The trail to Lena Lake is well-traversed and extremely well-maintained (if still fairly muddy in places). We started our hike around 1 p.m. on Saturday and saw many other parties--lots of dogs and small children. We were backpacking with our 6-year-old and our average pace up was about 45 minutes per mile.
Keep an eye out for the toe of an ancient landslide around the 2-mile mark, and enjoy this visualization of how the lake was formed 1,300 years ago.
We spent two nights right by the Lena Creek crossing and ended up directing lots of traffic. To find the crossing, turn left at the bottom of the hill where the trail intersects a small spring and continue up the river into the second campsite. There you'll find a fallen log with a rope to traverse the river and find many more campsites. It's less sketchy than it looks! Don't miss the Little Free Library around the turn-off to the Brothers Wilderness.
Bugs were present but were not antagonistic. We saw a handful of mosquitos but they were not a problem.
Did a day hike up the trail towards Upper Lena Lake - the trail is significantly narrower and more overgrown once you pass the Lena Lake campground. Be prepared for a bit of bushwhacking and some climbing over logs.
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