Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Seattle for about 40 minutes and get off at exit 27. If you're hungry for lunch,
try the restaurant at
Salish Lodge,
the hotel at the top of the falls.
Snoqualmie Falls are located just outside the town of
Snoqualmie,
which is
where you'll find the restored 1890 railroad depot that houses the
Northwest
Railway Museum,
38625 SE King St. (
&
425/888-3030
). The museum, an
absolute must for anyone with a child who is familiar with Thomas the Tank
Engine, operates the
Snoqualmie Valley Railroad
on weekends April through
October. The 65- to 75-minute railway excursions, using steam or diesel trains,
run between here and the town of
North Bend.
Fares are $8 for adults, $7 for
seniors, and $5 for children ages 3 to 12. Be sure to call ahead for a current
schedule. The museum displays railroad memorabilia and has a large display of
rolling stock. It's a big hit with kids—and it's free!
Between Fall City and the town of
Carnation,
you'll pass several U-pick
farms, where you can pick your own berries during the summer or pumpkins in
the fall.
The Snoqualmie Valley is also the site of
Camlann Medieval Village,
10320
Kelly Rd. NE (
&
425/788-8624;
www.camlann.org), which is located north of
Carnation off Wash. 203. On weekends between mid-July and late August, this
reproduction medieval village is home to knights and squires and assorted other
costumed merrymakers. There are crafts stalls, food booths, and—the highlight
each day—jousting matches. Medieval clothing is available for rent if you forgot
to pack yours. Throughout the year, there is a wide variety of banquets and sea-
sonal festivals, and the village's Bors Hede restaurant is open Tuesday through
Sunday for traditional dinners. Fair admission is $9 for adults, $6 for seniors and
children ages 12 and under. Admission to both the fair and a banquet is $39.
Thirty miles to the east of Snoqualmie Pass, you'll find the remote town of
Roslyn,
which was just a quietly decaying old coal-mining town until television
turned it into Cicely, Alaska, for the hit TV show
Northern Exposure.
Although
Cicely is but a fading memory now, visitors still wander up and down the town's
2-block-long main street soaking up the mining-town atmosphere. To learn more
about the town's history, drop by the
Roslyn Museum,
203 Pennsylvania Ave.
(
&
509/649-2776
). About the only other activity here is wandering through the
town's 25 cemeteries, which are up the hill from the museum. These cemeteries
contain the graves of miners who lived and died in Roslyn.
SPORTS & OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
HIKING
Outside of North Bend rises
Mount Si,
one of the most frequently
climbed mountains in the state. This mountain, carved by glaciers long ago, rises
abruptly from the floor of the valley outside North Bend and presents a dramatic
face to the valley. If you are the least bit athletic, it is hard to resist the tempta-
tion to hike to the summit, where awesome views are the payoff. Be forewarned,
however, that it's a strenuous 8-mile round-trip hike, and you'll need to carry lots
of water. To reach the trail head, drive east of downtown North Bend on North
Bend Way, turn left on Mount Si Road, turn right after crossing the Snoqualmie
River, and continue another 2 miles.
Farther east on I-90, at Snoqualmie Pass and before you reach the pass, there
are several trail heads. Some trails lead to mountain summits, others to glacier-
carved lakes, and still others past waterfalls deep in the forest. Due to their prox-
imity to Seattle, these trails can be very crowded, and you'll need a Northwest
Forest Pass in order to park at national forest trail heads. Passes are available at
the ranger station in North Bend. A Northwest Forest Pass is not necessary for
parking at the Mount Si trail head, which is on state land. For more information,
