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Wallace Falls

Last modified Nov 17, 2008 09:41 PM
Contributors: sharonmattnadia
Lower Wallace Falls, pictured here, is arguably the most photographic; Middle Falls the most spectacular; and the Upper Falls the most lonely. Photo by 'ArashA'

This great foothills hike is fantastic for families—although it does gain 1,200 feet, so prepare the kids for some exercise.

This great foothills hike is fantastic for families—although it does gain 1,200 feet, so prepare the kids for some exercise. It is also mobbed in the summer.

The three-tiered falls is one of the state's premier lowland falls (ranking with Snoqualmie and Palouse Falls) and is accessible most of the year. Middle Falls is the most scenic but the upper falls offers an interesting perspective and fewer crowds.

The trails starts out in the open under high tension powerlines, but quickly moves into the forest by the Wallace River. There are a couple of small beaches quite near the trailhead.

The trail splits in two, with a railroad grade trail turning to the left and a hiking only trail (the Greg Ball trail) staying near the river. There are plenty of trail maps posted along the way

Lower Wallace Falls is at 1.8 miles on the hiking trail and has a picnic shelter. Middle Falls is at 2.1 miles, and Upper at 2.75 miles.

There is also an interpretive trail shortly after entering the forest. The interpretive signs for Small Falls trail are down for repair as of this writing, but the trail is still a lovely little diversion.

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Recent Trip Reports

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There are 63 trip reports for this hike. See all trip reports for this hike.
Wallace Lake, Wallace Falls, Greg Ball Trail — Nov 15, 2008 — University Congregational Hikers
Day hike
Issues: Bridge out | Mudholes | Water on trail
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People attempting the Wallace Lake / Wallace Falls loop should be aware that, as of Saturday Nov. 15, a significant...
People attempting the Wallace Lake / Wallace Falls loop should be aware that, as of Saturday Nov. 15, a significant stretch of the section linking Wallace Lake and Upper Wallace Falls is under a foot or more of water. A beaver dam is likely to be the culprit (a number of trees, including some conifers, were sticking out of the sizable "lake", indicating that it is not a normal feature), possibly in combination with the heavy rains of last week. Perhaps in a few more days enough water will drain to make the trail normally passable again; perhaps not.

Much nearer to Wallace Lake in this same segment, a small bridge has been washed perhaps 10 feet off its foundations - just a nuisance at present.

Greg Ball trail is in good shape, but there are a couple of impressive mudholes on the last half-mile of old road connecting its upper end to Wallace Lake.
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West Cady Ridge, Barclay Lake, Wallace Falls — Nov 12, 2008 — sharonmattnadia
Day hike
Issues: Water on trail
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Given the recent heavy rains, we called the Skykomish Ranger Station to make sure the West Cady Ridge trail was...
Given the recent heavy rains, we called the Skykomish Ranger Station to make sure the West Cady Ridge trail was still accessible. The lady we talked to said we should probably be able to get to the trailhead. Not sure how, as when we reached Index, we found that the road was closed due to flooding. Our guidebook calls it the North Fork Skykomish Road, but apparently it's really the Index-Galena Road.

The same ranger assured us that we should have no trouble getting to the Barclay Lake trailhead, so we drove on a few miles to Baring and turned off onto the forest road. After a couple of miles, the road was blocked by logging activity, so we had to turn back. Not a very useful ranger.

We finally ended up at Wallace Falls State Park and hiked up to the Middle Falls (2.1 miles one way). The trail was delightful. We only encountered five or six other parties(rainy November Thursdays have their uses).

We had some rain, some sun, and some of both at the same time. There was even a rainbow that reached down between us and the far bank of the river - absolutely stunning.

All the recent rain has made the river and waterfalls quite spectacular. There was occasional shallow water on the trail, but the trail is in wonderful shape otherwise.

Saw a woodpecker, a pipsissewa and a zeller's bolete. Back at the trailhead, we noticed that one of the signs has a nice summary of mushrooms on the trail. We hadn't seen it heading it out, because it was on the back of the sign.
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Wallace Falls — Aug 30, 2008 — Hiking Family
Day hike
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Today we ventured out to Lower Wallace Falls. Started the trail about 9:30 with a 15 month in backpack and...

Today we ventured out to Lower Wallace Falls. Started the trail about 9:30 with a 15 month in backpack and 5 year old walking. For the most part the trail was good. A little slippery from all the recent rain and one tree over the trail, but that was nothing major. Since the weather was not the greatest, we didn't encounter a lot of people like we did when we hiked this trail in late June. The falls were very pretty and it was a bit nippy (we were glad to have sweatshirts for the kids). On the way back we took the cut off for the old railroad bed and found it to be in good condition. A bit muddy in places, but again nothing major.

There were warning signs posted that there had been bear activity since the beginning of Aug, but we ran across no signs of them.

Arrived back at 1:00 pm and the parking lot was still half empty. A GREAT hike for our 5 year old who is just starting out.

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Driving Directions

(47.8671, -121.6765) Open in new window
Red Marker Wallace Falls
This great foothills hike is fantastic for families—although it does gain 1,200 feet, so prepare the kids for some exercise.

This great foothills hike is fantastic for families—although it does gain 1,200 feet, so prepare the kids for some exercise. It is also mobbed in the summer.

The three-tiered falls is one of the state's premier lowland falls (ranking with Snoqualmie and Palouse Falls) and is accessible most of the year. Middle Falls is the most scenic but the upper falls offers an interesting perspective and fewer crowds.

The trails starts out in the open under high tension powerlines, but quickly moves into the forest by the Wallace River. There are a couple of small beaches quite near the trailhead.

The trail splits in two, with a railroad grade trail turning to the left and a hiking only trail (the Greg Ball trail) staying near the river. There are plenty of trail maps posted along the way

Lower Wallace Falls is at 1.8 miles on the hiking trail and has a picnic shelter. Middle Falls is at 2.1 miles, and Upper at 2.75 miles.

There is also an interpretive trail shortly after entering the forest. The interpretive signs for Small Falls trail are down for repair as of this writing, but the trail is still a lovely little diversion.

47.8670833333 -121.676483333
Take U.S. Hwy. 2 (Steven's Pass Highway) east 12 miles from Monroe to Gold Bar. Once in Gold Bar, follow the signs two miles northeast to the park.
Location
Central Cascades -- Stevens Pass - East
Washington State Parks
3.00 out of 5
Based on 6 votes
Roundtrip 5.5 miles
Elevation Gain 1200 ft
Highest Point 1600 ft
Features
Rivers
Waterfalls
Guidebooks & Maps
Green Trails 142 Index

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