July 18, 2009
We set out today to hike Blanca Lake. We reached Road #63 and found out that it was closed. We didn't want to turn back home. So we decided to go to Wallace Falls to see the 3 tiered falls - Lower, Middle and Upper falls.
Directions to Wallace Falls
From 405N, take Highway 2 East (Stevens Pass Highway) towards Wenatchee. Once you enter the town of Gold Bar, follow signs towards Wallace Falls State Park. You cannot miss it!
Trail Stats
Elevation Gain: Approx 1370ft . Parking Lot is at an elevation of 330 ft. Upper falls is at an elevation of 1700 ft.
Distance: 6.3 miles roundtrip (we took the woody trail up)
Round Trip Time: 2 hrs up, 1 hr down
Hike Details
The first thing you'll notice as you start heading on the trail is the buzzing of the powerlines. Don't be alarmed. Keep going :) The hike to lower falls is easy. The hike from there to middle and upper falls is intermediate with some elevation gain. The trail is very well maintained with mile markers along the trail. It's a nice hike to get away from the heat on a hot summer day. The dense vegetation and tall trees keep the sun away and relatively cool.
The first few minutes of the hike is well-gravelled. After some time, you'll come to a fork. You can either take the woody trail (which is longer) or take a shorter trail that follows the Wallace river to the Lower Falls. The woody trail takes you through tall trees and dense vegetation. Distance to the Lower Falls is about 1.8 miles from the trailhead. There are benches here that you can make use for a small picnic with friends and family. From here, you start gaining some elevation and some good excercise. Middle falls is approximately 2.1 miles. We found this the prettiest of the 3. After some picture opportunities, we continued hiking to the upper falls. This part of the hike is where your muscles start stretching. There are some tall steps you have to stretch your legs to reach. Upper falls is at approx. 2.7 miles. The view you get of the upper falls is not very spectacular as we thought it would be. Nevertheless, it was a great hike!
We set out today to hike Blanca Lake. We reached Road #63 and found out that it was closed. We didn't want to turn back home. So we decided to go to Wallace Falls to see the 3 tiered falls - Lower, Middle and Upper falls.
Directions to Wallace Falls
From 405N, take Highway 2 East (Stevens Pass Highway) towards Wenatchee. Once you enter the town of Gold Bar, follow signs towards Wallace Falls State Park. You cannot miss it!
Trail Stats
Elevation Gain: Approx 1370ft . Parking Lot is at an elevation of 330 ft. Upper falls is at an elevation of 1700 ft.
Distance: 6.3 miles roundtrip (we took the woody trail up)
Round Trip Time: 2 hrs up, 1 hr down
Hike Details
The first thing you'll notice as you start heading on the trail is the buzzing of the powerlines. Don't be alarmed. Keep going :) The hike to lower falls is easy. The hike from there to middle and upper falls is intermediate with some elevation gain. The trail is very well maintained with mile markers along the trail. It's a nice hike to get away from the heat on a hot summer day. The dense vegetation and tall trees keep the sun away and relatively cool.
The first few minutes of the hike is well-gravelled. After some time, you'll come to a fork. You can either take the woody trail (which is longer) or take a shorter trail that follows the Wallace river to the Lower Falls. The woody trail takes you through tall trees and dense vegetation. Distance to the Lower Falls is about 1.8 miles from the trailhead. There are benches here that you can make use for a small picnic with friends and family. From here, you start gaining some elevation and some good excercise. Middle falls is approximately 2.1 miles. We found this the prettiest of the 3. After some picture opportunities, we continued hiking to the upper falls. This part of the hike is where your muscles start stretching. There are some tall steps you have to stretch your legs to reach. Upper falls is at approx. 2.7 miles. The view you get of the upper falls is not very spectacular as we thought it would be. Nevertheless, it was a great hike!
Pictures
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