Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

1. The park is free
2. Parking is free
3. The park is open from dawn until dusk
4. The hiking trail down to the falls is closed until 2013
5. Pets are not allowed anywhere in the park
6. The park is wheelchair accessible
7. The oatmeal really is THAT good
8. Sweet Tooth? Visit the Snoqualmie Falls Candy Factory
in downtown Snoqualmie. Ask Wes for a free sample.

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Normally, the power generators at the Snoqualmie Falls hydroelectric plant run at a painful roar. This summer, the machinery is silent for the first time in more than a century. The silence is bittersweet for folks like Power Plant Manager Dave Magnuson, who has worked alongside mementos of history at the Puget Sound Energy-run site for two years.

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If you want to see the power of water in the Northwest, Snoqualmie Falls is a place to witness it. There’s even a place to stand to watch it, a special park complete with trails and observation decks. It sits on land owned by Puget Sound Energy.

But the Snoqualmie River is also about electric power, and with upgrades now going into place, in three years it will provide electric power 40,000 homes.

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History

The Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Project is Puget Sound Energy’s oldest power-generating operation and the world’s first completely underground power plant. More than a century after its construction, the facility still produces clean, cost-effective electricity for PSE customers. In addition, the hydroelectric project’s public park and trails have for decades been one of the Pacific Northwest’s most popular scenic destinations, drawing approximately 2 million visitors annually to view the majestic, 270-foot waterfalls.

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Pre-Contact

About 5,000 years ago, soon after the glaciers receded, humans first came to our Valley. The glaciers left a fertile plain and a magnificent 300 foot waterfall. The river had been moved from its ancient bed by the glacier and could not seek its natural level because of the bedrock encountered at the lip of what we now call Snoqualmie Falls. Mountain goat were plentiful on the crags; deer, edible bulbs, bracken fern roots and berries were abundant on the prairie. Without salmon there was little to draw a permanent year-round population above the falls, but as trade between the Native Americans on the coast and those inland increased, the prairie of the Upper Snoqualmie became a traditional seasonal rendezvous area. To preserve the prairie productivity the Snoqualmie’s periodically burned off competition, keeping the valley floor clear. It was these cleared and fertile prairies that first drew white settlers to the area.
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I just came across a great review and interview about the Fall City Roadhouse in the archives of one of my favorite local blogs, Cherie Picked. Cherie always uses just the right words to accurately describe the vibe of a place and also has a great photographic eye!

I too have an affinity for the Snoqualmie Valley having spent a considerable amount of time criss-crossing it, getting to know alot of the local businesses at a previous job. Cherie is spot-on when she says,
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After two weeks in Seattle, Phra Charoen and Phiriya Phahondon spent the last few days of their vacation exploring the Snoqualmie Valley before returning home to Thailand.

The two international visitors are exactly the type of consumers that many Snoqualmie Valley cities and businesses want to target—travelers with disposable income who come for the twinkling city lights of Seattle but stay for the adventures and beauty to be had in eastern King County.
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Tuesday will mark the beginning of an eight-week closure of Snoqualmie Falls Park.

During the closure, Puget Sound Energy will undertake major landscaping projects including installing new walkways, lighting and common areas.
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Q: Speaking of pancakes: Is that Snoqualmie Falls Lodge mix really made or served at Salish Lodge & Spa?

A: Uh, no. The pancake/waffle mix with the falls pouring down the front is a product of Continental Mills, of Seattle. For many years, the stuff was ground in St. Louis by Bunge Foods. But Continental acquired the Snoqualmie Falls line of mixes in 2000 and mills some falls products in Kent.

Since you didn’t ask: Continental also makes baking mixes under another familiar brand: Krusteaz, a line whose roots, according to the company, date to 1932, when women in a Seattle bridge club came up with an idea for a simple pie-crust mix (“crust” and “ease” — get it?).
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Q. We just recently moved here and somebody said we MUST go see Snoqualmie Falls. Is this true? And what happens if we don’t? We’re only half-kidding here: We want to go, and are curious about what kind of shape the trail to the falls is in this time of the year. And is the Salish Lodge a good place for lunch?

A: Yes, you have to go. Just get it over with. Once you’re there, peering over the side of a cliff at what would be a stunning, 268-foot waterfall — if you could see it through the swirling mist — you’ll be glad you came. Probably.
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