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Trip Report    

CHS 2 Hike - Wallace Falls

Snow surprised 8 of us this morning on an exploration of the Woody Trail to Upper Falls. Deer, Pacific wrens, varied and hermit thrushes, and the first Rufous of 2026.

Courtenay Schurman Courtenay Schurman
April 16, 2026
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • A Discover pass is needed to park, plenty of spaces early on an April Tuesday; and the restrooms were clean, open, and comfortable.  4 deer greeted me near the parking lot when I arrived.

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    The trail is quite muddy right now, and as we ascended from the picnic shelter to the upper falls, we climbed into slush and snowballs dropping from upper branches. It made for treacherous footing on the way down; all but one of us used at least one pole for the descent.

8 of us from the Seattle Mountaineers CHS-2 cohort started bright and early (8:15 a.m.) this morning with a little of everything: rain, snow (yes, on April 16!), sunbreaks, 4 deer, 18 bird species including the first Rufous hummingbird for 2026, a raven, varied thrushes, a hermit thrush, and lots of Pacific wrens.

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Our approach speed (flat) was 3.5 mph as everyone got to know each other, then cumulative moving speed ended up closer to 2.3 mph with an 8 minute break at Upper Falls for snacks before we quickly descended. Round trip time 8:15-11:10 for 5.5 miles and breaks, slower on the snowy sections as one might expect.

Nice group, compatible paced (CHS-2 is 2-3 mph) and several folks joined me in practicing the tip for the day, nasal breathing. 

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If you've never visited Small Falls, about half a mile in (first left past the first bridge), it's a nice little interpretive loop worth checking out, thanks to a Scout effort - lovely signs and a little loop trip with stairs and views overlooking the falls and a story of the mighty cedar. I saw one skunk cabbage blooming along the boardwalk to the amphitheater.

I imagine the way snowballs were pelting down from high branches, that the snow will be gone in another couple of days. Pretty while it lasted.