For years, I would drive past signs for the Green River Gorge on my way toward Mount Rainier National Park and wonder what was down there.
Eventually, curiosity won.
My mom and I made a trip to the Green River Gorge near Black Diamond, parking near the old Green River Gorge Resort and Green River Gorge Bridge before making our way down to the river.
And I remember having one immediate thought when we reached the bottom:
So this is why they call it the Green River.
Not because the water itself was especially green, but because nearly everything surrounding it was.
Surrounded by Green
Trees towered above the gorge. Ferns covered the forest floor. Moss blanketed the rocks and seemingly every other surface it could find.
Green was everywhere.
Combined with the river cutting through the narrow gorge, it was one of those places that felt much farther from Seattle than it actually was.
The Green River Gorge stretches for miles through this part of King County, but we explored the area around the old Green River Gorge Resort and the Green River Gorge Bridge. The resort area provides one of several access points along the gorge, with short trails and stairs leading down toward the river.
I wouldn’t necessarily call what we did a hike. It was more of a short walk down into the gorge followed by plenty of time exploring along the water.
And that was really all we needed.
Waterfall at the Green River Gorge
One of the coolest surprises was finding a waterfall spilling into the gorge near the bridge.
At the time we visited, we could follow the path to the base of the falls and even walk behind the falling water. The waterfall, known as Maid of the Mist or Green River Gorge Falls, sits almost directly beneath the Green River Gorge Bridge, with access historically coming from stairs near the old resort.
Because access around the gorge includes a mix of public and private property and conditions can change, you may not be able to follow exactly the same route we did. The Green River Gorge Greenway currently lists the resort as an access point but warns that trails and stairs can be steep and slippery, particularly in wet conditions.
Visiting the Green River Gorge
The Green River Gorge has several access points, and not all are equally developed. The Green River Gorge Greenway identifies the old resort, Franklin Ghost Town, Hanging Gardens, Icy Creek, Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, and Flaming Geyser State Park as access areas. Kanaskat-Palmer and Flaming Geyser offer the most developed public access.
For the area we explored, I’d check the current Green River Gorge access information before heading out and follow all posted signs regarding parking and private property.
But if you’ve ever driven past the Green River Gorge signs and wondered what’s down there like I did, it’s worth finding a way to explore it.
Eight years later, what I remember most isn’t the trail, the bridge or even the waterfall.
It’s just how incredibly green everything was.
