If you’re trying to avoid snow, the trail to the falls’ views are snow free. If you’re looking for snow at this park, there’s a little near the lakes. Nothing requiring devices. As usual, the trails around the lakes are very saturated with puddles, running water, mud, and today’s slushy melting snow. The sign at the trailhead said gates are locked at 5:10pm. All trails were in good shape except the section of Greg Ball between Wallace and Jay Lakes which had one mess that I had to crawl under. Sawdust was noticeable on parts of the Greg Ball Trail showing that they are actively being taken care of. All toilets that I either used or took a peek in were in great shape, stocked with toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
Really wanted to go on a hike to a lake that wasn’t frozen but involved some snow. This was a great destination for the lake, but could have used more snow. There were at least some frosty surrounding peaks. My original plan was to do just the lakes and skip the falls. It would have been my first time going up the Greg Ball Trail versus just coming down it, but I started to get some serious FOMO when I got to the trail junction. Plus the weather was much nicer than forecasted and the gates were open for longer than I expected. I wasn’t sure about the distance and time needed if I went to Jay Lake via the loop, so I moved fast, didn’t linger, and did a little bit of trail jogging. But very happy to have done the loop today. The views from the Valley Overlook near the falls and along the logging roads to the lake were the best I’ve personally seen here with some blue skies and no haze that often develops in summer months. I didn’t realize how much of the Olympic Mountain Range or even downtown Seattle could be made out from the logging road. I just consider this a bonus if here on a clear day. Pebble Beach on the north side of Wallace Lake is often much harder to get to though in winter when the water level is high. It was actually pretty easy to cross and walk in the inlet today and nearly able to get to the view there without stepping in deep water.
12.6 miles, 2140 ft elevation gain, 4.5 hrs
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