Lake Valhalla, Mount McCausland — Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025

Arrived to the Smithbrook Trailhead at 6:30 and was shocked there was only one other car there so far. It was a little chilly but warmed up pretty quickly as I started hiking, it was nice being there early because there was nobody to wait for on the trail. I arrived to Lake Valhalla in 1 hour and ended up just chilling there for a full hour and not a single person ever showed up. The early morning reflections on the lake were beautiful. After hanging at the lake I made my way up Mount McCausland, on this stretch poles could be helpful for some, it gets steep! The colors aren’t as popping as they have been before but it was still beautiful. A lot of people like to just stop at the top of the ridge but keep going and get to Mount McCausland and take in the views of Glacier Peak and the surrounding mountains as well. The way back down the trail took longer than the way up because of the non stop people coming and giving them the right of way. When I got to the trailhead there were 2 cars when I left the trailhead there were 141 cars and counting haha. If you like peace and quiet then this is not the hike for you. Beautiful as always. Round trip 8.1 miles and 2,018 feet elevation gain.