1 person found this report helpful
The view at the end of the hike was really rewarding! We had a great day hike ascending this trail.
Parking was not a problem and the trail is in good condition. There was a bit of cloud at the top of the mountain that had added to the beauty of the view. This is a moderate trail!
5 people found this report helpful
Lovely day to hike to Lena Lake! The road in was well maintained and easy. We arrived a bit before 11 AM and had no trouble parking. Some minor snow and mud on the trail, but very easy to cross. Saw a few groups on the trail, but not overly crowded. The lake was a beautiful emerald green , and was a great payoff for this moderate hike.
12 people found this report helpful
Lena Lake was the place to be today. The weather was nice and moody without having to walk through a riverbed to get to the lake. My feet stayed dry the whole time. The snow was nearly gone (at the see-through stage). No spikes needed. The road was in great condition. The bathrooms were tired, nearing the end of a big holiday weekend. I recommend bringing your own TP if you go tomorrow. The trail had a couple trees down, one an easy step over and the other an easy throw your leg over. The only thing that took me by surprise was how slick the lunchrock was. The rocks throughout the hike were nice and grippy and great to get traction in some of the slushy snow sections. But the lunchrock that didn't even have snowy rocks was slippery. One guy slipped right near the edge. Sheesh. That was a close one. There were nice easy hellos and a great vibe. I love this hike.
16 people found this report helpful
Decided on Lena Lake hoping that on a Friday morning in February it would be less crowded than usual and when I arrived at the trailhead around 8:30am I was the only one there. Another hiker pulled up just before I started out. The snow from earlier this week covered most of the trail, there was one set of footprints coming down the trail that looked like they were from the day before.
On the way up the path was mostly covered in about an inch or two of snow. The snow got a little deeper the higher up and closer to the lake until it was maybe 3 or 4 inches in some spots. It was still cold enough in the morning that it wasn't too wet but the snow was starting to fall from the trees. There was one tree across the trail that was easy to step over. A couple of sections of the trail had some running water but overall it was very manageable just in my hiking boots. Trekking poles might have been nice in a couple of sections when I was coming back down but not necessary. Good boots highly recommended. On the way down, maybe the last mile or so, much of the snow had melted from the trail. My guess is the snow by the lake was pretty wet by the afternoon.
It's probably been 15 years since I last did this hike and it was during the summer. I enjoyed it much more this time around with the area covered in snow. I hiked to the far end of the lake and enjoyed the sound of the stream, along with the view of the lake. Had a nice conversation with one hiker and then headed back out. Passed about 5 groups of hikers heading up to the lake, most seemed to have the right gear but a few were only in tennis shoes.
The road up is paved and had some snow on it but there were clear tire paths all the way up to the parking lot. Shouldn't be any issue for any vehicle as long as you don't try and drive too fast, it was a little icy in spots in the morning but fine by the afternoon.
13 people found this report helpful
3rd car to the parking lot at 8 am. Trail is in good condition - the difficult water crossings mentioned in early reports seemed to have cleared up. Trail is in great condition and the lake was very pretty in the rain. The parking lots was about 3/4 full when we got back at 11:45 am.