2000 Middle Fork Road
2000 Middle Fork
All text and pictures are copyright 2000 © Dale & Cindy Wilkins
It was Sunday Dec 3rd and a sunny day as I thought it would be one of the
last days to go up backroading near Snoqualmie Pass before the snow started
coming. I had wanted to go backup to Goldmyer Hot Springs that I had visited
a couple years ago and wanted to see what the gravel road was like. It is
great scenery and not many people go up that way. This is twenty mile of gravel
road off of I-90. But before we do that I wanted to drive up to RattleSnake
Lake which had recently been made into a King County Park. There used to be
a town here called Cedar Falls around the turn of the
century. 
There
was also a dam that had been built farther in the woods that supplied Seattle
with electricity. In 1915 the dam started to leak, the town was flooded within
a couple days and the residents were evacuated. You used to find remains of
foundations as you walked around the lake but most of
it has been cleaned up. If you go here during the week you can still drive
to the end of the road where Seattle City Light still has buildings/houses.
When you come up here here at this time of year you will see lots of tree
stumps in the lake. My grandpa used to come here to fish and we like to take
our kids here early on Saturday mornings before it gets crowded. There are
lots of ducks on the shore of the lake always waiting for a handout of bread
which Shawna always brings. There are hiking trails all around the area. You
can even hike up Rattlesnake Mountain which is the large rock in the backround
of the lake. I left here and drove back to turn east on I-90.
I took the next exit for Edgewick Rd and turned left to go into Ken's Truck Town
to get something for breakfast before continuing on. Truck Town, is where all
the truckers stop for gas, convenience items and food. It's been here for over
sixty years and is a great place to eat breakfast, especially on Sundays when
they have brunch that has a trucker's appetite in mind. Not Bon Appetite food
but all the bacon, ham, eggs, biscuits, gray and food to get anybody off to
a good day. Ok no more about food. I turned left out of Truck Town around 11:00
and would drive a couple miles before taking the Middle Fork road. This will
first take you past some newly built houses and winds down into the valley.
At mile eight you will pass the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. There was
a little bit of snow on the peaks but very little for this time of year. After
passing the river you start to drive thru rain forest ares as there is
thick moss growing on the trees. On the left side of the road were remains of
what looked like a bridge with trees growing on the foundations. It reminded
me of the logging that my grandpa did back here in the thirties.
The gravel road is full of potholes. While it doesn't require 4 wheel drive
it would be a good idea to have high clearance. I saw some cars on this road
including some which went all the way to the hot springs. I finally saw a sign
which said we were on road 56 and the next place I came to was the Middle Fork
Trailhead where there was a large parking. There are several trails one can
take from here. I continued on and after crossing one more bridge I turned right
to take a gravel road up the side of the hill overlooking
the river. This road is full of potholes and is a one lane oad with turnouts.
It is still another 10 miles before getting to the hot spings. The road continues
to climb with the valley on the right side of us. After several mile I come
to Dingman Falls on the left side. It is a creek that runs into the river in
the valley off to my right. I finally reached a Y intersection at 10.5 miles
and a sign on a tree for trout fishing that went to the left. To reach the hot
springs you turn right.< I went left as I had never been up this way. I started
hitting snow after a mile and still climbing. After about three miles I decided
I would turn around. I did get out to enjoy the peace and quiet. A nice sunny
day in the forest about 45 degrees and nobody around.
I
drove back toward Goldmyer Hot Springs.
You have to cross the SnoqualmieRiver
by foot before getting to the hot springs. This hot spring was noticed
in the early 1900's and there was a hotel up here in
1910 for miners and loggers. The spring was a small trail of water at first,
but was eventually dynamited to form a pool of water inside a cave with an adjoining
pool on the outside. There are also bats in the cave but they don't bother anyone.
When I was here a couple years ago, there were about six of us in the cave enjoying
the hot spring and talking about how nobody really knows about this place. I
didn't stay overnight that evening but said that I would come back again. I
did not go to the hotspring today as it was 12:00 and would need at least two
hours to get back. There is more than just hot springs here as there are trails
thru old growth trees and you can also camp here. The cost is $12 for camping
and using the hot spring. There is a limit of only twenty people a day to eliminate
crowding. You might want to call in advance at
(206)789-5631for reservations. I have called just to see what the weekend looks
like for availability. There were five vehicles in the parking lot today and
talked to one person who said he was the only one to stay over Saturday night.
Started
driving back around 1:00 and took a couple pictures on the way down. There are
several trails/backraods up here and I will come here again next year and find
another new road to travel. I broke off my footstep on the way back before getting
to the main orad. A lot of potholes and I should have been going slower. Grandpa
used to tell me never to come up here by myself because if I had car problems
there is nobody to contact. There were several people up here today who had
gotten permits to cut down their Christmas trees in these woods. This would
be a good place to cut a tree next year and also enjoy a day of backroading.
A couple miles before getting back on the main gravel road I noticed there was
a tram that crossed the river by wire. I went to inspect it but it was locked.
I don't know if it's still in use but you don't see too
many of those today.
I
am finally back on highway 90 going east which is quite
busy from skiers returning from Snoqualmie Pass. I stopped in North Bend
to get the best hamburger in the state at Scott's Dairy Freeze. They put everything
on their hamburgers and don't skimp on the sauces or onions. Their shakes are
thick and they serve real french fries. Try them next time you're in North Bend.
Afer that meal I took the back road to Snoqualmie where I can get good pictures
of Mt. Si and then went to Snoqualmie Falls. Mt. Si is a great trail to hike
in a day if you ever get a chance. I haven't done it for several years but I
should take Jacob up there some time. The Snoqualmie Falls is a quick stop just
out of Snoquamie, and is always a go place to get out and stretch. There was
not a lot of water flowing over it today. I continued back on highway 90 and
exited off on 18 to go home in Covington. The total trip for me was 100 miles
with about 40 miles of gravel road on the Middle Fork Road. This would be a
good one day trip during the summer after the snow has melted.