One of the most recognizable and well known waterfalls in the State of Washington is Snoqualmie Falls, for good reason. It’s huge, and gorgeous, and if you know the right secrets totally accessible on the riverbank below! When Alex and Chris inquired about going down there for their engagement session I was stoked!

We started at Rattlesnake Lake to get a little bit different vibe and enjoy the rare little slice of sunshine that we had been blessed with that day after dealing with the crazy thick wildfire smoke that had settled in to the area for the last two weeks. Thankfully as we started climbing in elevation up Snoqualmie pass the smoke started to thin out a little and the sun broke through!

That place is always amazing, but it really hits peak awesomeness in late summer and fall when the water level drops and many of the stumps emerge from below the water line.

After the brief stop at Rattlesnake we took off down the road to get to Snoqualmie Falls before the sun started going down. It’s about a 20 minute drive to get there, and about a 30 minute hike down the trail to get to the riverbank below the falls, so we definitely wanted to get there with enough time to get back up before dark lol.

The hike down to the falls is pretty short and easy, just a gradual descent through the forest that’s a little over a mile long on a somewhat narrow and overgrown trail that weaves through the forest, crosses a creek, and then kind of scrambles down onto the beach.

But the real draw of the falls, is obviously the riverbank below the falls! It’s super rocky, and kind of difficult to navigate between the large boulders and small pools but it’s totally stunning and creates some really cool photo opportunities! We spent about an hour or so down at the bottom of the falls jumping around on the rocks and having a blast.

These guys totally rocked their session, and were down for all of my ideas, even pouring champagne all over each other lol. Not gunna lie, not being able to shoot their wedding is a total bummer, because they were a blast! But they are getting married back home in Kansas where they are both from. But I was stoked to take them on a PNW adventure for some rad engagement photos!