Franklin Falls

Drop everything

Is it plungeworthy?

139feet tall

A 3-tier plunge on South Fork Snoqualmie River.

Scale52/60

Documentation15/20

Character20/20

The details

Tiers: 3 drops
Type: Tiered Plunge
Watercourse: South Fork Snoqualmie River
Coordinates: 47.42501, -121.43244

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About Franklin Falls

Franklin Falls is a 139-foot tiered plunge in Washington, on South Fork Snoqualmie River. The water falls in 3 distinct tiers.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates Franklin Falls 8.7/10 — drop everything. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

A 70-foot falls on the South Fork Snoqualmie, an hour from Seattle and a mostly flat mile from the car — the I-90 corridor's family waterfall. The first 500 feet of trail are wheelchair-accessible to a river viewpoint, and the final approach puts you close enough for spray.

Getting there

Trailhead: Franklin Falls Trailhead, FR 58 (Denny Creek Road), 2.8 miles from I-90 Exit 47
Parking: Three lots, ~170 cars total; no roadside parking
Road: Paved
Hike: 2 mi round trip, 400 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: Trail hugs the river most of the way.

When to go

April through July, on snowmelt. In winter the access road closes to vehicles (roughly late November through March) and the gorge carries avalanche risk — this is a three-season walk, not a snowshoe.

It is one of the most popular short hikes in the state; weekends fill all three lots.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Northwest Forest Pass or interagency pass ($5/day, $30/year) — a Discover Pass does NOT work here
Dogs: Leashed
Hours: Day use
Warnings: This trailhead has a history of abrupt staffing-related closures — glance at the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie alerts page before driving.

Researched from USFS — Franklin Falls Trailhead · WTA — Franklin Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Franklin Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.