Sauk Mountain — Saturday, Sep. 9, 2023

It was gorgeous weather, but I405 southbound was closed for construction - basically limiting our hiking options to the north only. We chose the Sauk lake trail from our bucket list. 4.2 miles round trip with 1200 feet elevation gain. The last couple of miles on the forest road was really bad but manageable. The hike was moderately steep - but felt harder on the lungs than the grade actually was since the starting elevation was already at 5,500 ft. Views were gorgeous every step of the way, starting from the moment you step out of that car in the parking lot (this is rare, since you typically start getting views towards the end).