Our Alaskan cruise was round-trip from Seattle, so we added a day before our cruise and a couple of days after to not only give wiggle room with flights, but to also do some adventuring around Seattle while we were out there. The kids had never been to Seattle, so we wanted to do some activities that we had done previously that we knew they would enjoy. One of those was a visit to Snoqualmie Falls!

This post will share our review and photos of our visit to Snoqualmie Falls after our Alaskan Cruise.

Before our cruise, we didn’t have a car, so we did activities within Seattle that we could monorail or walk to, like the Seattle Aquarium. After our cruise, we rented a car so we could venture a bit further out. On one day, we went to the Fish Ladder, Gas Works Park and Snoqualmie Falls, with Snoqualmie taking up the largest portion of the day.

What is Snoqualmie Falls?

Snoqualmie Falls is a 268-foot waterfall and is the second most visited natural landmark in Washington after Mount Rainier. It is more than twice as high as Niagara Falls! There are two observation decks, a hiking trail, restaurant, shop, and lodge/hotel. It is also known for its appearance in the television series Twin Peaks.

Where is Snoqualmie Falls?

Snoqualmie Falls is approximately 33 miles from the Seattle Cruise Terminal, which at the time of me looking this up, says it would take about 44 minutes to drive. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Seattle, in the heart of Downtown Seattle, and that is about 29 miles and a 32 minute drive to Snoqualmie Falls.

Does it cost money?

Admission to the Snoqualmie Falls is free. If you have a car, there is a parking lot at both the top and bottom of the falls. Per their official site, it says parking is free in the upper lot, but the lower parking lot has a fee of $7. However, I recall it being the opposite…we had to pay up top and the bottom was free. I remember this because we had a time limit and we made it just in time. So just be prepared to potentially pay if you have to park…and if you don’t, then yay!

Our Experience

After our cruise, we returned to the Hyatt Regency, which has a car rental agency on the lower floor. We rented a car and parked in the hotel garage for a nightly fee. When we were ready, we hit the road…the drive didn’t seem long because there was always interesting scenery…including the Space Needle as we left the city…

…and Mount Rainier peeking out from a distance the entire ride.

We decided to begin at the top of the falls and parked in the upper parking lot. It was quite busy and the lot isn’t huge, so we were fortunate to get a spot fairly quickly.

It’s just a short walk to the lookout area.

There is a safe, extensive wooden platform to view the falls from, so you’re not walking on a scary dirt path over a cliff.

There is a hiking path that runs from the top next to the lookout and all the way down to the base of the falls. If you want to view the falls from both angles, you can either hike down/up, or you can go get the car and drive to the other parking park. We chose to hike down the path.

The Snoqualmie Falls hiking path was really unique, with lots of cool trees with spots to take photos with stumps and branches.

The Hiking Trail is an actual cleared dirt path. There are lots of switchbacks and the path can be pretty steep at times, so keep that in mind when you are trying to decide whether you want to walk back up the trail or not.

Once you get near the bottom, there is another wooden bridge/walkway that leads you over the Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Plant pipes and closer to the falls.

When we were here in 2009, there wasn’t a built walkway and you could walk on the rocks all the way up to the falls. We even had to climb over the pipes back then too! Now, the walkway is the only path and stops quite a bit before reaching the falls. We were kind of bummed about this.

If you’re willing able to venture off the path and carefully walk over some rocks, there is a way to reach the water going the opposite way of the falls. If you walked down the wooden walkway to the falls, you would walk back and across from the trail is a little path to the water.

We watched an artist paint the scene…so cool!

We enjoyed walking barefoot in the water for a bit and then walked back up the way we came in.

At this point, we were ready to go back to the car and realized we had quite the long steep walk back up the hiking trail and we were running out of time to get the car, so I ran up the trail while the rest of the family waited down by the lower parking lot for me. What a workout!

Overall, a visit to Snoqualmie Falls is a fun, inexpensive idea if you have some time available and a car. We live in Florida and don’t have waterfalls like this near us, so this gave the kids the opportunity to see a waterfall of this size up close. They thought it was amazing and loved the trail and river at the bottom. I liked having an active, outdoor excursion…it was such a beautiful day! We really did get super lucky in the weather we experienced while in Seattle and Alaska. For reference, we went mid June and we would definitely pick June again if we were to do another Alaskan Cruise.

Since it didn’t take up all day, we also had time to visit the Ballard Locks Fish Ladder and Gas Works Park. Being able to zip around to various attractions made having a car so beneficial!

If you’re looking for a way to make a waterfalls day trip out of your adventure, there are lots of other waterfalls, lookout areas and places of interest in the area. Just look at the nearby area on the map and explore!

This post will share photos and our experience visiting the Seattle Aquarium before our Alaskan Cruise!

We visited Seattle in 2009 before we had kids. We were only there for a few days, but had so many fun adventures. Knowing our Alaskan cruise departed from Seattle and that this was our kids’ first time on an airplane, we wanted to maximize our time out there and do some of the same fun activities, but with them! We didn’t visit the Seattle Aquarium in 2009, so this was new for all of us!

Seattle Shore Excursion Idea

The Seattle Aquarium may be an option for a Seattle Shore Excursion if Seattle is a port on your itinerary. It could also be a pre-cruise or post-cruise activity to do if you have time.

We arrived in Seattle in the evening two days before our cruise departure. I highly recommend giving yourself wiggle room and never arrive the same day if taking a flight. We had one full day before our cruise to explore within the city. We planned on renting a car for the few days back in Seattle after our cruise, so we chose activities that we could walk or monorail to.

Our day started with a visit to Pike Place Market for some coffee, breakfast and shopping. We then walked to the Seattle Aquarium. It was a short 6 minute walk from Pike Place Market, perhaps a minute or two longer due to some construction blockage, but super quick and convenient.

Although you can pre-purchase tickets, we were kinda winging it this day (crazy, I know!), so we were able to walk in and just purchase tickets at the front counter.

Seattle Aquarium Exhibits

One of the first exhibits in the Seattle Aquarium was actually the kids’ favorite…the touch tanks!

There were several open tanks full of various sea creatures for you to reach in and gently touch. Be sure to roll up your sleeves!

I liked how there were volunteers throughout the room willing to share cool facts and fun tips about the creatures. I don’t remember the exact creature, but one of the volunteers showed us how the creature reacts differently when you touch it in different spots (same, sea creature, same).

Moving along, there were larger tanks of other fish, creatures and jellyfish.

You might catch a scuba diver in the tanks!

Continuing outside, there are larger open, outdoor exhibits for birds, otters, and seals!

There were various times for shows and demonstrations, like sea otter feedings, but we didn’t stick around long enough for any of them – we had an entire city to explore!

This area provides a great photo spot with some of the city in the background.

Inside, there are a few large cutouts for photos available.

Be sure to take a photo with the Seattle Great Wheel while you’re outside after exiting! Or go visit it! We didn’t visit it this trip, but it’s another option for your Seattle activity list.

Below are some questions you might ask:

Where is the Seattle Aquarium Located?

The Seattle Aquarium is located on Pier 59 on the Elliott Bay waterfront, next to the Seattle Great Wheel.

What are the Seattle Aquarium Hours of Operation?

The Seattle Aquarium is open 9:30am–6pm (with the last entry at 5pm). It is open 365 days a year, including holidays (holiday hours may vary).

How much does the Seattle Aquarium Cost?

At the time of this post (2024), an Adult ticket is approximately $40.95 and a Youth ticket is approximately $24.70. The price fluctuates depending on the day and they do only sell a certain amount of tickets each day, which can be seen on their website. Children 3 and under are free.

The Seattle Aquarium is included in the Seattle CityPASS® so that is another option to save if you plan on visiting multiple Seattle attractions.

Is the Seattle Aquarium Worth It?

In terms of our goal of “let’s do something that we didn’t get to do the last time we were in Seattle” yes, we did accomplish that. The kids loved the touch tanks and it was nice to have the weather outside warm up a little while we were there during the morning hours. We were only there about a couple of hours at most, so compared to other aquariums we’ve been to and the little amount of time we spent here, the price just didn’t seem in alignment.

We are glad to say we’ve experienced it, but are also ok with only going once. However, if you spent more time and stayed for the demonstrations, then you may get more value out of your ticket. They have also added a new virtual reality experience and puppet show, so check their website for their list of current exhibits and activities to determine if a visit is right for you and your family and is it fits into your schedule.