Trip Report
Winter Scramble - Valhalla Peak (5345’), 5050 Pass from Dosewallips Road
A great day in the mountains on a classic winter conditioner with great access (especially so when flooding/slides trouble other venues). In spite of early morning sunshine, the afternoon summit views were not forthcoming (unless you consider the inside of clouds a view ;).
Dave Morgan
- Sat, Dec 27, 2025
- Winter Scramble - 5,050 Pass from Dosewallips Road
- 5,050 Pass from Dosewallips Road
- Scrambling
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Road is in great condition (modulo the typical suspension perturbing pot holes ;). The usual blowdowns still cross the trail. Encountered snow at ~2500’, continuous snow at ~3000’, snowshoes required at ~4000’. Brought snowshoes and microspikes, did not use the microspikes.
As hoped for, we headed out from the end of the Dosewallips River Road just at sunrise (~8am). We made good and steady progress (even better with sunshine and intermittent views of Mt. Jupiter) until encountering crusty/shallow snow at ~2500’.
By Constanza Marcheselli
Snow became continuous at ~3000’ (still just boots) with snowshoes becoming mandatory at ~4000’ (recent unconsolidated snow, deep in places).
By Leaf Petersen
The complex terrain/trees near 5050 Pass gave us intimate dousings of fresh/cold/wet snow as we negotiated the sometimes thick brush (shown here on descent).
By Leaf Petersen
With wet clothing and cold winds, just a very brief stop at the summit for clothing adjustments and a quick bite of food before heading down. The descent on a freshly broken snow track was made even more enjoyable by the winter wonderland.
By Constanza Marcheselli
Being ever so mindful of the many steep/slippery spots on the trail, we were soon back at the Dosewallips River Road, with daylight still remaining (admittedly not very much ;).
A great day in the mountains on a classic winter conditioner with great access (especially so when flooding/slides trouble other venues). Our total time was 8 hours, with 5 hours on the ascent, 3 hours for the descent, on this 5000’ elevation gain, 7 miles round trip outing. Photos from this and other trips to this venue can be seen here and here.