The Woody Trail at Wallace Falls State Park

Another gorgeous weekend, another opportunity for a hike! Last weekend we set out for Wallace Falls; I assumed it would be pretty easy, because after running my first 6-miler of training I insisted on it. I was wrong.

Not to sound dramatic, or anything, but the elevation gain was rough on my tired legs after the lower falls.

The day was cool and drizzly at times. We got to the trailhead around 2pm. I immediately felt like this trail would be different than any we've done recently because there was an actual little shop at the trailhead and real bathrooms with flushing toilets! Sure enough, this trail was incredibly well-marked, including educational signage, and even had a picnicking area built by Boy Scouts.

The trail starts on a gravel path that passes under loudly buzzing power lines. We passed a pair of teens who gave us a disbelieving "good luck" when we told them we intended to go all the way to upper falls. 

Once you turn off the gravel path and into the trees, the buzzing dies away. The hike to the lower falls was beautiful and and fairly busy. I warmed up pretty quickly, but the weather was definitely cooler than we've had the last couple hikes. I'm not complaining, though; there's something nice about walking through a misty forest.

There were lots of cute bridges and creeks along the way to the lower falls, which are just about a mile in. The Boy Scout gazebo is here, and Matt and I had our lunch before continuing on. It was busy at the lower falls, so we opted to skip the viewpoint and come back to it on the return trip

The midfalls.

From this point, the elevation increases drastically, and the switchbacks are steep.

We reached the midfalls not too long after. I was starting to flag, but at that point it seemed silly not to get all the way to the end. Plus, I didn't want those teens from earlier to have been right!

At 2.7 miles, we reached the upper falls. The view was beautiful, and we had it to ourselves for awhile.

As always, the hike back down was easy-peasy compared to the hike up. We had plenty of daylight and the stop at the lower falls was much less busy than on the way up.

This was a tough 6-mile hike. I think it would have been easier with rested legs and hiking poles. I have a feeling it would be pretty brutal on a summer day. The views were pretty, but I've seen more majestic waterfalls. The real bathrooms at the trailhead are a major perk. Overall, I can see why this is a popular hike, but it's not one I'm dying to repeat.

Ali