Wallace Falls Out and Back

Don't let the foot traffic deter you from making the decision to hike Wallace Falls. Though it's quite a popular attraction in Washington, it's well-worth the crowds. This state park is quite spacious and boasts more than 1,300 acres of space for other nearby adventures including fishing. From the parking lot and restroom area, the trail starts out on a wide, gravel path under giant power lines. Oddly, there is a unique kind of beauty found on this part of the path. About a half mile in, there's an interesting wooden gate to weed out non-hikers. Hikers will then continue on and will want to take the Woody Trail on the right at the next fork. This trail winds along the Wallace River. The trail ascends for two miles until hikers reach the picnic area at the lower falls. But continue on for less than a half a mile and hikers will come across the scenic views of the glorious middle falls overlook. While that might be enough for some, others may want to venture on to upper falls, though middle falls truly is the most scenic point. It overlooks the Skykomish River valley and the Olympic Mountains below so if someone is crunched for time or just can't make those extra steps, it's not a bad stopping point. Journey another half mile or so up a handful of steep switchbacks to reach the trail's finale at the 2.8 mile marker.