What was this Seattle area hike?

June 12, 2017 9:01 PM

I remember going on a hike a long time ago as a kid that was somewhere in the Cascades, possibly near Snoqualmie or Leavenworth. I'd like to go back but I can't remember what it was anymore.

I'm pretty sure this hike was somewhere along the I-90, perhaps around Snoqualmie, or somewhere between Seattle and Leavenworth at least.

What I particularly remember about the hike was it wasn't very far from the freeway, and there was a deep, dark crystal blue river that ran alongside at the trail. I distinctly remember at one point the river blasts full force against a rock wall, making a 90 degree elbow turn. I don't think the hike was particularly steep/difficult. Or perhaps it was just a turnoff/viewpoint? Does this ring any bells for anyone?

Someone mentioned Twin Falls as a possibility, but I'd been there more recently and I don't think that's quite it.

posted by Orca to Science & Nature (7 answers total)

It doesn't fit the I-90 part of your description as it's off Hwy 101 on the peninsula, and so in the Olympics rather than the Cascades. But gosh the rest of it sounds just like Goblins Gate. Easy hike, eerie blue river, ninety-degree turn penned in by rock walls – one of the most memorably beautiful places I know.

(I spend a loooot of time hiking in the I-90 corridor and I've never seen anything there that even remotely fits your description like Goblins Gate does.)
posted by adiabat at 10:00 PM on June 12, 2017

Your description puts me in mind of Franklin Falls, though it's been a long time since I've hiked it.
posted by Radiophonic Oddity at 10:17 PM on June 12, 2017

How deep was the blue? One of the feeders for Lake Diablo maybe?
posted by corb at 12:27 PM on June 13, 2017

Best answer: Deception Falls, but not the waterfall part. If you go down Deception Creek from the falls there's a bit that looks just like that. The water is perfectly clear (not blue) and at one point turns 90 degrees.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:38 PM on June 13, 2017

Response by poster: I don't remember the water being too unnaturally blue, just the sort of blue of mountain water. I'm confident that whatever this was, it was in the Cascades, though I'm really hoping I didn't just dream it up! Failing that, I will also take suggestions for easy riverside hikes with pretty water :)

Franklin falls rings some bells... I'll have to check there.
posted by Orca at 4:31 PM on June 13, 2017

Best answer: If it's Franklin Falls, the water is down a small cliff for much of the walk and it's a there-and-back trail with the waterfall at the end. You end up at the base of the falls, with I-90 visible overhead. When you're at the water it's open space.

If it's Deception Falls, you're much closer to the water and you wind around in the woods -- it's a small loop trail. In my experience Deception Creek has clearer water. The spot where the 90 degree bend is has informational signage saying basically "we don't know how the heck this happened." When you're walking there it's through the woods the entire time.

They're both in the Cascades and near the highway. Deception Falls is right there -- you pull off into the parking lot, head down a few steps, boom, you're on the trail. Franklin Falls has a little more driving off the freeway, but you might not have noticed that as a kid.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:55 PM on June 13, 2017

Response by poster: You know, after looking at a video of part of deception falls, I really think that might be it!!!
posted by Orca at 9:24 PM on June 13, 2017 [1 favorite]