The 70 foot family-hike falls just below Snoqualmie Pass, an hour from Seattle, at full volume while the pass snowpack melts out.
May through mid July
Big water window
in a typical year
Snowmelt
What drives it
South Fork Snoqualmie River
Live USGS
Data on this page
gauge 12143400
USFS Mt Baker-Snoqualmie
Managed by
their rules govern
Trail status, closures and safety rules belong to each falls' managing agency, named and linked on every page.
The season
What fills Franklin Falls, and when
The South Fork Snoqualmie gathers the melt off the pass itself, so Franklin Falls peaks from May into July and mellows by late summer; the downstream gauge tells the story in one number. Our snowmelt label is editorial; the Forest Service page describes the trail. In cold winters the falls partially freezes and the road becomes a snowshoe route.
Typical best flow: May through mid July
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What the agency itself says
A favorite hike for families, the Franklin Falls Trail follows the south fork of the Snoqualmie River for a mile, skirting a canyon with glimpses of deep pools and cascades in the river below as it descends the upper South Fork Valley below Snoqualmie Pass.
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (US Forest Service)Multnomah Falls in autumn: a Columbia Gorge falls that keeps respectable flow year round, and the standard against which most falls seasons get measured. “Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Multnomah Falls, fall color - 3” — Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region — Public domain
Source: USGS Water Services (National Water Information System). Instantaneous values and daily statistics services. U.S. Geological Survey data are works of the United States Government and are in the public domain. Gauge verified 2026-08-27.
The other half of the story: the same Palouse Falls in late August. Nothing is wrong; this is what a snowmelt river does every year once the melt is spent. “Palouse Falls 20100829” by Mark Wagner, CC BY-SA 2.5
Getting there
Access, in the agency's words and ours
A mile-long family trail follows the river to the falls, with a two mile loop option via the Wagon Road Trail; a recreation pass is required at the trailhead. The Forest Service notes the final descent to the base is steep and slippery.
Melt season in full voice (Palouse Falls, Washington). Franklin Falls runs the same calendar off Snoqualmie Pass, minutes from the interstate. “04-15-14-palouse” — Dsdugan — CC0
Common questions
Franklin Falls flow season FAQ
The reliable big-water window is May through mid July. The South Fork Snoqualmie gathers the melt off the pass itself, so Franklin Falls peaks from May into July and mellows by late summer; the downstream gauge tells the story in one number. Our snowmelt label is editorial; the Forest Service page describes the trail. In cold winters the falls partially freezes and the road becomes a snowshoe route.
This page reads the USGS gauge on South Fork Snoqualmie River (SF Snoqualmie River ab Alice Creek near Garcia WA, downstream of the falls on the same river) live in your browser, and shows the latest flow next to the median USGS publishes for today's date, so you can see where today sits in the year. The gauge reads the river, not the brink, so treat it as the trend rather than a turnstile.
No, but late summer takes it down to a fraction of the melt-season push. May and June deliver the drenching version; winter offers the frozen one to those who walk the closed road.
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (US Forest Service). A mile-long family trail follows the river to the falls, with a two mile loop option via the Wagon Road Trail; a recreation pass is required at the trailhead. The Forest Service notes the final descent to the base is steep and slippery. Trail status, closures and safety rules are theirs, and their page is linked on this one; nothing here overrides what they publish.
In their own words: "The descent to the base of the 70-foot falls is steep and slippery but plenty of visitors make it down to eat lunch or cool in the mist of the plunge pool." That sentence is Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (US Forest Service)'s, quoted verbatim, and their page is the place to check before you go.
Yosemite Falls in May, running on snowmelt that will be gone by late summer. The National Park Service tells visitors the falls can be dry by August, which is why every falls page here starts from its watershed. “Tourists below Yosemite Falls (39832011431)” by Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0
Flow windows are typical-year climatology drawn from the driver and the agency language quoted above, not forecasts. Live readings and per-date percentiles are U.S. Geological Survey data, public domain; the above-or-below-typical line is our comparison and is labelled as such. Access, trail and safety information belongs to Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (US Forest Service). National picture: waterfall season across the US → Hero image: “04-15-14-palouse” — Dsdugan — CC0
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