| Wallace — Bridge near Gold Bar to mouth™ © |
Class II
6Miles
River Mapplet
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GPS/GIS |
Maps |
| Put In Longitude : |
-121.69219 |
Putin |
| Put In Latitude : |
47.8627014 |
| Take Out Longitude : |
-121.79640 |
Take Out |
| Take Out Latitude : |
47.8594017 |
| County : |
Snohomish |
Shuttle
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Gauge Information (Professor Paddle updated levels from WALLACE RIVER AT GOLD BAR, WA at 4/30/2025 7:25:22 PM)
| Gauge |
Forecast |
Height |
Current Flow |
Authority |
Physical Update |
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WALLACE RIVER AT GOLD BAR, WA
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n/a |
2.14 |
2.14 ft
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3rd Party Gauge
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2025-04-30 18:30:00 |
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Minimum Recomended Level: 0 ft Maximum Recomended Level: 0 ft
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Putin DetailsAs you enter Gold Bar on Hwy 2, turn North onto 1st Street where the signs point to Wallace Falls State Park. Go 0.4 miles and then turn right onto May Creek Rd. Go 0.7 miles and bear left (signs point toward the park). In another 1/4 mile, there is a bridge over the river which serves as the put-in. Park on the shoulder of the road on river left. There is a trail on the upstream river left side of the bridge down to the river. |
Takeout DetailsThe take-out is at the fishing access in Sultan on the West side of the bridge over the Sultan where it flows into the Skykomish (Discover Pass required). Alternatively, you can also take-out directly across the Sultan river at Sultan River Park (no pass required). In either case, after you paddle down the Wallace, it will flow into the Skykomish and then you will paddle a short distance up the Sultan as well. |
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Fun FactsJust upstream of the put-in, the Wallace River drops nearly 800ft. over Wallace Falls. |
Run DescriptionThere is no gauge for this run, so it requires visual inspection. The river is narrow and shallow, so it requires a fair amount of water to run without scraping down the entire run.
Wood is also an issue on this run. Although there are numerous logs and small logjams, there are four mandatory portages. The first two come before the river flows under Hwy 2 and the second two come after Hwy 2 but before the river flows into the Skykomish. The river is pretty shallow and slow moving, so it is usually pretty easy to just portage up and over the logjams.
The other issue to note is the fish hatchery immediately before the river flows under Hwy 2. The fish hatchery has a metal picket-fence-style grate that spans the entire river with concrete walls on both sides. There is no route through or around the grate, so it must be portaged. You can portage on river left immediately above the concrete wall by following a short trail up to the gravel road, walking past the hatchery, and putting in again immediately downstream of the grate.
After passing under Hwy 2, the river widens and slows even more, eventually flowing into the Skykomish. Paddle down the Sky a bit farther and you will see the Sultan bridge and the take-out park.
All in all, there are really no distinct rapids, just some faster moving water here and there. Especially with the usual low volume of water, expect to scrape down several parts of the run. With the wood issues, the work-fun ratio doesnt make this a destination run. But if you have paddled everything else and are looking more for an adventure than whitewater, it is a neat little river.
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