Went out for a run but ended up hiking a lot. Arrived to the trailhead at Hell's Crossing just before noon and several cars were already parked. There are no wilderness permits available in the permit box. Encountered a few other groups on trail but I was mostly alone. There must have been a group on horses that had just gone through because there were lots of fresh horse apples to dodge. It was a beautiful day and I stopped frequently to admire the river. When I reached the junction with the trail to Pleasant Valley Lake, I changed plans and decided to take a quick side trip up there. I immediately regretted it because it's so steep! But I persisted and made it to the lake in about 30 minutes. The lake was peaceful - I was the only one there and I spent some time watching fish swim and jump for bugs before heading back.

Once back at the junction I continued west until I hit the junction with Kettle Creek Trail. I wanted to go further but I was worried I wouldn't have enough water for the return trip. The section between the two junctions is mostly in a burn area so there isn't much shade. There are a couple stream crossings which I dunked my hat in to help me cool down. I heard and then saw a pair of black-backed woodpeckers in this section. 

Back at the junction to the lake, this time I turned downhill to the river to see if  it was low enough to ford. I took of my shoes and socks to cross. I'm 5'7" with relatively short legs and the water came up to mid-thigh. I continued the trail to the highway and crossed over to the Fife's Peak viewpoint, then took the trail heading east back to the car. The trail south of the river is never steep but has some ups and downs. On the north, it has some small ups and downs but is generally more flat. I didn't encounter anyone else on this side except for a group of boy scouts camping at the Wash Creek TH. Once back at Hell's Crossing, I removed my footwear again and soaked my feet in the river before heading home.

Trail conditions: a couple muddy patches - the worst was going down to the river ford but there is a spot to the left of it that you can get around without getting wet. Lots of trees down on the trail up to the lake - mostly you can step over but there was one to go under and a couple to go around. On the loop, the eastern side is mostly clear of down trees but there is more on the western side, mostly in the burn area.

Bugs: there were mosquitos about but I didn't get any bites (I was not using repellent). Lots of bees buzzing at the lake.

Specs from Gaia: 9.62mi, 3hr 26min, 994ft

We parked in the lot across from Hells Campground and found ample parking on a cloudy Saturday afternoon around 1:30pm. With two dogs in tow, we meandered onto the trailhead veering right at the sign near the parking lot to start on the Pleasant Valley Loop Trail. 

The first ~2.5ish miles are pretty flat and move along the river. There were a few small puddle and water crossings but all had ways across without getting your boots wet. After passing the horse ford the trails winds upwards into the post-burned area.

This is where the blowdowns started. There are a good handful of blowdowns to navigate, up and over, around, and sometimes underneath. The trail get's pretty steep as you are climbing up towards the lake. 

Once we arrived at the lake we were greeted by many MANY mosquitos. The dog took a quick dip and we did not stay to enjoy the bug bites. Opting out of lunch there we turned around and headed back down towards the river. 

We found a nice little river spot about 1.5 from our original trailhead to snack on some late lunch and take in the views. The mosquitos weren't quite as bad down on the river and allowed us a little respite with the slight breeze blowing. 

All-in-all a pretty non-notable lake hike but was nice to get out and warm up the legs for the season. The bugs were manageable but a bit of a nuisance if you did stop for any amount of time. 

Amazing loop hike. Up to the goat peak via 958C, then along American ridge 958 (crazy good trail), down 958B (trail in bad shape, several hundred trees blow down) , along 999 back to my car. Going up to the peak was hard. Just less than ten miles. Insects were out.

Such an amazing trail loop. The views from the peak were so very good. The pleasant valley lake was very nice (mosquitoes loved it too).

Although Goat Peak trail was challenging, the views at the top and along the way made it all worth it.  There is no need for a parking pass across from Hells Crossing Campground.  The climb to Goat Peak is more like 3 miles (some sources state 2.5).  I took my 14 year old daughter with me and she did just fine.  There were a few obstacles on the trail to climb over but nothing to complain about.  The view along the top is incredible--Bumping Lake, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and many ridges.

We decided to take American Ridge trail down to Pleasant Valley Lake trail and then Pleasant Valley Loop trail back to the parking area.  A nice 9 mile loop.  However, I probably won't go this way again.  The American Ridge trail section was fine and not alot of obstacles.  However, the Pleasant Valley Lake trail had so many down trees and seemed just a steep in places (as the Goat Peak trail), that I regretted going this way.  It really slowed us down.

The Pleasant Valley Loop trail, west, back to the parking area was in great shape as it is popular trail in the area.

There were many butterflies and chipmunks to see along our hike.  

It is sad that so many trail on Chinook Pass haven't been cleared of down trees.  There are so many great views that can't be accessed.