Lake Valhalla is a pretty, little Alpine Lake in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness.

There are a number of ways to reach the lake, I did so via the Smith Brook trailhead just east of Steven’s Pass on Highway 2. You start out by switchbacking up a fairly steep climb for the first mile. There the trail joins the Pacific Crest Trail.

I love hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The PCT runs 2,650 miles from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Many people hike the entire trail during the 4-5 months of summer. I am not ever going to hike the entire PCT, but I love hiking the portions of it that I can access for day hikes. Once I hit the PCT intersection, I turned left to head for Lake Valhalla. The trail continued to climb but at a comfortable rate, through rugged alpine forest.

The fall colors were beautiful even though it was an overcast day.

 

 

Just after the above clearing, I crested a small ridge and looked down and there was the lake, shrouded in fog.

There was actually a nice, sandy beach which in the hot summer would attract lots of swimmers (and mosquitos). But it was not very crowded the day I was there.

And on one side of the lake was a beautiful, colorful, hill side.

After about 6.5 miles round trip and nearly 1400 feet of elevation gain, it was a wonderful day of hiking in our beautiful Cascade Mountains.

God bless,
Coe