On the road towards Hana, the first stop is Twin Falls. It is an easily accessible trail. It has a string of pools and waterfalls. Hikers can find lots of yummy snack kiosks on their hiking journey. Twin Falls trail is undervalued and not explored by many hikers and guidebook writers but, it is a worthy trail to stop.
When the hiker reached the parking lot of Twin Falls trail, the first thing they noticed is the jam-packed parking lot. But do not worry, because Twin Falls trail is such a huge place that it can accommodate many people at a time. And it is usually not crowded even when the parking lot is packed.
People usually park their cars in the parking lot but, they soon leave the trail after taking photos and filming the beauty of nature. So, most of the time, inside the Twin Falls trail, there is no crowd even if you find a parking lot filled with cars.
To see a further breakdown of the Twin Falls Trail, please visit the official page for the Washington Trails Association. Link to the relevant page on wta.org for the hike.
Twin Falls Trail History
The Twin Falls trail is a classic Washington track that twines along the Snoqualmie River. The road is a passage passing from old and dense forests, which finally opens into the magnificent lower and upper Twin Falls. The elevation of the trail is at an average height that is joined by broad trail roads.
The whole position of the track makes the Twin Fall trail a hiker’s friendly trekking place. The twin falls trail is a track that is the best option to explore for both newbie hikers and professional trekkers.
The Twin Falls was formed by the sequence of North Fork of Silver Creek. On the east region of Ten Falls of Silver Falls State Park Trail, with the Canyon Trail moving to the North Falls Trail, almost a 500 meters from Middle North Falls, Twin Falls is located. It got its name because, during the spring season, the twin falls divide into a two-branched waterfall. The Twin Falls looks like two curtains of water that are 31 feet wide and 9 meters long. The view is indeed spectacular and eye captivating for the visitors.
Huge metropolitan proximity is nearby the twin falls trail, due to which it is usually very crowded on weekends, and that makes it the most visited track as well, so it is recommended to choose weekdays for exploring this beautiful nature’s bounty.
Getting to The Trail
There are two ways to enter the major trail. One is to take a drive from the east on the highway of I-90 and towards the 34th exit that is approximately 31 miles from Seattle. Hikers need to take a right turn at the edge of the exit that leads to 468th Avenue. They can then continue a little less than a kilometer towards 159th avenue. After that, there is the last left turn that hikers need to take and proceed another kilometer from here the road has a dead-end in the parking lot of the Twin Falls.
If the hikers are looking to visit the Homestead Valley Trailhead, they should head to exit 38 on I-90. From the exit ramp, visitors should take a right turn onto SE Homestead Valley Road. From this point, pass near South Fork over the Snoqualmie River and then catch a right turn.
When the visitors reached the first fork and the following one, get a left turn. The path goes out at an intersection near Iron Horse Trail. From here, hikers have to hike onward for almost 500 meters until it unites with Upper Twin Falls trail. So, the visitors can opt for whatever path suits them.
Park Facilities and Regulations
The twin falls trail has several picnic areas and daytime facilities. The South Fork Picnic region of the twin falls trail offer approximately 11 fully picnic-equipped parks. All the parks have picnic tables and barbeque grill stands. But these are available to the visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. So, hurry up if you want to enjoy the true beauty of the trail and hiking.
Along with the picnic areas, there are several activity points. First of all, there are long-distance to moderate length trails for hiking, and there are various points for rock climbers as well.
Other than hiking and rock climbing activities, there is a lot more for visitors who enjoy fishing. The south fork fishing point is a heaven on earth for freshwater fishing. There is a variety of trout available in the river that is rainbow trout and cutthroat trout.
If you do not like hiking or fishing, there are various other engaging activities visitors can do here. For instance, visitors can do bird watching as the place is the habitat of various bird species that can be easily seen by simple binoculars. Bikers can polish their riding skills via mountain riding, and last but, not least visitors can simply enjoy a spectacular view of the sight.
Another trail known as an interpretive trail is located at the South Fork Picnic Area. The trail passes by a small copse of dense and old trees.
When you go to the south park climbing area, make sure to carry all the safety gadgets and equipped yourself with all the necessary accessories for rock climbing to avoid any accidents. If you want to go fishing, make sure to check the fishing season because the fishing is only open seasonally.
For fishing, visitors require to get a recreational license. Similarly, if visitors want to harvest shellfish, they also need a license. All the permits and licenses can be obtained, from the Washington Department of Wildlife and Fishing.
Navigating the Twin Falls Trail
To navigate in the twin falls trail, there are the following routes and trailheads so, let’s explore:
Cedar Falls Trailhead
Cedar falls trailhead is located at the western end of Iron Horse State Park. It provides a way to the 108 miles John Wayne Pioneer Trail. This trail is the most conventional path to the 1.5 miles Cedar Butte Trail that is located in Olallie State Park. The Cedar Falls trailhead is very hiker-friendly and gives an easy hiking track to the 1,870 feet peak of Cedar Butte. The tracks provide the view of the Boxley Blowout.
Far Side Trailhead
This trailhead gives hikers access to tracks and mountains in the Middle Fork Natural Resource Conservation Area. From the far side trailhead, hikers can walk along the 4.25 miles to reach the Dirty Harry’s Peak Trail and then to the 4,680 feet peak. From the top of Dirty Harry’s Peak, hikers can view the spectacle Upper Snoqualmie Valley, which is towards the west, and towards the east, visitors can have sight of Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. If any visitor is skilled in rock climbing, they can enter into six distinct climbing blocks.
Homestead Valley Trailhead
This trailhead gives entrance to a variety of outside pursuances. To access the east end of the Twin Falls trail, hikers can use the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. For the rock climbers, there are Deception Crags, and the Mount Washington areas provide more than 100 tracks to reach the twin trail falls.
The Homestead Vally trailhead is frequently used, as the terminal for mountain bikers who start riding from the John Wayne Pioneer Trail to the Hyak Trailhead by the 2.3 miles Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel.
South Fork Fishing Access
The South Fork Fishing Access is a small trailhead that gives access to the fishermen towards the north riverbank of the Snoqualmie River’s South Fork. The species of fishes found there are cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, and whitefish.
South Fork Picnic Area
There are two distinct picnic areas in the South Fork Picnic Area, first picnic area is next to the Hall Creek Play Field, while the other picnic area is along the riverside of the Snoqualmie River’s South Fork. Both picnic spaces are well-equipped with barbecue grills and picnic tables. But these are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Snoqualmie Wagon Road Interpretive track begins near the riverside picnic space and crosses through a little grove of old and dense trees towards Weeks Falls.
Twin Falls Trailhead
The trail of the Twin Falls accompanies the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River by the rainforest located along the western hills of the Cascade Mountains. The track is famous for the spectacular viewpoints of Twin Falls.
Final Thoughts
The Twin Falls trail is indeed a gift of nature for hikers, rock climbers, and general visitors. Due to its nearby location with the city, it is the most visited trail. The Twin Falls not only offers spectacular viewpoints but, the place has lots of other activities for the visitors as well.
If you want to enjoy a magnificent view of a waterfall that split into two curtains of the water, spring is the appropriate season to experience this spectacular view. The twin falls trail is not a difficult trail at all and favorable for both newbie and professional hikers.
