SKY VALLEY — The lower Skykomish River Valley is perhaps best explored in two parts, and it’s not too late in the year to make the trek. In fact, as we settle into fall, the autumn leaves make the area even more beautiful.
You’ll want to set aside a big chunk of the day for hiking to the upper Wallace Falls and exploring the rest of Wallace Falls State Park.
And then the afternoon might entail a leisurely trip home on U.S. 2 through Gold Bar, Startup and Sultan.
To visit Wallace Falls, you’ll need a Discover Pass for parking. If you don’t have an annual $30 pass, you can buy a day pass for $10 at the pay station at the trailhead.
Wallace Falls is a jewel in the state parks system. The park includes three lakes, 12 miles of hiking trails that cross streams as well as the main fork and the north fork of the Wallace River, five miles of biking trails on old logging roads and 13 waterfalls.
The largest of these waterfalls is called the Middle Falls, a spectacular 265-foot drop.
The pretty Lower Falls is less than a four-mile round-trip hike from the trailhead and is a medium sort of walk on the difficulty scale. Honestly, though, if you make it to the Lower Falls, you might as well go on up to the Middle Falls, still a pretty easy hike. And, of course, if you make it to the Middle Falls, you probably have the energy to go the distance up the final, steep half-mile or so to the Upper Falls.
It’s about a six-mile round trip and you’ll need to bring water and a snack, but it’s well worth it. Along the way, you are likely to see all sorts of wildlife such as deer, beaver and a variety of birds. In addition, you probably can still find a few edible berries clinging to their bushes or vines.
In Gold Bar, stop at the park along the railroad tracks. Construction of the Great Northern Railroad played a big part in the formation of the town, as did the prospectors looking for gold and the loggers harvesting trees in the surrounding forests.
Gold Dust Days, the last full weekend in July, celebrates the town’s heritage. To schedule a visit to the Gold Bar Depot Museum, at 110 Croft Ave. E., call 360-793-2479 or 360-793-2548.
Rico’s Pizza, on the highway at 17th Street, is a good place to eat.
Plenty of quirky slices of Americana exist on U.S. 2.
West of Gold Bar, look for the North Cascades Nursery, a retail plant store with an amazing fence made of skis, snow boards, boots and poles. If you have some to donate, leave them in the pile by the gate.
East of Startup, make a stop at the state fish hatchery, just off the highway on 383rd Avenue SE, where kids can learn about the salmon life cycle, the spawning process and the salmon diet.
In Startup, the Sky Valley Arts Council is restoring the historic Startup Gym as an events center. Built in 1937 with the help of sawmill owner George Startup, who donated the wood, and community volunteers, the gym is to be repaired to its former glory. People who want to donate to the effort can send a check to the Sky Valley Arts Council, PO Box 18, Sultan, WA 98294.
Another fun place to visit is the Haystack Co. Cabin and Garden Art store. To find it just look for the 1940 Dodge pickup truck out front along the highway. It’s a landmark in Startup. There, owner Pam Norton makes art from old shovels and other tools.
“I love the Sky Valley,” she said. “Except for the traffic during the summer and ski season, it’s quiet up here. It gives me time to create the garden art.”
Across the street is Dexter Perkins’ Hammock Shop. What the retired fisherman, 74, sells are fishing nets, which evidently make good hammocks. The fishing floats and the boat fenders that decorate Perkins’ fences also constitute a landmark in Startup.
In Sultan, there are many other antique and gift shops to explore. Check out the Flat Iron Gallery, the Grow Washington shop and Galaxy Chocolates shop, all on Main Street. Walk around the downtown area and enjoy the city’s murals.
For more on Sultan, its festivals and the Sky Valley in general, visit the Visitor Information Center, also on Main Street, or online at www.skyvalleychamber.org.
Eat at the Sultan Bakery. It’s all good.
This being a pink salmon year, it’s a great time to watch people catching humpies in the local rivers.
Sultan celebrates the return of the salmon with a festival Sept. 26 at Osprey Park, 801 First St. The event includes a Kids’ Field Dash, a 5K run and a one-mile walk along the Sultan River, which has a great view of the fish swimming upstream. Registration begins at 9:15 a.m. Afterward, enjoy food and cultural performances from local tribal members.
People still talk about the humpy return in 2007, when an estimated 20,000 pink salmon fought to get up the river to spawn.
The last bit of Americana on the way out of Sultan is the tiny Wayside Chapel, built in 1962 by New Hope Fellowship Church.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
Tourist in your own town
Today, we explore the Sky Valley from Sultan to Wallace Falls State Park. In each of our local cities, we have tourist attractions often overlooked by the people who live in this region. Have you been a Tourist in Your Own Town? This is the 21st in a series of monthly explorations of our hometowns. For other Tourist in Your Own Town stories and for links to more information and photos about Sultan and Gold Bar and each town we’ve covered, go to www.heraldnet.com/tourist.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
