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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Snoqualmie Falls

I took these pictures on my road trip to Yakima river Canyon.






Snoqualmie Falls is a 268 ft waterfall on the Snoqualmie River between Snoqualmie and Fall City, Washington, USA. It is one of Washington's most popular scenic attractions, but is perhaps best known internationally for its appearance in the cult television series Twin Peaks. More than 1.5 million visitors come to the Falls every year, where there is a two acre park, an observation deck, and a gift shop.

Most of the river is diverted into the 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 for centuries 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.
Hikers are treated to a piece of temperate rain forest on the way down, with a few moss covered trees, giant ferns, and a few places to step off the trail and rest, or enjoy the scenery. Heavy foot traffic makes it pretty unlikely to see any wildlife; this is mainly a scenic (or historic) hike.

14 comments:

Hilda said...

The falls are awesome and your description of the area makes it sound absolutely wonderful! Thank you for the description of how important this is to the Snoqualmie People — that was very interesting.

Sailor Girl said...

Absolutely wonderful, MB!!!

(I loved the Queen of ALLLLL things award!!!)

Betsy from Tennessee said...

Oh Mary Beth, I know you did this post JUST for me, didn't you???? ha ha

I love that waterfall. I showed it to George--and said "LET'S GO!" Well--one of these days, we may get there. SO beautiful and powerful.

Thanks SO much..
Hugs,
Betsy

Betty said...

When I read this post the first thing I thought after seeing how beautiful Snoquaimie Falls are was I know Betsy would love this picture, and I was right.

cieldequimper said...

Wohoo, when I was photographed them, there wasn't nearly as much water! I guess it was too early and the snow hadn't melted enough. Thank you for the Snoqualmie history. When I was there, I felt sort of weird treading on what is still sacred ground today as a tourist.

George said...

As Betsy said, we have definitely added Snoqualmie Falls to our 'must-see' list. Thanks for the beautiful photos.

Lois said...

Beautiful pictures and a very informative post. Thanks!

Babooshka said...

Applause applause. These images are thrilling.

Jacob said...

Oh, wow! Breathtaking! I can feel the mist. Super photos!

Janice Thomson said...

Wow fantastic photos MB! The falls are just breathtaking.

JM said...

Gorgeous shots! I especially like the 2nd one.

Your EG Tour Guide said...

I wish I had been with you to see this in person, MB. I love the roar of waterfalls. Well done!

tapirgal said...

That's a lot of visitors! The falls are gorgeous. I hope to visit one of these days!

fishing guy said...

MB: I remeber when I visited this place and was awed by its power.