Читать книгу One Night Wilderness: Portland. Quick and Convenient Backcountry Getaways within Three Hours of the City онлайн

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Getting There

Drive 110 miles north of Portland on Interstate 5 to Olympia and take Exit 104 for U.S. Highway 101. After 6 miles you exit to the right, staying on Highway 101, and then drive 43.8 miles to a junction with paved Hamma Hamma River Road near Milepost 318. Turn left (west), drive 6.5 miles to a T junction, turn right, and then go another 1.3 miles to the well-signed Lena Lake Trailhead.

Hiking It

The wide, heavily traveled, and gently graded trail soon leaves the river bottom environment dominated by moss-draped bigleaf maples and gradually ascends a tangled forest of second-growth Douglas firs, western red cedars, and western hemlocks. The first 1.5 miles climb 14 switchbacks on a forested hillside before entering the lush canyon of loudly cascading Lena Creek. At 1.9 miles the trail crosses the creek on an unnecessarily large wooden bridge at a point where the stream flows underground and the creekbed is usually dry.

After the crossing, three more gentle switchbacks and a lengthy traverse lead to the south end of Lena Lake. Unfortunately, it is initially hard to get a good view of this large, deep, green-tinged lake, since the trail stays on the heavily forested hillside well above the western shore. At 3 miles the trail splits. The trail to the right leads past a fine rocky viewpoint above Lena Lake before passing numerous excellent campsites on the lake’s northwest and north shores. This is where hikers with children or those looking for a relatively easy hike should call it a night. Fires are allowed only in established campsites with metal fire rings.