North Bend sits at the point where the suburbs give way to wilderness. Interstate 90 threads through town on its way to Snoqualmie Pass, carrying skiers in winter and hikers year-round. The town itself is a bedroom community for Seattle and Bellevue - corporate commuters who chose mountain views over shorter drives. But step off the highway, and you're in different territory. The peaks rise immediately: Mount Si to the northeast, its iconic haystack summit visible from seemingly everywhere; the Rattlesnake Ledge loop above Rattlesnake Lake; the trails of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie stretching deep into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

Mount Si is not especially high by Cascade standards, but it dominates North Bend completely. The eight-mile round-trip trail gains 3,100 feet through forests of Douglas fir and western hemlock, emerging at a rocky viewpoint where Seattle shimmers on clear days and the Olympics rise beyond Puget Sound. On weekends, the trail can feel like a pilgrimage route - hundreds of hikers making the climb, many on their first serious mountain experience. The haystack scramble at the very top separates casual hikers from those willing to use their hands. Washington State Parks requires a Discover Pass for parking; federal trails beyond town need a Northwest Forest Pass or Interagency Pass.

Lynch chose North Bend for its Douglas firs and its diner, its working-class atmosphere and its dreamlike proximity to genuine wilderness. The Mar-T Cafe became the Double R; Twede's Cafe still serves cherry pie to tourists who remember the show. The series filmed here in 1989-1991, then returned briefly for the 2017 revival. But North Bend was never really Twin Peaks - it was always a logging town that happened to look cinematic. The lumber industry has faded, but the town remains practical: gas stations, gear shops, a Safeway. The oddness Lynch captured was always imaginary, projected onto real mountains and real fog.

The Mountains to Sound Greenway connects North Bend to a network of trails stretching from Seattle to Ellensburg. The Snoqualmie Valley Trail follows an old railroad grade through the lowlands; the Iron Horse Trail continues over the pass. For serious hikers, the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road winds deep into the Cascades, accessing backcountry that feels a world away from the suburban fringe. In winter, the trails turn to snowshoe routes or simply close. North Bend is the last supply stop before the high country - the place to fill the tank, grab coffee, and check the weather one more time before climbing into the clouds.