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Wallace Falls closed due to bomb cyclone damage

Published 6:30 am Sunday, December 8, 2024

By Eliza Aronson

Water cascades down the Lower Falls near the Woody Trail at Wallace Falls State Park near Gold Bar on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. A nearly six mile round-trip to the park's Upper Falls offers hikers an array of vistas on a well maintained trail.
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Water cascades down the Lower Falls near the Woody Trail at Wallace Falls State Park near Gold Bar on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. A nearly six mile round-trip to the park's Upper Falls offers hikers an array of vistas on a well maintained trail.
Water cascades down the Lower Falls near the Woody Trail at Wallace Falls State Park near Gold Bar in 2015. (Ian Terry / The Herald)

GOLD BAR — The popular Wallace Falls State Park is closed until further notice due to damage sustained in the bomb cyclone last month.

More than 170 trees along the main trail near Gold Bar fell in the storm, according to Washington State Parks. A rock slide also impacted the popular Middle Falls Viewpoint.

The park is honoring preexisting reservations for the five cabins off Woody Trail, but is not taking new reservations. Full refunds are available to guests through this month.

It’s unknown when the park will open again as arborists and trail crews assess damage.

“In the 25 years that I have been associated with Wallace Falls State Park, this is the worst I have ever seen it,” Area Manager Shawn Tobin wrote in an email. “This restoration work will be time-consuming and dangerous.”

The park encompasses 1,380 acres along the Wallace River, with an entrance a mile northeast of Gold Bar. Woody Trail winds its way 5.6 miles with 1,300 feet of elevation along the Wallace River, offering views of multiple waterfalls.

Eliza Aronson: 425-339-3434; eliza.aronson@heraldnet.com; X: @ElizaAronson. Eliza’s stories are supported by the Herald’s Environmental and Climate Reporting Fund

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