Location | Length | Elevation | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
Central Cascades | Highway 2 | 5.5 miles, roundtrip (This is from what we recorded on a Garmin Fenix 6x) | Gain: 1580 ft. Highest Point: 1605 ft. |
Wallace Falls is a very popular hike right off of Highway 2. In all honesty, because of its popularity we usually avoid this type of hike.
However, right after a heavy rainstorm we knew that it would be really neat to see, and the likelihood of lots of people being there was slim.
We arrived, and our assumptions were correct. Not only was it pretty quiet, but the Wallace River and Wallace Falls was absolutely raging.
Getting Started
You'll see signs right off the highway pointing towards Wallace Falls. There is a good sized parking lot and even a little store at the trailhead now.
The hike begins very mildly, with a flat trek along the forest road before coming to a split. Go through the gates and you are on your way towards the falls.
Hiking to Wallace Falls
The trail to Wallace Falls follows along the Wallace River. You'll cross over multiple bridges which gives you a nice experience of the power of the water after a heavy rainfall. There are also some side trails that lead to additional waterfalls.
There are 3 different viewpoints of the falls: The lower falls and Wallace River, the middle falls, and the upper falls. Right before the upper falls there is also an observation deck that overlooks the valley below and you can view Gold Bar in the distance.
I highly recommend this trail after a big rainstorm, otherwise I would consider it mediocre at best.
Click on images below to see a bigger picture
Gear We Use
Water Purification and Accessories
Practicing LNT Principles, and Giving Back
We really want to encourage everyone to practice LNT principles when they explore these beautiful places. We spent years trying to minimize social impact on these locations, but the cat is out of the bag and these places are easy to find online. So it is our mission to share more about ways to keep these places as pristine as possible.
We also donate 3% of all our profits to organizations supporting the outdoors and working hard to keep these areas protected and safe.
