One Of Washington's Best Attractions Is A Majestic Waterfall Featured On A TV Classic

Just 28 miles east of Seattle's overlooked attractions, in the city of Snoqualmie, there's a mighty waterfall that stands 80 feet taller than Niagara Falls. Snoqualmie Falls may not have the same instant name recognition as Niagara Falls, but it's second only to Mount Rainier as the most-visited natural landmark in Washington State. It's on the National Register of Historic Places too, and it may look familiar to some television viewers, who have seen it kick off every episode of the Emmy Award-winning series, "Twin Peaks."

At 268 feet, Snoqualmie Falls also dwarf the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which tops out at about 187 feet. The height of Niagara Falls varies depending on where you measure, but the official number from Niagara Parks is almost the same as that tower: 188 feet. That's for both the Canadian Horseshoe Falls (on average) and the American Falls (in New York State, when measured from the top to the Niagara River).

If you're on the opposite side of the U.S., you could add Snoqualmie Falls to this West Coast road trip route through three national parks. The upper parking lot is free, and it provides convenient access to an observation platform with what may be the best view of the waterfall. In the background, you'll see the Salish Lodge & Spa, the real-life hotel shown in exterior shots of the Great Northern Hotel on "Twin Peaks." In July 2024, readers of Travel + Leisure magazine voted this hotel the best resort in the West.

On "Twin Peaks," Snoqualmie Falls appeared in establishing shots, beginning with one in the first 10 minutes of the pilot episode. The ABC series, a cult-classic mystery that continues to be analyzed over three decades later, plunged viewers and cast member names over the side of the falls during its opening credits as well. This tradition continued when Showtime revived the series in 2017, with water rushing past the rocks and the camera looking straight down the white cascade.

When fans behold Snoqualmie Falls, they're sure to hear Angelo Badalamenti's theme music ringing in their ears. Of course, the logging town of Twin Peaks, said to be "five miles south of the Canadian border," is fictional, as is its population of 51,201. (Originally, that was meant to be 5,120, but the network was reportedly worried that viewers wouldn't tune into a town that small.) In reality, Snoqualmie is 132 miles south of the border, and its population in the 2020 census was 14,121.

In 2024, Salish Lodge & Spa's upstairs bar, The Attic, was converted into "The Restaurant" to allow for renovations of its usual dining room. Under both names, it's been known to serve a Dale Cooper cocktail, honoring Kyle MacLachlan's protagonist, an FBI agent sent to town to investigate the murder of one Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). The dessert menu and in-room dining menu enable you to chow down on some "Damn Fine Cherry Pie," as Cooper did.

Coffee was always on the lips of characters in "Twin Peaks," and you can get some at Salish Lodge's Café & Coffee Bar. If nothing else, the sight of Snoqualmie Falls might make it a more worthwhile visit than the "original" Starbucks, the Seattle tourist trap coffee lovers need to avoid. When it first opened as the Snoqualmie Falls Lodge in 1916, the Salish Lodge & Spa also made a name for itself with its signature four-course breakfast. Still served at The Restaurant (where reservations are required), the meal features "Honey from Heaven," produced fresh from the hotel's own hives and drizzled onto biscuits from several feet above your table.

If you book a room at the Salish Lodge, you could have a balcony overlooking Snoqualmie Falls, which is illuminated at night. The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe now owns the lodge, and it considers the falls a sacred site, imbued with spiritual energy as the birthplace of the Snoqualmie People. The falls also generate hydroelectric energy through a dam right upstream and two nearby powerhouses, one of which was the first on earth to be located fully underground. From sunrise to sunset, you can hike down to the second plant and lower observation area via a sky bridge and steep paved path. As mist and rainbows roll off the waterfall, all the television connections and height facts might fall away in the face of the sheer beauty of Snoqualmie Falls.