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Summary: The hike is very popular one and easy to get to, so expect to see several hikers on summer weekends and holidays. The trail is quite wide in the beginning and is very well maintained the entire route. A series of gentle sloping switch-backs will be found after the first .25 miles, but they are easy to traverse and weave through quiet, deep woods of 2nd grow Fir and Cedar. You will cross several bridges along the way, but most river beds are dry in late summer. Approximately .5 mi. from the lake, the trail splits to the left, for Upper Lena Lake. If you brought Fido, you will enter the Olympic National Park approximately 1/2 mile past Lower Lena and dogs are not allowed in the Park, so keep the pup at Lower Lena. The trail eventually opens up to a spectacular mountain lake, with several campsites along the west shore and heavy boulders on the eastern side. Many hikers dive off these rocks, but caution is the word of the day. Overall - a GREAT hike for all! Trailhead: Pickup a one-day parking pass at the Quilcene or Hoodsport Ranger Station. The Hamma Hamma Recreational Area turn-off is 22.6 miles south on Hwy-101 from Quilcene or 13.5 miles north on Hwy-101 from Hoodsport. Turn into the Hamma Hamma Recreation. Area and follow a well-paved road for 7.3 miles. The trailhead is on the right and very well marked. Lots of parking is available and good weather and holidays will usually bring a lot of hikers as well. The trail ahead is an easy hike and definitely worth the effort. (Lat:47.59972 Lon:-123.15085) Trail Guides for Lower Lena Lake : Hiking Olympic National Park by Erik Molvar (Falcon Press Publishing) Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Summer, User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Ranger Contact: Hoodsport Ranger District, Hoodsport, WA. (360) 877-5254 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Dan and Laura Eckstein, who has posted 1 other hike on this site Trail Reviews Page 1 of 5 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by TY on 5/14/2012 It was a great hike, but the path wasn't "easy" for occasional hikers. There was quite a bit of loose rocks and roots, especially at the lower elevation. The rocks and roots weren't terrible, but anyone not steady on their feet will have a difficult time. Other than that, the trail was well maintained and the scenery was beautiful. We're going on this one again!
Reviewed by CC on 4/28/2012 Nice hike, just did it today. The snow described by someone last week is all gone now. The upper trail is somewhat wet with water flowing over it, but nothing too abnormal or problematic with proper shoes. Someone also described the trail as full of rocks and roots - yes there are some, but not as bad as I was expecting after reading the review. It was just a day hike for us (and only to the lower lake), so I can't comment on the campground. Overall nice day.
Reviewed by Michelle on 4/8/2012 great hike some fallen trees on trail from recent storm. about 1.5 miles up you hit snow but trail is packed down. campsite at lower lena lake clear of snow.
Reviewed by Steve on 9/11/2011 My family of 6 just hiked this trail today. our ages were 8 & 13 yo boys and 15 & 17 yo girls. mom and dad are 35 & 37. I didnt look at the review before we went. when I saw it tonight i was shocked that it said EASY. Not easy by any means. Lots of loose rocks and roots. It isnt a 4.6 mile hike round trip. 6.4 is more realistic. I love the rock cliff above the lake but the lake side isnt the best. Lots of loose rocks on a downhill grade. The flies were terrible. I havnt seen flies that big or aggresive since Iraq! All in all I was happy with the hike because my family toughed it out and had a great time. i dont think they thought they had it in them to do it. They proved themselves wrong. Now on to our next hike! 
Reviewed by ES on 8/17/2011 I'm with CB. Not really an easy hike for the occasional hiker, so better if you're in some kind of shape to take the hills. Lots of loose rocks, protruding roots, and fairly steep terrain with 1200 ft climb. The trailhead map says this is a 3.2 mile hike to the lake, so it's actually a 6.4 mile hike, round trip, not 4.6 as it says above. At a decent pace up and brisk pace back down, it took us (2 middle-aged adults) approx 3 3/4 hours. A couple of cool bridges, creek sounds but no view of the creek except in one spot. The rocky area overlooking the lake is a perfect place to stop and enjoy the view of the pristine and quiet lake, but there are other day hikes I'd do again before considering this one.
Reviewed by CB on 7/11/2011 The trail was not easy for me. Many rocks, tree roots and rock slides littered most of the trail. I would call it a more advanced hike. Lake was pretty but would not hike it again. Bathroom was out of paper also. 
Reviewed by Ben on 7/6/2010 Make sure that if you go there this year get there as early as possible, the campsites that are there do get taken. Its harder this year because the water level is about 10 feet higher then it was last year, so theres alot of campsites under water, but still a beautiful place to go. Plus if its not hot, try to bring atleast some dry kendling, cause everything up there was wet when we went. We did plenty of fishing and just enjoyed being out there in the woods.
Reviewed by Ben on 3/25/2010 this is probably one of the top 10's around, i was able to take my dog sammy and my nephew devan on this beautiful hike, nature everywhere! We went to lower lake, cause you can't take dogs to the upper lake and once we got there we nearly ran for the lake so we could cool off! After setting up camp, we even had enough time to gather firewood, and take our poles out to go fishing, sammy loved swimming in the lake, it was in the begining of August. After all said and done, my nephew said that it was the best weekend ever. Its a great hike. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: Washington Hiking, Washington Trails, Washington Hikes, Mason County Hiking, Mason County Trails, Mason County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
