We made a lollipop loop trail clockwise first going on the Greg Ball Trail to Wallace Lake and then to Wallace Falls and back. This ended up being a surprise winter wonderland with 2-8 inches of snow! The total trip was 10.3 miles and 1,700 feet of elevation gain in 5 hr 35 min.
The trail had 2-8 inches of snow from a day or two before which made the scenery a winter wonderland! Unfortunately the WTA trip report that showed this was from the day before and was missed, so the snow was a surprise. I wish I had known and would have recommended microspikes; they would have been very helpful for the downhill section near the waterfalls as this was kind of packed down and icy. 7 of the 10 participants had microspikes anyway, and the other 3 had poles, so everyone was OK. Travel everywhere else was fine as the snow cover was low in most of the forested area, or flat in the open area where the snow was heaviest.
Our group of 10 Mountaineers made a lollipop loop trail clockwise first going on the Greg Ball Trail to Wallace Lake and then to Wallace Falls and back.
Snow was on the ground in Gold Bar and temperatures were right about freezing when we arrived at 8:15 am, but the roads were perfectly clear, and the parking lot spaces had been cleared of snow. The restrooms were open (flush toilets, toilet paper, sinks, and soap).
It had been below freezing the night before and the first 0.3 miles of trail (before reaching the forest) had crusty, slushy ice. It was not slippery because it was so rough, and it was flat terrain. Once reaching the forest, there was hardly any snow or ice on the trail, and travel was easy. We took the Woody trail down to the Wallace River, and after 0.6 miles, took the connector trail up to the Railroad Grade Trail. After 0.3 miles on this stretch, we reached a picnic table and pit toilet (open) and the beginning of the Greg Ball Trail. Most of our elevation gain happened here gaining 1000 feet of the next 1.7 miles. The snow on the ground increased steadily, reaching about 6 inches by the time we made it to the wide open logging road, making for a beautiful winter wonderland. Travel in the snow was not difficult at all as it was not very steep and this early in the morning, it was still cold enough that the snow was soft and fluffy rather than icy or slushy. From here to the lake it was pretty much flat. We followed the logging road for 0.1 miles before re-entering the forest for the final 0.5 miles to Wallace Lake! Throughout, there were tracks that made it easy to know where to go. The lake was beautiful with the snow covered trees surrounding it and the snowy mountain ridge standing on the east side of the lake.
The first stretch of trail past the lake, towards Wallace Falls, had a lot of standing water. We were able to skirt the edge of the trail to keep out of the water and mud. The next 2.1 miles followed a wide logging road, and about half of this area was recently logged on one side. The silver lining is that it made for wonderful views and a great lunch spot looking down into the Skykomish River valley, and we could easily see the skyline of downtown Seattle and the snow-capped Olympics. Snow on this stretch remained fluffy and 6-8 inches, but was easy-going in waterproof boots without gaiters or traction devices. In another 0.3 miles we reached the turn off to descend down to the waterfalls. Here those who had them put on their microspikes and found them very helpful as the conditions were more packed and icy and steep. There are 4 waterfall overlooks which were all wonderful and full and roaring and even more magnificent with the backdrop of snow-covered trees.
The total trip was 10.3 miles and 1,700 feet of elevation gain in 5 hr 35 min.
Delwin Elder
