Distance: 9 mi. (6.6 to the lake and back)
Elevation Gain: 2300 ft. (1400 to the lake and back)
Laura was interested in a relaxed hike to a lake and suggested Valhalla Lake near Stevens Pass. We left Seattle a bit after 7 AM and reached the trailhead at the hairpin turn on the Smithbrook Road around 9:30 AM. The trail climbed pretty steeply along several switchbacks until we reached the ridge above, and then it mostly traversed southwest after meeting the Pacific Crest Trail at Union Gap. We climbed to about 5100 feet before descending down toward Valhalla Lake. There were a few nice PCT campsites with a view of a lake before we dropped down to the actual shore. For an alpine lake this one had a decent little beach and the water was a beautiful blue color with Lichtenberg Mountain rising above. Laura and Vanessa slathered on some bug repellant to try to enjoy the lake despite the mosquitoes, while I left to climb Lichtenberg Mountain around 11:45.
I traversed around the south side of the lake on a rough trail. There were some good campsites at the southeast side of the lake that would provide a bit more solitude. I did an upward traverse to the west until the grass and heather slopes looked easy enough to go straight up. The summit was nice with some smoky views to the east. I didn’t linger long and then headed toward the west ridge of the peak to see if I could get a good look down at the lake. The sub peak seemed like it could be a tricky scramble and I decided to just head down without getting that view.
I joined back up with Vanessa and Laura a bit after 1. They had enjoyed wading in the lake and watching a fisher achieving great success with all the trout jumping around, but by the time I got back they were pretty fed up with the mosquitoes so I decided not to bring out the fishing pole. We reversed our steps back to the car without much excitement and reached the car at 3.
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Recommended brew: Silver City Pirate Angel Norse IPA
Gear:
- Day pack
- Fishing pole (not used)
- GPS
- Helmet
- Trail runners
- Trekking poles
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