Note: this is from a trip in June 2024 so far. So your experience may vary.

Fishing and Hiking Wallace Falls

When headed to this trail, you’ll first catch a glimpse of a waterfall from the highway. You’ll ask yourself, “Is this the waterfall? It seems pretty small…” It might seem unimpressive from a distance, but the 5.6 mile trail gives you an up-close-and-personal view of a pretty hefty waterfall. It’s perfect for a half-day hike coming from Seattle.

About the Hike

The trail starts under a set of power lines that sound like sizzling eggs in a pan. Somewhat uninspiring, but eventually the trail works its way into a forest and begins to follow the river.

Along the trail, you’ll hit three viewpoints of the falls. The lower viewpoint gives you a glimpse of the falls through the river gorge, while the middle and upper viewpoints bring you right next to the falls.

There’s a hearty amount of water that goes over these cliffs, and you’ll definitely appreciate it on this trail. There’s a fair amount of uphill in order to reach the upper viewpoint (1300 ft), but for the most part the trail is pretty nicely maintained, so I’d rate it as an easy-to-moderate hike.

About the Fishing

Well, I didn’t try. I came here out of season, when it is only legal to fish above the falls. Supposedly, there are a few cutthroat trout. However, it didn’t seem like there was an easy way to get to the river at the upper viewpoint. In-season (fall to winter), seems like there’s a bunch of fun holes and riffles that might be fun to fish, but the trail doesn’t seem to give phenomenal access to most of the river — the trail is mostly perched on a cliff, except for a short portion at the beginning on the banks of the river.

This trail will also take you to Wallace Lake if you’re up for a fair bit of hiking. I didn’t have time to check it out, but might be some better fishing there.

Notes

Parking at the trailhead requires a Discovery Pass.

Recommended Fishing Gear

For the trout:

Acme Kastmaster, 1/8 oz

One of my favorite lures for trout fishing, very useful for covering a lot of water and finding where the active fish are. It's a very aerodynamic lure that can be casted quite far on light line. I've had the most success on stop-and-go, erratic retrieves. Use gold Kastmasters on sunny days or in murky water. Use silver Kastmasters on cloudy days or clear water. Kastmasters can be somewhat expensive - South Bend also sells Kastaways which are somewhat cheaper but can't say I've personally used them.

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Thomas Buoyant, 1/4 or 1/6 oz

A Kastmaster alternative. It casts a somewhat smaller distance, but the spoon has a slightly different fluttering action that seems to sometimes entice more hits.

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Panther Martin, 1/16 oz

A classic trout spinner. I like a retrieve with many erratic jerks with these spinners, to let the blade flutter as much as possible. Traditionally the gold blade with black body and yellow spots has been the most effective for me, but the other colors should also work.

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