Green River Gorge Resort: History, Hike & Hidden Waterfall

Looking to explore a hidden slice of paradise without traveling far?

You don’t need to drive for hours to find a lush, misty gorge with a good story behind it. One of South Puget Sound’s best-kept secrets sits quietly along the backroads to Enumclaw, just past Black Diamond.

Having lived in the area most of my life, I’ve driven past the old single-lane bridge at the Green River Gorge countless times.

I’d always admired the weathered green lodge and the mossy stonework, wondering what lay beyond.

But after hearing whispers about people trekking down behind the building to find a secret hot spring and a hidden waterfall, my curiosity got the best of me.

Naturally, my sister and I had to go see for ourselves.

On a sunny summer day that practically begged for a river escape, we took the trail 150 feet down into the canyon… and stepped right into a forgotten, cool-water paradise.

Starting at the Springs

We began our visit across the road from the old resort, over by the springs.

A wooden gazebo sits above a series of crystal-clear pools, with spring water moving through rock-lined channels below.

We parked near that gazebo and wandered around for a while before crossing over to the lodge.

Even before we started the hike, I was already staring at the surroundings and wondering how old everything was.

The water runs through several pools bordered by stone walls, crossed by small wooden bridges, with trails wandering toward the woods… some of which are fenced and gated now.

One pool in particular is deep, amazingly clear, and ridiculously inviting on a hot summer day.

Naturally, my brain went straight to the resort’s early years:
Were people swimming in these pools?
Were they stocked with trout back when fishing was part of the experience?
How old are those rock walls?
Were those little bridges part of the original grounds?

I figured I’d sort it all out once I started digging into the property’s history.

Spoiler alert… I did not.

But we’ll come back to that.

Exploring the Old Green River Gorge Resort

After wandering around the springs, we crossed the road to the old green lodge beside the bridge.

Two women were sitting outside collecting the $5 fee for access to the trail behind the building.

I asked if the resort still rented rooms or cabins.

One of the women laughed and told me there were a hundred rooms upstairs… which sounded like a generous estimate, if I’m honest.

Whatever the actual number once was, she explained that the upstairs is no longer safe for guests.

The main floor, however, is still very much in use.

She explained that the building now houses Carter Lift Bags, a business manufacturing equipment for underwater salvage work.

Jim and Linda Carter bought the property in 1977, and after leaving the traditional resort business, they continued using the 1925 building to manufacture lift bags.

That was not exactly where I thought the conversation would end up.

Then she invited us inside.

Behind workers handling huge pieces of material that reminded me of parachute fabric, I could still see parts of the old resort.

What caught my attention most was a grand old fireplace standing in the middle of a modern working business.

I found myself imagining the people who gathered around it when the property was still a bustling vacation destination.

It will probably never be enjoyed that way again.

There’s something a little sad about that.

Buildings change, and places get reused, but there is something fascinating about seeing the bones of an old lodge living inside a completely different era.

The history didn’t disappear… it just got built around.

Cabins, Blackberries, and One Very Questionable Camper

Outside, a couple of small green cabins sit quietly under tangles of blackberry vines, clinging to the edge of the cliffside.

I do not know if these were actual rental cabins or just used as storage sheds… either way, nature is reclaiming them.

And then there is the old red truck camper.

Someone covered an old camper with shingles until it looked like a tiny rustic cabin, while the red truck beneath it appears to be slowly disappearing into the whole structure.

It’s hard not to notice.

Apparently, it belongs to someone associated with the property, though I doubt anyone has slept in it lately… unless they are especially fond of raccoons.

We also spotted a restroom on the grounds during our visit, which is always useful information before heading down a steep trail.

After that, we headed toward the trail gate.

An honor box for trail access is available when no one is collecting fees at the door.

A couple of signs at the gate list a rather impressive number of rules, warnings, and dangers… always reassuring just before you head down into a gorge.

Hiking Down Into the Green River Gorge

Past the gate, the trail starts almost immediately.

The first section takes you down a long run of wooden stairs… stairs that have definitely seen better days.

As you descend, you get a great look at the back of the old resort building.

Moss and blackberry vines creep around the edges, and from this angle, you can really appreciate how close the lodge sits to the gorge drop-off.

It feels completely different from the roadside view.

The route continues through the trees along a dirt trail that winds down to another set of stairs, leading to the sandstone steps, the overlook, and the river below.

We kept walking until the trees suddenly opened to reveal the river.

A small platform with a bench overlooks the water… a good spot to pause and take in the view.

You have just descended from a busy road and an old lodge, but down here, the traffic seems miles away as the sound of the rushing river takes over.

Hidden Pool Behind the Waterfall at Green River Gorge

To the right of the downward trail stands an old wooden wall, falling in, painted with a turquoise-and-yellow mural.

Walking past it, you’ll see an old structure containing equipment… what looks like a pumphouse or infrastructure once connected to the resort.

Of course, I assumed I would go home and easily figure out what it pumped…
Spring water up to the lodge?
River water?
Heating for hot springs?
Water for cabins or campgrounds?

I still don’t know.

The trail continues around the pumphouse toward one of the most fascinating spots on the property.

A waterfall spills over the sandstone cliff, with a cave-like overhang tucked behind it.

The Green River Gorge Greenway calls this area Paradise Falls, though I’ve also seen it called Maid of the Mist Falls… which is the name I prefer.

Whatever you call it… it’s a beautiful spot.

We carefully worked our way over the wet sandstone and into the area behind the falling water.

The rock is slick, so this is definitely not the place for cute shoes or misplaced confidence.

A shallow pool is built into the sandstone behind the waterfall with a bench-like ledge along the inside edge, so naturally I sat down and put my feet in.

Cold.

Very cold.

And remember, this was a hot summer day.

I stayed long enough to watch the waterfall spill in front of me and enjoy the view, but I would not quite call it relaxing.

Cold aside, it was a fun experience to sit there and watch the water cascade down in front of me.

I’ve never had that experience before.

Getting out, I started noticing the hardware…
An old spigot sits near the pool, electrical switches hang higher on the sandstone wall, and remnants of piping disappear into a narrow opening in the cliffside.

I thought maybe this was the hot springs and they pumped  hot water into it.

I mean… to me that makes sense, having just sat in that cold pool.

I could hang out here a long time if the pool was warm.

That’s about when my peaceful waterfall visit turned into a bit of an investigation.

An Oasis at The Bottom of Green River Gorge

After leaving the waterfall, we continued along the river.

This was my favorite part of the whole trip.

The sandstone down here is filled with divots, potholes, shallow pools, and ledges.

Some areas look almost hand-sculpted, with steps shaped into the rock, while elsewhere the river has clearly carved its own path for centuries.

The Green River does not simply run straight through the gorge.

It curves around the sandstone, narrowing into tight passages before opening into broad, deep jade-green pools where the canyon walls block the sun.

Caves, overhangs, ferns, and ivy line the water, creating tucked-away pockets that make you want to keep exploring around the next bend.

Standing beside the river and looking back toward the waterfall was my favorite view of the day. It really does feel like an oasis down here… not the manicured resort kind, but a wild, mossy, unforgettable one.

Swimming and Cliff Jumping at Green River Gorge

The gorge definitely was not empty.

Many people were out enjoying the cool of the water on the hot summer day.

Some were exploring the trail, some were sunbathing or picnicking on the rocks, others were just hanging out in the river.

As we wandered farther along the river, we watched a few younger guys climb the sandstone cliffs above one of the deeper pools and jump right in.

I was perfectly happy to cheer them on from a much safer distance.

My knees and I have an agreement about cliff jumping… we don’t.

Across the water, a rope swing let people take turns swinging out into the pool.

On a hot summer day, it looked pretty tempting.

Still no.

The Green River is cold, rocky, and capable of strong currents. Local safety reports warn about swift rapids and hidden rocks, especially during spring runoff.

While plenty of people swim here, I wouldn’t take someone else’s leap as proof that any particular spot is safe.

What it did tell me was that our little “secret” spot was not nearly as secret as we thought.

People have been finding their way down here for generations.

Once you stand at the bottom of the gorge, it all makes sense.

Then I Went Home and Started Digging

By the time my sister and I climbed back toward the old lodge, I saw the place completely differently.

What had looked like a fading building from the road suddenly felt layered with stories.

The lodge.
The pumphouse.
The carved steps.
The cold pool behind the waterfall.
The old spigot.
The old switches on the cliff… fun was had here, and memories were made.

So once I got home, I started digging online with the help of my friends ChatGPT and Gemini.

They led me to local history archives, Facebook groups, postcards, and stories from locals.

Some of the best information comes from the Black Diamond History Page and the Voice of the Valley paper. I recommend checking them out for some great historic photos.

A few of my questions were answered… many were not.

The History of Green River Gorge Resort

I quickly learned there was never just one Green River Gorge Resort operating unchanged for a hundred years.

Several resort businesses came and went around the bridge:

• The 1920s: Captain Dick Craine and his wife, Bessie, developed Ye Olde Green River Lodge in the early 1920s with a hotel, cottages, tents, a clubhouse, and a dance pavilion.
  The main lodge burned down in late 1924, leaving only two stone fireplaces standing.
  
• Rudge’s Resort: John and Mary Rudge bought nearby acreage and built Rudge’s Green River Gorge Resort in 1925, along with a service station called Jack’s Place.
  
• Fried Chicken Fame: Nearby, William and Della Trethewey operated another resort featuring a main building, store, cabins, and an auto camp. Della’s famous fried chicken dinners became legendary among weekend travelers.

By the mid-1940s, records suggest the Tretheweys held both properties and combined them into the resort remembered in later decades.

What Was All That Infrastructure For?

The pumphouse, spigot, electrical switches, and piping remain harder to place.

One version links the electrical lighting to the resort’s early years, suggesting sections of the gorge may have been illuminated for guests.

A longtime local I spoke with remembered a later version of the story.

According to him, they used power down there for lights and music during the years when the gorge developed into more of a swimming and party hangout.

I can picture both.

As for the waterfall pool, sitting in that ice-cold water made it hard to imagine anyone using it as a soaking tub.

I saw stories on Facebook groups talking about the pool being heated.

I read other stories about multiple hot tubs down there.

I like to imagine people hanging out there in the evening, relaxing in the warm pool, ambient lights strung up, some rock and roll echoing off the sandstone.

That’s the version I’m going with… fact or not.

The Green River Gorge Hot Spring

One mystery I could actually confirm was the famous Green River Gorge Hot Spring.

There was a “hot spring” down in the gorge, but it wasn’t the cold pool behind the waterfall.

A 1988 newspaper report described water emerging from an old mine opening about ten feet above the river, flowing into a natural rocky pool at around 90 degrees (and previously closer to 98 degrees).

What warmed it wasn’t geothermal activity, but an underground coal seam that caught on fire and had been smoldering for decades.

At one point, a log and rocks were used to dam the spring enough for soaking until flood waters washed it away.

So, while the historic coal-heated spring was real, it was completely separate from the cold waterfall pool I found.

It was further down the river, closer to the old mining town of Franklin, with trail access from the that side of the bridge.

I did read that the Carters maintained a trail for people to follow to access that pool in the past… once again, I am not certain of this.

Green River Gorge Resort in the 1970s and 1980s

By the 1970s, the Green River Gorge Resort had changed quite a bit from the days of competing roadside resorts and fried chicken dinners.

A postcard from the era advertised camping, RV hookups, hot tubs, picnicking, fishing, hiking trails, waterfalls, and deep emerald-green pools.

Those emerald pools, at least, are definitely still there.

Jim and Linda Carter bought the property in 1977 and the couple developed Carter Lift Bags, a company that manufactures underwater salvage equipment.

A few years after purchasing the gorge property, they left the traditional resort business but continued using the old lodge for the company.

The gorge itself, however, became well known locally as a summer swimming and cliff-jumping spot.

That local I spoke to remembered those years as much more of a party scene and alcohol flowed a bit too much.

Then came the obvious problems that arise from mixing alcohol with cliffs and deep water.

I haven’t found documentation showing those problems alone caused the resort to close, so I treat that part as local memory.

What I could verify is that Jim Carter later said liability concerns forced him out of the resort business by the mid-1980s.

Standing beside those cliffs myself, I can understand why the word “liability” probably came up a lot.

The Carters did not abandon the property.

The old lodge became the working manufacturing space my sister and I walked through, which explains the strange combination of modern equipment and that grand old fireplace still sitting inside.

Another era built directly on top of the last one.

The Gazebo, Spring Pools and Unanswered Questions

Spring water still flows through those rock-walled pools below the gazebo across the road.

Some accounts mention the gazebo and surrounding springs area being built up by the Carters as a family recreation area.

While some historical accounts mention fishing ponds around the resort, I couldn’t verify if these exact pools were used for fishing, swimming, or water management.

What I do know is that locals still stop by today to fill jugs with spring-fed water… I am one of them.

In fact, Crystal Springs water company is known to come by with their tanker trucks to fill up.

People have been drawn to this water for generations.

The reasons change, but the water keeps flowing.

The Mystery Might Be My Favorite Part

I started this trip thinking I’d see a waterfall.

Instead, I found an old lodge, a grand fireplace, hidden cabins, a pumphouse, cliffside electrical switches, a freezing waterfall pool, and one of the prettiest stretches of river near home.

Green River Gorge has been used, changed, and reused for more than a century.

Every generation left something behind.

The old resort may be fading, but once you stand at the bottom of that gorge with jade-green water curving through the sandstone, you realize the gorge sells itself.

Planning Your Own Green River Gorge Visit

Green River Gorge Resort is private property, so visiting is a little different from pulling into a standard public trailhead.

• Access Fee: There is a $5 fee per person for parking and trail access down into the gorge. When we visited, they accepted cash or Venmo at the resort building, or via the honor box.
• Trail Conditions: Expect a steep descent with wooden stairs, dirt trails, uneven sandstone, and slick rocks around the waterfall. Wear sturdy shoes with good traction… this is not the place for flip-flops.
• Amenities: A restroom was available on the resort grounds during our visit, but treat it as a bonus, not a guarantee.
• Safety & Respect: Respect all posted signs, fences, and closed areas. Remember that the Green River features extremely cold water, swift currents, rapids, and hidden hazards. Exercise extreme caution near the water’s edge.
• Pack It In | Pack It Out: Because this is privately owned land, our continued access depends on our respect. Please pack out all trash and help keep this incredible natural wonder absolutely pristine.

Frequently Asked Questions About Green River Gorge Resort