Backpacked to Lower Lena Lake, set up camp and day hiked to Upper Lena Lake and back. Trail was definitely a lot easier to Lower Lake compared to last few miles of trail to Upper which had a ladder and places where you were using your hands and feet to climb up tree routes etc. I was glad we only had a day pack for trail to Upper. Only had 2-3 other groups at camp on a rainy Tuesday but passed lots of day hikers on the way to Lower Lake. Only passed one other couple coming down from Upper Lake and met one group of campers at Upper Lake. Saw some beautiful wildflowers between lower and upper and ate some delicious salmon berries along the trail. Had some way too friendly of ducks at Lower Lake which had clearly been fed by others previously and came up begging; one even nipped at my pants. Mosquitos were barely there at Lower Lake, were a pain at Upper Lake. Of note composting toilet is out at Lower Lake, have intact backwoods toilet at Upper Lake. My friend was able to find (old?) toilet at Lower Lake to use. Beautiful camp spot at Lower Lake.  Don’t know if I would put the extra effort in to get up to Upper Lake again but it was also beautiful.  Loved seeing the dogs at Lower Lake (they are not allowed at Upper Lake).

A gentle leg-stretcher! Lots of long easy switchbacks make the climb fly by. Trail is in great shape and is clearly well-loved - although there’s evidence of too much love, such as dog poop and little side trails. We were surprised at the amount of solitude for how many cars were at the trailhead. Felt like we had the lake to ourselves.
Ripe berries - salal, huckleberry, Oregon grape - meant lots of fun, noisy bird activity.

Also! If you (or your child) is missing a little purple puppy toy, we found it at the trailhead. 

First time backpacking, and this was a great way to start. Just 1 night. I had about 35lbs of gear on my shoulders - the hike was strenuous but very manageable. It took use <2hrs.

The camp sites are fairly dispersed around the lake. This was a beautiful and warm weekend with a full moon and there were perhaps 15 people camping. You can indistinctly hear your neighbours, but can't see them. There's certainly some privacy.

Most sites have a fire ring, but finding one with a good flat spot for a tent required some selection.

The lake was cool, but not cold and a great place for a swim after the long hike in.

What an incredible time of year to visit these beautiful lakes! The weather is great, the wildflowers are blooming, and the salmonberries are the juiciest and ripest I've ever tasted.

The initial hike to Lena Lake fits the definition of family friendly. The trail is wide, well-groomed, and not too steep. If you plan to camp at Lena Lake, please note that the composting toilet is out of service. Do this popular site a favor and consider bringing a WAG bag to pack out your waste.

Stuff gets real once you leave Lena Lake and head up to Upper Lena Lake. The trail becomes a rough, steep climb over and around rocks, roots, and monstrous fallen trees. Count on this section taking twice as long as the hike to Lena Lake. The reward is deep forest solitude, gorgeous meadows teeming with wildflowers, a distant view of Mt Rainier on the other side of the sound, and of course lovely Upper Lena Lake herself beneath the soaring heights of Mt Bretherton and Mt Lena.

A waterfall a mile or so before the Upper Lake is a welcome place to cool off and refill your water bottle. What felt like a quarter mile long corridor of ripe salmonberries is a treat for at least a little while longer!

Arrival time 9:15 on a Sunday. Wonderfully kept trail, some rocky areas, but overall highly accessible. We saw all levels of hikers. This is a great day hike to lower Lena. We swam and ate lunch at the beach; a gorgeous day to be outside! Would love to come back and visit upper and continue on to Milk Lake, but it was a bit buggier at the top towards that direction, so we kept it chill at lower.