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Malachai Constant
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Malachai Constant
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PostSun Aug 04, 2019 11:20 pm 
Last week headed up Denny Creek foe a sunset climb. Arriving at the trailhead the gate was locked with instructions to park at Franklin Falls TH. Walked up the road 1/4 mi. to the TH and went up the trail. The sign on the locked bathroom said it was closed for maintenance and lack of funding. Seemed weird as no other trailheads in area seemed to be closed. This is perhaps the most popular trail in the state for families due to the Denny Creek Waterslide a mile up the trail. Just wondering is this some kind of a political thing. Note you still need a Discovery Pass for Franklin Falls.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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Moose
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PostMon Aug 05, 2019 6:39 am 
I did Kaleetan yesterday and the TH was still closed. Thought it was weird as well.

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Opus
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PostMon Aug 05, 2019 7:35 am 
They are planning to rebuild the parking area and combine it with the Franklin Falls trailhead, then build spur trails connecting everything together. I think it has something to do with private property near the current Denny Creek trailhead, and just general over-use of the area. The parking area will be massively expanded. Some info here: Denny Creek and Franklin Falls Traihead and Trail Reconstruction From the decision letter: • Install a gate across Forest Service Road (FSR) 5830 on the east side of the bridge over the South Fork Snoqualmie River • Close 0.25 miles of FSR 5830 to public vehicular use (administrative and cabin owner access would be maintained) • Install a gate across FSR 5830-010 at its junction with FSR 5830 • Close all 0.15 miles of FSR 5830-010 to public vehicular use (administrative and cabin owner access would be maintained) • Create 125 new parking places in four areas along a re-established spur of FSR 5800 • Install new double-vault outhouses at proposed new Parking Areas A and C • Construct four new trails, each about 500 feet in length, to connect parking areas with trailheads and campgrounds • Reconstruct and/or relocate approximately1975 feet of the existing Franklin Falls trail. This would include some blasting of bedrock near the falls. 340 feet of trail would be relocated out of the floodplain of the South Fork Snoqualmie River

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Moose
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PostMon Aug 05, 2019 7:52 am 
Opus wrote:
They are planning to rebuild the parking area and combine it with the Franklin Falls trailhead, then build spur trails connecting everything together. I think it has something to do with private property near the current Denny Creek trailhead, and just general over-use of the area. The parking area will be massively expanded.
This is great info, Opus! Thanks for sharing.

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Malachai Constant
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Malachai Constant
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PostMon Aug 05, 2019 8:42 am 
Thanks for the info Opus.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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Cyclopath
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PostMon Aug 05, 2019 10:33 am 
Good to know. I used to hike there when the FF trailhead had room for half a dozen cars. It was a shock the first time I drive by the new lot, which still overflows a mile in each direction.

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NorthBen
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PostMon Aug 05, 2019 6:50 pm 
Opus wrote:
They are planning to rebuild the parking area and combine it with the Franklin Falls trailhead, then build spur trails connecting everything together. I think it has something to do with private property near the current Denny Creek trailhead, and just general over-use of the area. The parking area will be massively expanded.
Nope. This is describing the reconstruction that already took place several years ago... read the NEPA more closely and notice that it dates back to 2012. The current closure of the Denny Creek TH is due to short-term budget issues.

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Brushwork
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Brushwork
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PostMon Aug 05, 2019 7:09 pm 
Is the trail itself closed? Sounds like it’s just the old parking lot...(and outhouse)....?

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Malachai Constant
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Malachai Constant
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PostMon Aug 05, 2019 8:04 pm 
Trail is still open, only the parking and outhouse are closed.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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jm31828
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PostFri Aug 09, 2019 5:57 am 
Just a small clarification, a discovery pass won't work at Franklin Falls- you need a NW Forest Pass (it's national forest land, not state park).

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Kim Brown
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PostFri Aug 09, 2019 11:28 am 
NorthBen wrote:
Nope. This is describing the reconstruction that already took place several years ago..
If it already took place several years ago, then the trail head would have been closed already but it was recently open until it was recently closed. (I swear to God, the conditions of trails and roads in the Pacific Northwest are a pain in the ass to write about dizzy.gif ). Has any of the project been done? (I haven't been there in many years). A 2012 DN doesn't mean a project is completed in 2019. (note: the Dose is still not open) And it cracks me up that the Denny Creek DN tab says "Beckler Project" after the document is downloaded.

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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Windstorm
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PostFri Aug 09, 2019 12:50 pm 
Kim Brown wrote:
Has any of the project been done? (I haven't been there in many years). A 2012 DN doesn't mean a project is completed in 2019. (note: the Dose is still not open)
The gate and road closures are in place. They have built some new parking within the last couple of years. It doesn't match the layout or number of parking spaces in the documents. There appear to be about 60-65 spaces (plus a couple of bus parking spots) which is only half of what the project calls for. These appear to be approximately where Parking Area D is located on the map. There is a new outhouse at Parking Area A (the handicap parking at the trailhead). I don't believe the other one has been installed yet. Maybe they're still planning to create some more parking in Area C and the outhouse will go in then. There is a new trail connecting the new parking with the trailhead. I don't hike the Franklin Falls trail often enough to know if they've done the planned reconstruction there. Actually, it looks like they've made a pretty good dent in the project. If only they could get the other half of the parking constructed (hopefully sooner than later).

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Kim Brown
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PostFri Aug 09, 2019 1:14 pm 
OK thanks. It's been too long; I like that trail. It's wonderful in the fall.

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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