If you’re planning to take the popular, approximate 1-mile trail to the bottom of Snoqualmie Falls to enjoy in the lower viewing deck, you’re going to have to wait until [at least] spring.
Puget Sound Energy (PSE), which owns Snoqualmie Falls Park, has closed the busy boardwalk and lower observation deck for the fall and winter. Note: the trail is still open.
According to PSE Media Engagement Program Manager Andrew Padula,
the walkway to the lower observation deck at Snoqualmie Falls will be closed during the ‘off-season’ for an in-depth inspection. [He confirmed off-season means a fall and winter closure.]
Padula commented, “Safety is a priority for Puget Sound Energy, and recent indications are that the boardwalk is in need of replacement or extensive repair. Maintaining a wood structure in this damp location has presented some unique challenges. We know this will be inconvenient for our visitors, but we thank you for your patience. The upper observation deck remains open for our visitors to enjoy.”
There is currently a sign at the upper Snoqualmie Falls trailhead noting the closure.
The boardwalk and observation deck at lower Snoqualmie Falls were part of a 3-year, $265 million renovation of the PSE hydroelectric plant and park that was completed in the summer of 2013.
More than 1.5 million people visit the Snoqualmie Falls Park each year.
In case you still have Padula on the phone- last time I went swimming below the falls a young Native American woman started yelling at me. I tried to explain that I’d been doing it off and on for about twice as long as she’d been alive, but she didn’t want to hear it. What’s PSE’s position? (Yeah, I know it’s closed now, that’s not what I’m talking about).
12-Jan-2020
It is certainly understandable that PSE should close the boardwalk if it is not safe to use it, however a renovation and reopening timetable would be appreciated. Is there funding bugeted for the repairs? Will the boardwalk be expanded or modified for even more spectacular viewpoints?
Thank you for the information.