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Snoqualmie Falls

Snoqualmie Falls is a waterfall in Washington, at a modelled elevation of 83 m. Revolution Peak stands 1,662 m to the east-southeast, 13 miles off. The nearest named place is Northern Pacific Railway Steam Rotary Snowplow 10, a attraction 0.5 miles away. Mountains to Sound Greenway - I-90 passes 2.0 miles off. 59 named summits stand within 25 miles.

The story

Snoqualmie Falls is a 268-foot (82 m) waterfall in the northwest United States, located east of Seattle on the Snoqualmie River between Snoqualmie and Fall City, Washington. It is one of Washington's most popular scenic attractions and is known internationally for its appearance in the television series Twin Peaks. More than 1.5 million visitors come to the Falls every year, where there is a two-acre (0.8 ha) park, an observation deck, luxury lodge, spa, restaurant, and a gift shop. Most of the river is diverted into power plants, but at times the river is high enough to flow across the entire precipice, which creates an almost blinding spray. High water occurs following a period of heavy rains or snow followed by warm rainy weather. This can occur during the rainy season which lasts from November through March. During high water, the falls take on a curtain form. For the Snoqualmie People, who have lived since time immemorial in the Snoqualmie Valley in western Washington, Snoqualmie Falls is central to their culture, beliefs, and spirituality. A traditional burial site, to the Snoqualmie, the falls are "the place where First Woman and First Man were created by Moon the Transformer" and "where prayers were carried up to the Creator by great mists that rise from the powerful flow." The mists rising from the base of the waterfall are said to serve to connect Heaven and Earth. The falls were first nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 as a Traditional Cultural Property for its association with the beliefs of the Snoqualmie people. However, the property owner, Puget Sound Energy, objected to the listing. The falls were subsequently determined eligible for listing in the National Register. The owners rescinded their objection and on September 2, 2009, the falls were formally listed in the National Register. In October 2019, the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe purchased the Salish Lodge as well as 45 acres of surrounding land for $125 million.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q7548048, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Height
81.7 m

How to reach it

Coordinates47.54165, -121.83793

Named places within 25 miles

Attractions
  • Northern Pacific Railway Steam Rotary Snowplow 10: 0.5 mi
  • Snoqualmie Centennial Log Pavilion: 1.0 mi
  • Mini Carousel: 7.5 mi
  • Northwest Canoe Adventure: 7.5 mi
  • Spinning Barrels: 7.5 mi
Parks
  • Plum Boat Launch: 0.9 mi
  • Railroad Community Park: 1.0 mi
  • Ironwood Park: 1.1 mi
  • Sandy Cove Park: 1.1 mi
  • Crest View Park: 1.2 mi
Artworks
Waterfalls
Peaks: 59
  • Mitchell Hill: 4.7 mi
  • Little Si: 4.8 mi
  • Rattlesnake Mountain - West Peak: 5.1 mi
  • Mount Si / q̓əlbc̓: 5.2 mi
  • Fuller Mountain: 5.3 mi
Historic sites: 58
  • Snoqualmie Valley Veteran's Memorial: 1.2 mi
  • George W. Swenson Memorial: 1.2 mi
  • W. Mitch Hungate: 5.2 mi
  • Brett S. Hall: 5.2 mi
  • Historic Town of Tolt: 8.0 mi
Gardens
  • Sunset Walk Community Garden: 8.2 mi
  • High Street Linear Park Botanical Garden: 8.6 mi
  • Westridge Community Garden: 8.7 mi
  • Native Plant Garden: 9.2 mi
  • Issaquah Community Garden: 9.4 mi
Nature reserves: 55
Museums: 54
Beaches: 22
Cliffs: 16
  • Teaters Bluff: 4.5 mi
  • World Wall: 4.9 mi
  • Family Wall: 5.5 mi
  • Canopy Crag: 5.5 mi
  • Lower Pratt Climbing Area: 11.9 mi
Picnic sites: 16
  • Horse Picnic Area: 9.1 mi
  • Mine Creek: 9.4 mi
  • Tibbetts Beach Picnic Area: 10.9 mi
  • Olallie State Park South Fork Picnic Area: 11.2 mi
  • Camp Brown Day Use Area: 13.7 mi
Ghost towns: 11
Springs: 2
  • Canyon Spring: 9.0 mi
  • Ravenna Park Sulfur Spring: 23.5 mi
Hot springs: 1
Rest areas: 1

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Snoqualmie Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Revolution PeakESE1,662 m12.7 mi
Web MountainESE1,626 m13.4 mi
Twin PeaksENE1,623 m12.0 mi
BoomerangENE1,580 m11.1 mi
Bessemer MountainE1,538 m10.8 mi
South BessemerE1,533 m10.5 mi
PaperboyENE1,528 m11.3 mi
Moolock MountainE1,514 m9.1 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:1118:4019:20
June solstice05:1120:2121:09
September equinox06:5518:2619:07
December solstice07:5315:2616:19

Local time (America/Los_Angeles).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F414245505560656560524541
Precip in8.65.86.75.34.03.11.21.23.06.29.58.4

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Snoqualmie Falls, under a mile away.

Months at or above the year’s average flow: Nov–Feb, Apr–Jun — fullest in May, leanest in Aug.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean cfs3,6512,9652,6623,0933,8293,4041,6877879951,9263,7173,479

USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Snoqualmie River Near Snoqualmie, WA, under a mile away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata

OpenStreetMap element node/243088660

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