Finally made it to a section of Wallace Falls State Park that I hadn’t been to before, so my first new hike of 2026. I only discovered recently that this mysterious Shaw Lake was accessible, not only for hiking but camping as well with tent pads, a picnic table, and a metal campfire ring. There’s no detailed WTA hiking guide for this hike and only 15 trip reports going back as far as 2003 with the most recent from last March. So I hope this report will help others interested in getting to Shaw Lake. I also hope it will help to get tires dumped in the area removed (see below).
With the unusually warm January weather we’re having, any snow that was in the area was melted, creating numerous small drainage waterfalls and full lakes and ponds. I was pleasantly surprised to see how full Shaw Lake was considering it being described as a “small pond.” Very much a spring-like day in January. There were even enough occasional bugs flying around that one flew into my eye. And it was cool seeing the sun’s midday rays hitting moisture and creating mist early in the hike along the logging road.
Parking can be found along Sultan Basin Road with signs making it very clear to display your Discover Pass. There are also signs everywhere about No Shooting being allowed. On a map I traced old logging roads from the lake back to Sultan Basin Rd to identify the particular gate I was starting from. When I arrived, the gate was open and a truck was actively using that portion of the logging road, so the parking along Sultan Basin Rd came in handy. Otherwise, there is room to park near the gate as long as you don’t impede those trucks or block the gate.
This hike ended up being 7 miles and 1543ft of elevation gain with the highest point being at 2140ft. At a relaxed pace it was done in 3 hours and could easily be done faster with running along the road portion, but be careful not to attract a predator if running. And I wouldn’t recommend having dogs off leash. This was not a high traffic area (only human I saw was the truck driver) and had signs of wildlife activity (old scat on my way in, fresh scat on my way out). The portion of the hike that resembles an obvious gravel road was 2 miles with 900ft of elevation gain on the way in. The remaining 1.5 miles to the lake were on trails that changed character as I went along (see photos). Inside the state park’s boundaries it was very obvious that someone is taking care of the trails, thankfully keeping a path cleared for the most part through areas that remind me of the pick-up sticks game with fallen trees. This will be most notable around the beaver pond. The only true obstacle today was crossing over the North Fork Wallace River coming out of Shaw Lake. It’s not that wide and only deep enough to go over the top of boots, so not dangerous. There are some rocks to help with rock hopping if agile. Otherwise, poles may come in handy here. After that, first sightings of the lake will be through the trees. But if you keep going, you’ll eventually reach the tent pads and a trail heading down to the picnic table at the lake.
Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable hike. The only thing I found issue with is about .5 mile into the hike there’s a small bridge with water flowing under it. This has become a dumping ground for tires and one has ended up in the water below. I can’t imagine that could be good for the environment, and I hope someone who can do something about it is reading this report.
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