This was Jaymie and Leila's first hike with me. I picked Hike 43 from Best Hikes with Children: Western Washington & the Cascades Volume 2 By Joan Burton. The first thing that struck me as odd was there was pay parking ($5) at the trail head. I am used to using my NW Forest Pass or free parking. I think this may only be my second hike with pay parking.
The hike was 1.75 miles each way and about 340 ft of elevation gain. There were points on the hike that seemed a bit steep but by and large it was a good hike.
You walk for most of the hike along the south fork of the Snoqualmie River. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. Near the falls there is a staircase leading down to a good observation point for the lower falls. The book says 113 steps but Leila and I counted and got 115.
On the way back, Leila fell and skinned her knee. I got an opportunity to use my First Aid kit and clean her wound. I had to hold her hand the rest of the downhill to make sure she did not fall again. I did my duty well as she was unscathed for the rest of the trip.
Leila's take on the hike: I hated it. I got hurt. I did not like the trail but I liked the falls.
Jaymie's take on the hike: Had some really great features. The wooden bridges, stairs, and the giganto trees (old growth trees) were nice. I wished there were better marked vista's. The trail was very well maintained. There were some really interesting plants and fungi to see along the way.
 Upper Falls |
 Upper Falls |
 |
 |
 Lower falls |
 Lower Falls |
 Jeffrey and Leila |
 Jaymie and Leila |
 Some fungus |
 Small creek |
 The river on the way to the falls |
 First view of the falls |
 First view of the falls |
 Jaymie and Jeffrey |
 First view of the falls |
 Lower Falls |
 Lower Falls |
 Leila at the Lower Falls |
 Tree stump hole |