Beautiful hike, atrocious bugs.
I won't mince words- in over a decade of hiking in Washington, this was the single worst hike I've experienced in terms of bugs. They were absolutely unrelenting both at Lake Valhalla and on Mount McCausland. Despite frequent application of bug spray, I still came home with literally dozens of bites.
Bugs aside, the hike to the lake is pleasant and not particularly strenuous. The lake is beautifully clear and very cold, which was refreshing on a hot day. Also spotted a trio of fish swimming near the shore.
The hike to the peak was more of a slog and admittedly not my favorite experience, though I'm going to chalk a lot of that up to the heat and the bugs. The views were undeniably fantastic though.
The road to the trailhead is unpaved, and while it should be accessible to just about any vehicle, if you have a low-clearance car you'll likely want to take it a little slower.
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