This trip report is just to Lake Janus and back. Arrived at the Smithbrook trailhead before 8:00 am on a foggy Wednesday to head up towards the PCT and Lake Janus. There were only two other cars in the lot.
Two important notes about the trailhead. 1. No toilets. There are two pit toilets at the Steven’s Pass ski area in one of the upper lots (RV parking in the winter) so I would encourage you to make a stop there before heading out. This is a well used trailhead and each time I visit I spot bits of TP near the trailhead! Yuck! 2. The bugs were out. I got my first mosquito bite in the lot before I could spray repellant.
The main trail that also serves Mt. McCausland and Lake Valhalla was overgrown for the first 1/4 mile. I suspect many people take the “short cut” up the dirt road and access the trail from the old trailhead where there are a few parking spaces. Once the two trails met up everything was in good shape.
After turning right onto the PCT at Union Gap the trail looses some elevation and gets deeper into berry country. The berries are just starting to ripen up. At about the 3 mile mark our party smelled an animal but never spotted anything. We are a pretty experienced group of hikers and all of us suspected bear. It was sort of like a very dirty wet dog. People don’t need to be scared of hiking through here, just be bear aware, carry bear spray that you can access from your pack, and if you are camping store your food thoughtfully.
We hit Lake Janus around 10:00 am. Didn’t stick around long. The annoying bugs were a downright nuisance at the lake. Half our group continued on the PCT and will hike out through Darrington. The other half turned around and were back at the car just after noon. At this point the clouds had begun to clear and all parking lots were full. This is a quite alternative to Valhalla that should be considered by those who prefer a little solitude when hiking. Lake Janus is beautiful!
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