Again - my thinking that the boot pack from Smith Brook Road was 1590 may be the confusion point. Mountaineers Books. There's typically a well beaten path in the snow to the lake, making whiteout conditions or traveling at night easier for beginners and with only 2.5 miles roundtrip and 1,050' of elevation gain, you can experience a splendid snow adventure with minimal efforts. Hike by WTA Correspondents : Rob Shurtleff Lake Valhalla is a gem, tucked under Lichtenberg Mountain and Mount McCausland on the PCT North of Stevens Pass. Hike Finder Map; Hiking Guide; Trip Reports; Hiking with Kids; Hiking by Season; Trail Smarts; Passes and Permits; Ranger Station Info; Youth Programs; Trail Work Parties; Get Involved . We landed on Mount McCausland and Lake Valhalla just past Steven’s Pass. From the parking area, the route proceeds up Deer Creek Road (Road 4052). After reaching the ridge, you can enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Valhalla when the trail crosses the Pacific Crest Trail leading in to the Nason Creek Valley. After your snowshoeing adventure, come back to your cabin, light a fire and enjoy the evening at Valhalla. Contributions to WTA are tax deductible, and we are committed to making the best use of every donation to our mission. Put our snowshoes … We had a nice sunny Fall day with fresh snow so it was the perfect day for this hike. By the way - today was super fun. If you could send that map, either digitally or physically I would really appreciate it. As others have mentioned, the first three miles are pretty simple. There, at 3.5 miles from the trailhead, catch the snow-obscured PCT, cross the head of the Smith Brook valley, and hike another 0.25 mile southwest to the Lake Valhalla basin at 4800 feet. Hwy 2 was wet but clear. The 1.6-mile hike runs through a forest of aspen and pine before reaching the 30-foot waterfall that cascades down to Glacier Creek. Overall a fun snowshoe. Owing to it's easy access, moderate avy risk (under most conditions) and multiple destinations for snowshoers and scramblers alike, the consensus was to drive east to Smith Brook Road and see what struck our fancy once we got going. For the backcountry portion, we left the Smith Brook road at the sharp hairpin, briefly using a snowshoe trail that went up towards #1590 to gain around 200 feet. -Chris, cwcoleman The forecast had a high of 24°F at the lake basin, and that felt generous. The 'trailhead' (FS 6700) is easy to find and parking along HWY 2 was relatively straightforward. Lake Kelcema Snowshoe Hike Info. Chris, as far as I can tell (I haven't done this snowshoe trip just yet) the description calls for traversing cross-country from the hairpin. Washington Trails Association Are you saying the editor (who may or may not have taken my advice) is wrong? Check WTA for trip reports or call the ranger’s station . It is not clear here how I would connect to the PCT from Smith Brook Road, other than 1590. Yeah - I've done my fair share of 'wilderness navigation'. Blog; Magazine; Sign Up; Press Room; Site Search. This hike starts out fairly flat, and most of the first 2-3 miles is actually a very gradual downhill. We climbed up above this gully, up and around to avoid crossing it since there well may have been substantial water running underneath the snow down in the gully/drainage. The lake is a great day hike in summer or fall and accessible by snowshoe in the winter. Leave the road at the apex of that switchback, and traverse the open hillside above Smith Brook. Road Road impassable/closed. Jan 03, 2015 10:21 PM, Washington Trails Association When parking I made sure to give them enough room to get in/out. podenski@me.com on Lake Elizabeth: 11 miles, 1,700 feet net elevation gain. Going back to #1590 to get up to the PCT would indeed add some miles. So, no particular reason. PaleoYogi on Lake Valhalla, Lake Valhalla Snowshoe I was simply more familiar with parking at the PCT/Stevens Pass lot and that route to Valhalla. Lake Valhalla; Lake Valhalla Snowshoe; My girlfriend and I got a bit of a later start around 10:30 am at the US-2 intersection with the Smithbrook Creek Forest Service Road (which is closed due to about 10 ft of snow buildup. Basic Snowshoe Add-on Add on snowshoes to your reservation. Contact Us. I know the path started just past the 1590 trailhead, but maybe I was wrong here and it was a separate path up to the PCT. Then the climbing began.... not overly steep - but a tight snowshoe track. 89 Trip Reports for this trail, below Hike by WTA Community: Joan Burton. Can’t guarantee either Info COVID-19: Learn about our most up-to-date guidance for participants and leaders on our COVID-19 Response page. The camera was stored away at this point, as the trail became rockier and more of a scramble. Then the 1590 trail is 1.5 miles to the PCT, and then 1.8 to the lake. Seattle, WA 98104. The crossover to … There were a few groups of snowmobiles out today. $3.00/person per day. She has also posted a TR (WTA) and you can find it here. Melakwa Lake was our first really snowy hike of this season. Snow Trail snow-covered at times - gear and expertise recommended. 4/2/2017 I have had it on my mind to do Lake Valhalla as a snowshoe and although the weather could not make up it’s mind today and we had near whiteout for most of our time on the ridge above the lake, it was yet another wonderful day on trail. Stuart hovers at the end of the lake but was obscured by clouds. After walking down (towards Seven's Pass) the quarter mile of road to the Smith Brook trail - it was all snow. Trip Intermediate Snowshoe - Lake Valhalla (winter) Hope to enjoy a brilliant blue sky day and fresh snow. Anthony Kasner Lake Valhalla is one of the prime winter day trips in the Stevens Pass area. Snowshowed to Lake Valhalla on Saturday. Feb 29, 2016 - Explore TradeOnApp's board "PNW Winter Hikes", followed by 140 people on Pinterest. In the day before this trip, it rained and melted all of the new snow out of the trees, but left behind some nice new snow for us to make some fresh tracks on. We didn't make it to the PCT junction. Seattle, WA 98104. There are two ways to access the lake. If you would like to see the map, I'll need your email address (mine is my user name AT me dot com) so I can send it to you. It is barely noticeable. Also, the way Nelson says "This is the end of the road, but not the trail" may be a bit misleading if you're just forging cross-country on a compass bearing toward the PCT. See more ideas about the great outdoors, places to go, places to see. According to the paragraph quote above - the PCT junction is at 3.5 miles (well before the lake) and that alone is 7 miles. Skyline Lake offers a great snowshoe experience with normally low avalanche danger. We parked on the shoulder of HWY 2 … Very wet snow all around, with the wintry mix today. Lake Valhalla Snowshoe; 1st snowshoe trip of the season. Posted by: ... Washington Trails Association 705 2nd Ave, Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 625-1367. That is 6.5 miles - 1 way. Others who have made the trip before were confident it was the way. on WTA’s Commitment to Stand Against Racism; Go Outside . Cub Lake is a perfect choice if you want a slightly longer hike. Jan 28, 2014 - Explore Jamie Dobbs's board "Snowshoe Trails" on Pinterest. We took ski's instead of snowshoes and the return trip was a breeze. I would say snowshoes were mandatory here. We hiked up the road about a quarter mile before catching the trail. Lake Valhalla had snow but the trail was mostly slush. Only sort of needed snowshoes here because of the snowmobile traffic. Print. At lower elevations the snow was crusted, but soft. After the first good snowfall, there is an easy boot path to follow up to the PCT and ultimately down to the lake. Still interested in that map. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/lake-valhalla-trail The forest road snow was packed down and we hiked the 3 miles to the trailhead in boots. East Fork of the Foss River: 8.2 miles, 700 feet net elevation gain. The water was a deep blue, and the warm rocky cirque provided the most brilliant contrast. That's why all of us snowshoers are supposed to read and practice "Wilderness Navigation" :-) [ http://www.mountaineersbooks.org/Wilderness-Navigation-P360.aspx ] The relevant part of the trip description for connecting to the PCT: " Just over 2.5 miles up, at 4000 feet, the road again loops through a switchback turn. I was here again today, and just re-read the attached trail description. The view of the lake was phenomenal. Note that according to my topo maps, you can't actually intersect the PCT at 4600 feet - it's more like at 4800 feet where that would occur. After about 3 miles of skinning up the road, we skied across the meadow and up the drainage toward Lake Valhalla using our topo map … Washington Trails Association 705 2nd Ave, Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 625-1367. Once we got to the trail, however, snowshoes were needed. This is an advanced but rewarding snowshoe hike where you will experience beautiful forest, meadows, as well as switch-backing up a ridge, all on one trail. 4/2/2017 I have had it on my mind to do Lake Valhalla as a snowshoe and although the weather could not make up it’s mind today and we had near whiteout for most of our time on the ridge above the lake, it was yet another wonderful day on trail. I've been saving up this snowshoe trip to go with a friend sometime in the next couple of months, assuming we still have enough snow after the next rain storm! Begin by heading up Forest Road 6700, first through a patchwork of second-growth forest and clearcut meadows, then switchbacking up the ridge until you reach the end of the road at 4000 feet. Were already tracks this way ( and another group leading the way a forest of aspen and before. Call the ranger ’ s not too long of a scramble Lake felt like winter! Been plowed so there would not be an established trail for that portion the. 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