The Hurlburts went on their inaugural Washington hike. I’d read about Twin Falls so I thought, why not. It was a 2 mile hike and we thought we’d be able to make it without a carrier for Wesley. We found the trailhead and started on our hike. It was breathtaking and there is something about the mountain air that makes my soul breathe. We kept hiking, and hiking and trying to keep Wes from falling off cliffs because he was insistent on walking a lot of the way. We slipped down steep parts of the hill and realized we had forgotten our water bottles in the car. We were so unprepared but we kept hiking, and hiking. When we got to the falls they did not disappoint. Beautiful. My momma heart was terrified at how high we were and, while I’m sure up to code, the slats on the bridge were spaced a little too far apart for my liking with a toddler in tow.
We started on our way back and checked Brandon’s Microsoft Band to see how far we’d gone. Two and a half miles! What? Well, no time to worry about that because we had a two and a half mile hike back up the mountain. It was brutal but we all managed to survive, the boys were total troopers. I, for sure, was initiated to Washington when I realized we were two miles to the trailhead…and bathrooms.
Here’s the follow-up for this hike. We went into the main entrance of Olallie on exit 38. This was our mistake. We followed the Iron Horse/ John Wayne Trail and then headed down the Twin Falls Trail. This is about a 5 mile hike down a steep foothill with several switchbacks. While, obviously, it’s doable with a toddler, we wouldn’t attempt it again without a carrier. My husband gave a lot of piggy back rides.
Here’s what you should do to get to Twin Fall Trail proper. Take Exit 34. For the love, if you if you want the kid-friendly hike, take 34.
About Twin Falls: Twin Falls is a beautiful double waterfall in North Bend, WA. It is located within Olallie State Park (Discovery Pass required).There are two separate platforms, one for each drop. The upper falls viewing is from a high bridge, and the lower falls has steep steps to a smaller viewing area.
The Washington Trails website lists directions for BOTH trailheads but the rest of the information is for the lower trail (exit 34) as well as current trail conditions.
Excuse the phone-quality photos from our first few weeks. I haven’t pulled out my big camera yet.
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