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I bought my first hiking GPS in the fall of 2016 and since that time have documented every day hike and backpacking trip I have done. Don’t ask why, I just like statistics and the information gives me perspective on my fitness level and readiness for other activities. That said, I can see I’ve hiked in Wallace Falls State Park on one trail or another thirty-five times for almost 300 miles total since 2016 and I know I hiked it many times prior to me recording everything.
Probably because of this familiarity I really had no intention of ever talking about the park. I just assume everyone knows about it and if you wanted to hike there you would have by now. I hike the trails regularly because it’s the closest “real” hiking experience to where we live. From my doorstep it’s a 30 minute drive to the trail head. For me it’s all about training and conditioning. It’s a good winter hike for staying in shape because the elevation is low enough that it rarely has snow on it for long. Normally I cruise through and don’t even bother to stop and look at the scenery.
I hiked in the park twice this week though and because I’ve really not done any hiking the past couple of months due to my continuing fight with plantar fasciitis I hiked slower than normal and stopped a couple of times to stretch and catch my breath. The slowed pace reminded me what great trails these are and that maybe not everyone is familiar with them.
Wallace Falls State Park is just north of Gold Bar. Most people just think of the falls and seeing the falls is their aim when they go. There are actually three distinct falls but it seems most people just go to the lower falls and turn around. There is more to the park than that though. The main “falls” trail is actually called the Woody Trail. If you go to the end of the Woody Trail you’ll have seen three falls, the middle being the most impressive at over 250 feet. Going all the way to the end and back will put you at 5 1/3 miles and a little over 1,600 feet of elevation gain. It’s a great workout but that’s just one trail.
Around 1.5 miles up the Woody Trail there is a trail that branches to the north. This is the Greg Ball Trail, named after Greg Ball (of course). Greg was a trail advocate and board member of the Washington Trails Association in the 90’s. Greg designed the trail but passed away due to cancer prior to it being finished. It doesn’t pass any falls but is still great and one of my favorite trails. The first part of the trail goes through an area of the forest that’s heavily covered in moss, looking like something out of a Dr Seuss story. As you continue on you’ll get some views of the north fork of the Wallace River towards the top. If you just hike from the trail head to the upper logging road that marks the formal end of the Greg Ball trail you’ll cover almost seven miles round trip and climb over 1,700 vertical feet.
There is more though. If you go to the end of the Woody Trail and then continue on an unofficial but well marked trail you’ll end up on a logging road which you can walk to loop back and connect to the Greg Ball trail. The road walk isn’t particularly great because you spend quite a bit of time walking along recent clear cuts, but at least the lack of timber gives good views of the valley below. From either the Greg Ball trail and/or the logging road you can go to Wallace Lake and then on to Jay Lake. Wallace Lake is a fairly large lake but doesn’t really have any impressive views. It’s just a lake surrounded by woods. Jay Lake is completely uninspiring, just a small lake with underbrush and shale slopes surrounding it. It’s an easy walk though so if you want some steps I suppose it’s worth it just to say you’ve been. Both lakes have campsites that can be reserved through the State Parks office at the trail head. It might be worth it just to do a shakedown gear hike and test equipment before heading out into the back country, or just to get away from the city lights without driving for hours.
Those are the main trails but there are other connector roads and whatnot that you can take. All told you can wander all day and easily get a 12 or 13 mile hike in.
A couple of things about the park. It’s a state park so you need a Discover Pass to park in the parking lot. Day passes can be purchased at an electronic kiosk at the trail head and there is a small information booth that is normally manned on weekends where I believe you can buy yearly passes that are good for any state access area. You only need to go to a state park three times in a year to pay the same amount as you’ll pay for the yearly pass so just spring for the yearly pass. You can also buy these at most sporting goods stores. Also, Wallace Falls is extremely popular and woe is the person that shows up at 1pm on a sunny Saturday and expects to park in the parking lot. It’s a decent sized lot but you’ll be parking a mile down the road and then hiking with 1,000 of your closest friends. I pretty much refuse to hike in the park during the summer due to the crowds. Like I said though, most families just go to the lower falls and then turn around so if you can get beyond that or take the Greg Ball trail the pilgrimage thins out quickly.
