Setting the Stage – White Tail Falls

The majestic White Tail Falls in Twin Peaks is first introduced to viewers during the opening credits of the Pilot episode. In reality, the falls are known as Snoqualmie Falls in Snoqualmie, Washington. This Setting the Stage story takes a look at the falls as seen throughout the three seasons of Twin Peaks.

WHAT IS WHITE TAIL FALLS IN TWIN PEAKS?

White Tail Falls are described on page 62 of the “Twin Peaks Access Guide to the Town”:

“More than 350,000 visitors travel to Twin Peaks every year to fish, hike, attend the county fair (and to help judge the annual cherry and huckleberry pie  contests!), go bird watching, river rafting, log rolling, and to gape at the glorious White Tail Falls, which are even taller (though not as wide) than the Niagara Falls.

Two hundred forty-eight million gallons plummet six hundred feet down the falls every hour, generating a lot of electrical energy and an awesome rainbow on sunny days. The Packard Mill, which was situation next to the falls, originally drew its power from the torrent. Today, it is the raw power of this force of nature, the sheer drama of its beauty, that holds anyone fortunate enough to stand near by, in its spell.

The Twin Peaks Chamber of Commerce sponsors bus trips to the falls every afternoon at 3:00PM rain or shine, meet in front of the Town Hall. Just one piece of advice: wear a raincoat, rubber boots, and bring your umbrella.”

WHERE IS WHITE TAIL FALLS (SNOQUALMIE FALLS) LOCATED?

The Snoqualmie Falls, the real of the fictional White Tail Falls, are located below Salish Lodge & Spa at 6501 Railroad Ave in Snoqualmie, WA.  More than 2 million people visit the falls annually making it one of the most visited natural wonders in Washington state. The 268-foot waterfall was added to the National Registry of Historic Places on Sept. 2, 2009.

If you plan on visiting, the free parking and free viewing area are open from dawn until dusk. Leashed pets are allowed. But this place can get extremely busy so my recommendation is to go early or on off-days. If not staying at Salish Lodge, I park across the street and cross the covered bridge to the falls.

The falls are incredibly important to the Snoqualmie Tribe. In 2023, the tribe opened the Snoqualmie Falls Gift Shop and Visitor Center, a completely remodeled visitors center that contains exhibits, a gift shop and a small cafe.

An exhibit inside the center, titled “Our Story Is the Story of the Falls,” documents the history of Snoqualmie Falls from Time Immemorial to modern day. It is believed that Moon the Transformer created the falls and the first Snoqualmie people at this sacred spot, partially shared in this exhibit.

“He was the Transformer. He went on a great journey. During his travels he changed everything – plants for healing, food to eat, the land for the people, On each river, he created a people to care for and protect that river for all time.

When he came upon a huge fish weir that Raven had built, he turned the weir to stone and the thundering water rushing over it became Snoqualmie Falls.

There, the Transformer, Moon, created the first Snoqualmie man and woman. He then climbed back into the sky to his Star father’s people, where he can still be seen today. He provides light through darkness through the hole his Snoqualmie mother made with her digging stick.”

You can learn more about the importance of the land to the tribe and what you can do to protect, respect and restore it on this website: Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Land Movement.

To capture many of the establishing shots seen in the series, the crew used an observation deck located along the ridge. Let’s take a closer look at how these shots were used throughout the series. This article will only focus on the falls which occasionally includes views of The Great Northern Hotel.

WHITE TAIL FALLS IN TWIN PEAKS SEASON ONE – PILOT TO EPISODE 1.007

The first glimpse of the falls is seen in the opening credits of the Pilot episode. The scene fades from the Twin Peaks Welcome Sign to a shot that pans down from the top of the falls.

The image slows as the water splashes down at the base of the waterfall while the “Theme to Twin Peaks” plays.

The falls are seen one more time in the Pilot when used as a wide-angle establishing shot for The Great Northern Hotel. The shot begins at the base of the snow-covered falls and pans up to the hotel perched above the waterfall.

Episode 1.001 includes the same transition shot seen in the opening credits of the Pilot. These credits will be used in every episode of the first two seasons of the show. The Pilot and episode 2.001 used a slightly longer opening credits sequence.

With the shorter credits sequence for episodes 1.001 to 1.007, actors’ names are superimposed differently than opening credits for the pilot or episode 2.001.

The first nighttime view the falls is found in episode 1.002. Remember this image as it will appear a few more times throughout the series.

The beginning of episode 1.003 has a “morning” shot of The Great Northern Hotel and White Tails Falls. This shot was captured around dusk due to the position of the sun, yet it looks like the sun is rising as light shines on the hotel.

The opening shot continues down the falls with actors’ names appearing superimposed over the falls (I caught moments between the names).

Using Lightroom, I combined these panning shots into singular images. This shot combines The Great Northern Hotel with the top of White Tail Falls.

The second image combines the panning shot down the waterfall from the opening of episode 1.003.

An extreme close up shot of the falls is first seen in episode 1.005. This establishing shot will be used again throughout the series.

Episode 1.006 is the final time White Tail Falls are seen in the first season of Twin Peaks. It’s a gorgeous, moody nighttime shot bathed in blue.

WHITE TAIL FALLS IN TWIN PEAKS SEASON TWO – EPISODES 2.001 to 2.022

For the second season opener, a brief establishing shot of the falls and The Great Northern Hotel is seen in episode 2.001. It’s a recycled shot from the Pilot.

Similar to episode 1.003, the opening shot of episode 2.002 features a panning shot. This time, a medium shot of the falls pans up to The Great Northern Hotel.

In episode 2.004, there are two shots of the falls. The first is an extreme close up seen shortly after Lucy Moran throws her pencil at the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department.

The close up image jumps to a shot of the falls that pans up to The Great Northern Hotel, which is similar to a shot seen in episode 2.002.

Episode 2.006 has a similar close up shot of the top of the falls first seen in episode 1.002. This time, the camera pans down from The Great Northern Hotel to the falls. Colors are slightly different than in episode 1.002, the former being more blue while this shot is more brown.

In episode 2.007, an early morning pan from the falls to the hotel is seen just before Mike, the One Armed Man is shown reviewing hotel guests in the lobby.

Another close up shot of the falls is used in episode 2.008 just before Sheriff Harry Truman and Agent Cooper discover the body of Maddy Ferguson wrapped in plastic.

Maddy’s body was found at the base of the falls (hence the transition shot prior to this scene). Her scene was most shot in Southern California (Franklin Canyon is my guess) but I have yet to identify the location. Since this scene doesn’t contain images of the actual falls, I’m not expanding on it now. Look for a separate story one day.

Episode 2.010 contains another close up shot which the camera pans out to reveal two waterfalls. This transition shot takes place after Audrey Horne says farewell to Cooper in Room 315 at The Great Northern Hotel.

Episode 2.013 has two shots of the falls. The first is a pan up shot from the falls to the hotel just before Ben Horne’s administrative assistant is seen running down the hallway.

The second establishing shot of the falls is prior to Ben Horne waving a sword in Bobby Briggs’ face.

The faint sounds of Ben Horne and Dr. Lawrence Jacoby singing “Dixieland” can be heard during a long shot of the falls in episode 2.014. The camera again pans down from the hotel to the base of the falls which appears similar to a shot used in episode 1.003.

A second shot of the falls appears in episode 2.014 just after Thomas Eckhardt checks into The Great Northern Hotel. This nighttime shot pans down from the hotel to the top of the falls.

The close up shot of the falls returns in episode 2.015.

The close up shot fades to a nighttime view of The Great Northern Hotel which pans down to the top of the falls.

This establishing shot is seen prior to Cooper walking through the hotel lobby. Similar shots were also used in episodes 2.006 and 2.014.

Another daytime panning shot from the falls up to the hotel is used in episode 2.016. This establishing shot is seen before the John Justice Wheeler meets with track suit-clad Ben Horne and team.

The same extreme close up of the falls shot used in Episode 2010 is reused in Episode 2016 just before Cooper is seen practicing casting a fishing line from his bed.

They editors really liked using the extreme close up of the waterfall in the latter half of the second season. It makes two more appearances in episodes 2.018 and 2.019.

Episode 2.020 contains an establishing shot from the falls to the hotel. It’s used prior to John Justice Wheeler approaching the front desk. It looks similar to shots used in episodes 2.002, 2.004 and 2.016. The clouds appear the same in all of those shot. The crew probably panned down then up from the hotel to the falls.

The final look at the falls in the second season comes as an extreme close up in episode 2.022. This establishing shot is used just before Dale Cooper wakes up in room 315.

WHITE TAIL FALLS IN TWIN PEAKS SEASON THREE

Twenty five years later, we return to White Tail Falls in Twin Peaks: The Return, the show’s third season on Showtime. The first look appears in extended opening credits from Part 1. The title shot features mist covered trees which are actually from the Snoqualmie Falls viewing area. See this article for more details about this film location.

The over-the-falls footage appears to be captured captured using a drone. You can see similar rock features from the Google Maps image above.

Similar to the Pilot and episode 2.001, Part 1 has extended opening credits. Subsequent episodes in Season 3 will have a shorter intro.

I combined several of the opening credit shots from Part 1 into a larger image.

Part 1 also contains a gorgeous establishing shot of The Great Northern Hotel and White Tail Falls at sunset. It’s the only time this particular shot is used in third season.

For Parts 2-18, there is a shorter over-the-falls shot used for the opening credits.

The episode credits appear in different spots for the shorter intros.

Parts 7 and 9 are the final two times the falls are seen. Both times they use a recycled nighttime shot from the top of the falls that first appeared in the David Lynch-directed episode 1.002. The shots in Twin Peaks: The Return are cropped compared to the 4:3 image used in the first season.

One final note about the falls according to the “Twin Peaks Access Guide to the Town”:

“So magical are the powers of White Tail Falls that anyone who has ever fallen in love within the sound of their plunging water remains in love forever.”

This could explain why I’m forever in love with Twin Peaks.