I can’t get enough of Washington state. Since September 2019, I’ve been regularly visiting “The Evergreen State,” mostly because of my obsession with David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks. Set in the Pacific Northwest, the show was filmed in Snoqualmie Valley. The area has so many places to hike and explore beyond visiting film locations. During a visit in mid-August 2024, I hiked the 1.3 mile trail to Tokul Tunnel which was an old railroad route from Snoqualmie to Everett.
HIKING TO TOKUL TUNNEL IN SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON
During my last afternoon in Snoqualmie, I drove down Highway 203 to access the Snoqualmie Valley Trail Parking found at 4261 356th Dr SE in Fall City. I could have saved myself time by visiting Tokul Tunnel off of Highway 203, but I would have missed an opportunity to capture photos of the magnificent trees and landscape found in the region.
This historic path is part of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail which parallels the Snoqualmie River and was once a spur line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. It’s the longest regional trail in King County stretching 31 miles! The part I hiked that afternoon was about 1.3 miles one way (roundtrip 2.6 miles).
Most of the hike from the Fall City parking lot looked like the image above – flat dirt trail resembling a road that cut through the forest.
Historian Jack Kelley wrote about the about the construction of the railroad spur for the Fall City Historical Society. Work on the line from Moncton to Everett began in 1910.
“The track-laying crew arrived on the hill to the north of Fall City in 1911, and during the following year they reached Everett,” wrote Kelly. “Freight and mail services were extended to Fall City and a road past Ruther-ford Slough wound up the hill to the Fall City siding.”
For six decades, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (Milwaukee for short) used this trail and the enormous trestle for hauling freight and, later, daily passenger service from 1913 to 1930.
I can only imagine what it would have been like riding the rails through the untouched forest more than 100 years ago.
TOKUL TRESTLE ALONG SNOQUALMIE VALLEY TRAIL
About a mile in along the trail, you find the Tokul Trestle, a historically significant bridge in Western Washington state. The former train trestle spans a 400-foot-wide gorge and sits 120 feet above Tokul Creek.
The image above is taken from the opposite side of the bridge from where I first crossed. The trestle is unique as it’s supported on timber sills instead of driven piles. In 1949, the structure was enhanced with new timber stringers supporting the bridge deck. By 1973, the railroad no longer used the trestle and four years later they filed for bankruptcy. The county converted the trestle to a concrete deck in 1989.
Looking down, you can see Tokul Creek rushing underneath this behemoth. The trestle is a rare find as most others in the region were demolished by Puget Power to stop people from risking their safety by walking over them. The creek is also a unique find that wasn’t destroyed by logging in the region. I was mesmerized by the sound of the rushing water.
But it’s the views from Tokul Trestle that are most wondrous! That afternoon, Mother Nature was showing off blue skies covered by beautiful floating clouds. Despite my many visits to Washington state, I’m still awestruck at how much green covers the land.
This shot is a similar view as I tried capturing how the trees seem to endlessly reach for the sky.
ON THE WAY TO TOKUL TUNNEL
Leaving Tokul Trestle, I found more dirt roads cutting through the forest. This shot captures the warm afternoon summer sun painting the landscape.
Rounding the corner, I could see Tokul Tunnel in the distance. It’s more of a culvert than a tunnel (I was anticipating something like the Fort Pitt tunnel outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).
Cars pass over the small tunnel along Highway 203. The trail to the right of the tunnel takes you up to the road. I had been at the spot in August 2023 when researching a Twin Peaks film location from the show’s third season. I never realized I was standing on the “tunnel.”
The tunnel is lined with metal which some local graffiti artists decided to use as a blank canvas.
After snapping a few more images, I hiked back to the parking lot in Fall City. All said, it was an enjoyable visit as the hike wasn’t too strenuous. The reward was seeing Snoqualmie Valley from Tokul Trestle. I can imaging how beautiful the fall leaves must look from that spot.
