This is the fourth entry in our Glacier National Park series - here are links to the previous posts:
Travel to Wallace
Heading south out of West Glacier, we followed the west side of Flathead Lake - this looks like a beautiful area and definitely worth a revisit in the future! Heading west out of Elmo, MT, we entered a fairly flat and unpopulated area. We merged onto I90 at St. Regis, enjoying the scenery and road construction along the way. The road climbs pretty steeply until you reach Lookout Pass, which separates not only Idaho and Montana, but is also where the time zone changes from Mountain to Pacific.
The exit to Wallace is only 12 miles to the west of the pass, and the campsite we had reserved was just below the I90 overpass, along the Nine Mile Creek. The Wallace RV Park is a smaller, 41 site park, with a few cabins also available across the creek. Of particular interest to us was the proximity to town, as well as the brewery on the same property. More on that later.
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| Site 1C at Wallace RV Park along Nine Mile Creek |
Walking around Wallace
Downtown Wallace was just a few blocks from our campsite, and we had a perfect day to explore the town. We started by having a snack at the Fainting Goat, then explored a few of the gem stores in town. We stopped for a pic on the corner of Bank and Sixth, the self-proclaimed "Center of the Universe". You may recognize some of the buildings from the movie Dante's Peak.
We then continued down Bank to Wallace Brewing - click the link to read our review.
Hiking the Pulsaki Tunnel Trail
For our second day in Wallace, we drove to the trailhead of the Pulsaki Tunnel Trail. This trail traces part of the route that Edward Pulaski’s crew followed during their escape from the 1910 fires. The trail’s two-mile course brings hikers to an overlook across the creek from the Nicholson mine adit - better known as the Pulaski Tunnel - where “Big Ed” Pulaski saved all but six of his 45-man firefighting crew in August of 1910. The local historical society has done an amazing job of documenting the event with displays along the trail and explaining the significance of Ed Pulsaki and his impact on modern firefighting.
This trail seems pretty mild at first, but does have a few steep climb sections. We ended up at 4.2 miles, a good start to the day.
We had a great albeit brief visit to Wallace. What we didn't get to see and experience are all of the bike trails in the area, including Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes and Hiawatha Trail. Next time, we'll be sure to bring our bikes and make the time to take in some of these famous trails. This time on wheels.
Next up, we head back east including a stop at Devil's Tower National Monument.
Have you been to Wallace, Idaho? Where did you stay? What did you do? Leave your comments below! Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.
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