One Night Wilderness: Portland. Becky Ohlsen
104 for US 101. After 6 miles take Exit 101 to stay on US 101, and then drive 43.8 miles to a junction with paved Hamma Hamma 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.
GPS COORDINATES N47° 35.991' W123° 09.181'
Hiking It
The wide, heavily traveled, and gently graded trail soon leaves the river-bottom environment dominated by moss-draped big-leaf 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 because 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.
To reach Upper Lena Lake, take the left fork (uphill) at the trail split, and follow a narrower trail that winds mostly uphill into the canyon of Lena Creek. After 0.4 mile go straight at the unsigned junction with a trail turning sharply right back toward Lena Lake. Your trail, which is rough in a few places but easy to follow, continues up the canyon and at 4.2 miles passes a sign marking your entry into Olympic National Park. Pets and weapons are prohibited beyond this point, as are fires above 3,500 feet elevation.
At 5 miles you cross a side creek on a convenient log, after which the trail gets steeper, with more roots, rocks, and mud. (You won’t regret bringing a set of trekking poles.) Even with these obstacles, however, the route remains obvious and is not overly difficult. Numerous short, steep switchbacks now guide you into the high country, where forest openings provide enticing views east down the canyon of Lena Creek and up to a rugged ridge on the southwest shoulder of The Brothers. The trail makes a bridgeless crossing of Lena Creek at 6.3 miles just below a sliding waterfall, and then ascends several more short switchbacks to an open slope with views south of pyramid-shaped Mount Bretherton. Finally, at 7.2 miles, you reach a junction just above the northeast shore of Upper Lena Lake.
This gorgeous lake, which sits in the basin between Mount Lena to the north and Mount Bretherton to the south, is rimmed with forests of mountain hemlock and Alaska yellow cedar and open areas featuring an abundance of pink heather. Fires are not allowed at the lake, and hikers are required to camp in designated sites on the lake’s northwest, southeast, east, and southwest shores. Composting toilets (with excellent views!) and bear wires for hanging food are provided for your convenience.
The lake is ideal for setting up camp and doing some exploring. A top goal is the rough boot path that goes west over a low pass before continuing to Scout Lake (no camping allowed) and the tiny but dramatically scenic Stone Ponds. You can also follow a scramble route to the top of Mount Lena or go south into the narrow basin containing Milk Lake.
Mount Bretherton provides a beautiful backdrop for Upper Lena Lake in Olympic National Park.
photo by Douglas Lorain
This alpine meadow sits just below Cispus Point (Trip 8) in the Goat Rocks Wilderness.
Southern Mount Rainier and the Goat Rocks
The undisputed king of the Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier rises 14,410 feet into the Pacific Northwest sky and is visible for hundreds of miles in every direction. The national park that surrounds the mountain is much beloved, not only by locals but also by admiring tourists from around the world. Only the southern part of the mountain is close enough for a reasonable weekend trip from Portland, but that includes some of the park’s best scenery, including amazingly abundant wildflowers, enormous glaciers, stunning mountain views, plenty of wildlife, dozens of waterfalls—the list of wonders is almost endless.
Not far southeast of Mount Rainier is a less famous but just as mind-blowing mountain treasure: the Goat Rocks, the ruggedly scenic remains of an eroded volcano. The trails in both areas are justifiably popular, but with reservations in the national park and careful planning in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, it is possible to enjoy a welcome degree of solitude in your backcountry adventures. But even if you have to share it, the outstanding mountain scenery in both areas will delight you and keep you coming back time and again.
| 4 | Goat Lake and Gobblers Knob |
| RATINGS | Scenery 8 Difficulty 6 Solitude 6 | |
| ROUND-TRIP DISTANCE | 6.8 miles to Goat Lake; 9 miles to Gobblers Knob | |
| ELEVATION GAIN | 1,650' to Goat Lake; 2,850' to Gobblers Knob | |
| OPTIONAL MAP | Green Trails Mount Rainier West (No. 269) | |
| USUALLY OPEN | Mid-July–October | |
| BEST TIME | Mid-July–October | |
| AGENCY | Cowlitz Valley Ranger District (Gifford Pinchot National Forest), 360- 497-1103, fs.usda.gov/ recarea/giffordpinchot/recarea/ ?recid=31180; Mount Rainier National Park, nps.gov/mora | |
| PERMIT | Wilderness permits required for all overnight camping within Mount Rainier National Park (but not at the recommended site at Goat Lake, which is outside the park); reserve permits online starting March 15. Reservation applications are $20 per party per trip (nonrefundable). |
Highlights
The tiny Glacier View Wilderness, which borders the west side of Mount Rainier National Park, includes similar scenery to the park but avoids that more famous preserve’s traffic jams and crowds. Long-distance hiking is limited by the small size of the wilderness, so most people who come here are day hikers. The area is large enough, however, for a wonderful one-night outing to quiet Goat Lake with access to a spectacular view of Mount Rainier from Gobblers Knob.
Getting There
From I-5, 67 miles north of Vancouver, Washington, take Exit 68 and travel 31 miles east on US 12 to a junction at the town of Morton. Turn left on WA 7 and drive 17 miles to a junction with WA 706. Turn right (east), proceed 11.1 miles to an unsigned junction near milepost 11, and turn left on gravel Forest Service Road 59. After climbing 4.3 miles, turn sharply right on Road 5920 and slowly drive 1.6 miles on this rough and rocky road to the road-end Mount Beljica/Lake Christine Trailhead.
GPS COORDINATES N46° 46.396' W121° 56.910'
Hiking It
The Lake Christine Trail starts in an ancient clear-cut now populated with 45-foot-tall Douglas and Pacific silver firs growing above a tangled mix of thimbleberry bushes, Sitka alders, fireweed, pearly everlasting, and various other shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses. The rocky path climbs very steeply 0.1 mile and then becomes more moderate