On the trail of the real Twin Peaks in the USA
21.07.2023 - 08:20
/ roughguides.com
It’s been 25 years since we first saw the famous Twin Peaks waterfall disgorging through the show’s opening credits, and the town’s kooky characters speaking enigmatically over their cherry pies in the local diner.
David Lynch’s masterwork was so effective in evoking this small-town atmosphere because he used actual localities of Washington State in the Pacific Northwest to depict his fictional world. From the region’s vast national park to downtown Seattle, these places make for a memorable trip far away from America’s more obvious destinations, whether or not you’re a fan of the soon-to-return show.
This arresting 270ft-high river feature in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains is central to the spirituality of the native Indian tribe who have lived for centuries in this valley, and it’s perhaps this aura of mysticism that attracted Lynch while constructing his surreal otherworld.
The incessant sound similar to thunder and mist clouds rising from the bottom are a wonder to witness even in the drier months when its water volume is as its lowest, let alone in the wetter season when it becomes an epic flood.
For visitors there is ample free parking and a free viewing area offering a full panorama from dawn ‘til dusk, with lights attractively illuminating the setting after dark.
Salish Lodge, immortalised as The Great Northern Hotel in the series © Kenneth Sponsler/Shutterstock
Perched just above and behind the falls, the iconic Salish complex doubled as the Great Northern Hotel owned by Twin Peaks’ nefarious tycoon Ben Horne, where FBI Agent Dale Cooper lodges during the murder investigation (also where a spectral giant materialises and someone’s soul gets sucked into a drawer-knob).
In real life, however, it’s one of the grandest hotels in the state, each of its 84 rooms boasting a fireplace and jacuzzi, and many with views of the river before it crashes over the falls. Accordingly, the tariff isn’t cheap but on location alone it’s worth the splurge (Agent Cooper must’ve wrangled a favourable rate).
The view from the dining room at Salish Lodge © Salish Lodge
One of the region’s more majestic hiking trails, the Snoqualmie Valley Trail follows a long-disused railway route snaking for thirty miles through the valley’s forests and farmland towards the Cascade Mountains. Perennially popular with walkers, cyclists and equestrians, the route also holds significance for Twin Peaks fans as it embraces not only the falls and hotel but also the steel trestle bridge along which Laura Palmer’s friend Ronette was found wandering the morning after Laura died.
Now called ‘Ronette’s Bridge’ in her honour, it has long been divested of its original lumber carriage purpose and is used only by hikers. The trail also passes