We began our hike fairly late in the day—around 1:30pm. The car’s thermostat said the temperature had dropped from 45 to 29 between Highway 101 and the trailhead. It definitely felt cold at the start. At the trailhead, everything was dusted in snow and frost, and the first couple hundred yards of the hike were icy. But after that, the trail was mostly snow free until the quarter mile closest to Lena Lake. Along the way, we had peekaboo views west deeper into the peninsula, plus some fall colors. We warmed up after the initial switchbacks, and the late afternoon sun helped too!

We made it to the lake overlook by 3pm, enjoyed the view, then hustled back to the car by 4pm. We had enough daylight to easily negotiate the trail, but I wouldn’t have wanted to be out there much later. We had our Christmas tree permit with us, so on the drive back to 101 we kept an eye out for promising trees, but no such luck.

This was a great cold-weather hike, given that the trail was mostly snow free and the lake is always beautiful. I’m sure we’ll continue coming up here as the winter weather makes other trails in the area harder to access.

The road to Lena Lake was passable. Two miles before the trailhead the snow on the road narrows your path to just one lane. Check the weather report for those freezing temps because there was a lot of melting snow that might make an early morning trip slick. The bathrooms are open and stocked. One doesn't have a lock and the other doesn't look like it closes that easily. The trail has intermittent snow to no snow for the first half of the uphill trek. Then it starts being more consistent. It's all doable without spikes, but I donned mine at a certain point and was glad for it. The fall colors shine on the drive and on the hike. There's running water on parts of the trail and a couple small water crossings. At the lunch rock, the lake dazzled like it always does. The surrounding peaks were totally snow-speckled. Happy trekking.

Great day for a hike! We hit a great pocket of sunshine after the rains washed the smoke away and it couldn't have been better.

I came for the promise of fall foliage. While there were some great colors in the first ten minutes, once we climbed, it was all green again. Still beautiful and very well-maintained trail with fun bridges and, of course, a lovely lake!

Crowds pretty minimal - we were here roughly 9 am to 12 pm and definitely passed more people on the way down, but still not bad for a sunny Saturday. 

Be aware that while the trailhead bathrooms were open, the ones at the lake campground were not.

We arrived at the trailhead to only 4-5 cars.  The privy is open but (as always) you will be happier if you bring your own TP.  The men’s door appears to be damaged and does not lock.

this trail is lovely at anytime of year with a gradual incline suitable for just about anyone.  It can be very wet at times, but was as dry as I have ever seen it.  The fall colors are out and we were treated to sunshine.

We decided to head west to breath air with less smoke than Renton. Arrived about 11 am at trailhead, just a few vehicles parked. The sun came through the clouds as we began the hike. Trail in good condition (thank you, work party), very dry, ascent gradual and no hiking poles needed. Our pace slowed for doggy explorations along the way. Mostly in the trees until arriving at the lake. Fall color starting, some crunchy leaves on the trail. The lake level way down, stumps exposed. We had a short lunch break at the lake and returned to parking lot about 3 pm.