A Hike Down to Snoqualmie Falls | Seattle Newborn & Maternity Photographer

May 6, 2018 By Stephanie With 2 Comments

In Photography / Travel

Heading out for week two of my photo diary turned out to be pretty fun. This time I dragged my teenage son out of bed bright and early and off we went to Snoqualmie Falls. It was raining when we left and raining when we got there. Lol. Good thing my camera has a rain coat. It was something I invested in while photographing all those football games.

The Falls from Above

Since it was so early there was plenty of parking which was nice. We got a front row space and only had to walk a few yards to get to the Falls. The rain had let up to a misty drizzle. The air was still so wet and chilly, though, and you could hear the roar of the Falls in the distance.

At the park there are two ways to view the Falls. One of those ways was from the top up near the lodge. There are tons of viewing areas. We walked around to them all. Looking down at the Falls is pretty spectacular sight. Due to the weather, there was fog in the canyon and mist everywhere, not to mention all the mist and spray coming up from the bottom. I felt like I could have sat there a while and just listened to the water and watch it fall. This time of year the Falls are always raging too.

The Hike Down

The second way to view the Falls, and my personal favorite, is from the bottom by the river. There is a parking lot near the bottom (which we realized too late much to my son’s disappoint) or you can hike down from the top. We chose to hike down.

The hike from the top of the Falls wound down through the woods, past the plant, across a boardwalk and down to the river. The best part of the hike was that we were completely alone, which is rare. I almost thought a bear would jump out of the woods. It was so peaceful and quiet and beautiful on the trail. Hearing the birds chirping while we walked was just so nice. My son said ugh it was annoying. But he’s 13….what does he know? Lol Needless to say I loved being the only ones on the trail.

Down to the River

We knew we were getting close to the bottom because all of a sudden you could hear the roar of it getting closer and closer. Just coming around the corner and starting to see the roaring water was pretty cool. It was moving so fast and was a sight to behold. I’m grabbing pictures of course and even tried out a new technique to make the water show movement in the images. It was fun. My son was really in awe of the place. That was the best part though….getting to hang out with my oldest.

The Falls from Below

Making it to the river, and still having no one around, was so nice. The rain had let up quite a bit by this time and we got to just hang out and enjoy the view. Watching the raging river rushing over the rocks, feeling the spray of the water, hearing the Falls and taking in the huge cliffs on each side were really beyond words. We had such a relaxing morning. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

As we hiked back up the steep trail, I was so thankful we got there early as groups of people were heading down. Definitely an awesome week in my photo diary journey.