. Wouldn't Denny Mountain (AKA Alpental) be further off to the left? I'm not totally sure, but if I'm wrong I've been misinforming my cabin guests for years. :-)
Since I've already got a mini-trip report here I'll add that there were a few inches of snow on the road, although there's still two tracks of bare pavement to drive on. I suspect that'll be ending in a few days when the snow level drops. That'll change this short hike into a much longer trek from Exit 47 or Alpental Road.
Posted by:
Martin Saxer on Nov 05, 2022 03:49 PM