The weather in early July was great! Lots of hikers, and lots of dogs, even a smattering of little kids. Never too clustered on the walk though. Lower Lena Lake only had several small groups in our time up there enjoying the view and eating lunch. Highly recommend this hike!

Trail was very rocky and also has lots of roots waiting to grab your foot. Trekking poles helped in the areas of uneven terrain and I eventually made it to the lower campground with only one rolled ankle. The lake was beautiful and quiet and I was able to watch a family of ducks rooting around for their lunch. Parking was full when I got back down, I must have passed 35-40 people making their way up. Come early for a parking spot and a relatively quiet trek.

Busy Sunday on the trail! We arrived late-ish so were easily able to find a spot as early hikers were leaving. The pit toilet was well stocked with TP and clean, but no hand sanitizer. Trail in great condition.

The road in is paved but there were several places we encountered unmarked "dips" in the road. You need to watch pretty closely or you will have a jarring bump going 30mph. Easily avoidable if you see them in time tho.

We got to the lot around 730am, and there was quite a few other cars (30+?). Most probably had camped up there. There is room for a lot of cars.

The trail was very rocky and root filled. We snagged a spot to enjoy the lake after stopping at the lookout for awhile. After taking a dip and paddleboarding, we headed back to the car. 

We were moving slow with paddleboarding packs, and it took us around 5 hours total on the trail. 

Went up on a Friday night and were able to snag a campsite.