Directions: Drive 520 to North Bound I5 continue to 522 heading towards Monroe and Sultan.  From here turn east up Highway 2 continue about 40 miles to Stevens Pass.  At the top of the pass turn right into a Public Utility Building Parking lot.  The trail begins behind the building.

Trail Notes: I had been looking to do some hikes a little further away from the traditional I90 corredor and noticed Valhalla lake on a map and thought it would be a nice trip, espeically considering it is one of my first hikes of the year - bad John  The hike proved to fit the bill quite nicely starting off on what appears to be a maintanence road for the former railroad tunnel under Stevens pass.  At the time I hiked this trail I was completely unaware of the tunnel beneath the soil, but wondered at a couple points during the hike when I noticed recessed concrete in the ground.  In any event the road trail heads off on a nice gradient for about an hour, and progressivly gives up views to the East exposing more of the leeward side of Stevens pass. 

As time marches on the road trail begins to take more of a trail only type shape and the decidious trees which have been keeping you company for the balance of the trip begin to give way to more firs.  The trees themselves are nothing too remarkable, still the relaive solitude on this trail bring a special appreciation for the experience.  After about one to 1.5 hours the views begin to fade of the Stevens Pass valley and the trail darts west around a small creek. 

The trees continue to thicken as you make your way towards Nason creek and the going getts a little steeper - still nothing to be concerned with.  After about another hour the trail reaches its highpoint and one decends a  couple hundred feet to Valhalla Lake.  Near the lake there is a restoration effort in progress and there are several established camp grounds one could choose from.  In fact if one is looking for an easy backpack to get a little solitude this might not be such a bad location.

Lake Valhalla itself shocked me with how much it looks like the Lake between Vesper and Sperry Peak - only Valhalla lake is a miniature of the latter about 1/4-1/2 the size of it.  Still the resemblance is pretty freaky.  So if you were thinking about Vesper Peak but not so interested in the uphill this might make a nice alternative.  Lake Valhalla is a rather large lake, and there were people here fishing and generally relaxing.  I am not quite sure however, how they were able to relax given the quantity of mosquitos - there were oodles of them   .  Don't fear them though - my belief is that it is a time limited thing, and that the mosquitos will fade within 2-3 weeks of this date. 

The return trip was uneventful, but the trail did seem considerably longer on the way back!