What?! 3-stars? For...nature?…read more Yeah, I did it. If this were a hike in Indiana, or Ohio, or Kansas, it would easily be 5-stars. But, for Washington? Home to THREE National Parks, the largest glaciers in the lower 48, temperate rainforests, and hundreds of miles of coastline? Nah. This is an A-OK hike. It goes to a lake surrounded by forested hills. It looks like many lakes in WA and OR that are surrounded by forested hills. There aren't sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains, there aren't craggy cliffs overhead. There's lots of forest, and a pretty big lake. If you're super into lakes and trees, you'll dig this. But, you can find prettier lakes (Flapjack Lakes) via Staircase: https://www.yelp.com/biz/staircase-area-olympic-national-park-hoodsport And you can find prettier forests via Hoh River Trail: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hoh-rain-forest-visitor-center-forks If you're more into mountains and scenic vistas, Ellinor is much more rewarding and relatively close-by: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mount-ellinor-hoodsport SIDEBAR: this is the trailhead you climb "The Brothers" from. I can't really recommend climbing this mountain. The trail starts to fizzle out past Lena Lake and eventually becomes a full-on bushwhack. Route finding starts to take more time than actually moving. You'll second guess your every move, mutiny will be in the back of the mind for you and your comrades. The route up the mountain is also kind of winding and confusing. In early season, watch out for avalanches! One of our people got swept away by one while on this mountain, luckily she only had a sprung (It's my mission to make this word the past tense of sprang) ankle.

This hike is perfect for an beginner-intermediate hiker. It's easy to get to & even has a paved…read moreroad up to the trailhead as opposed to the primitive roads often near trailheads. They have vault bathrooms at the beginning of the trailhead near the parking lot. I checked the bulletins and signed the registry and headed up. I instantly noticed a difference from other trails I've been on in that the majority if not all the trail is shaded so even though it was like 85+ degrees when I went, it felt much cooler and there was even a breeze at times so the heat/sun wasn't an annoyance. The trail is a general medium uphill travel. I loved that it was gradual and not just a sharp incline with a huge amount of switchbacks like other trails. It's only about 1200-1300 elevation gain total. This trail allowed me to pace myself and not stop too much to take a breath. I was able to just keep going. I also liked that the trail was wide enough in most places where 2-3 people and pass each other at one time as opposed to having to yield. I also liked that even though I went on a Saturday around 10:45am the trail was practically empty. Such a difference from the trails near Snoqualmie and North Bend. Nobody appears to want to come down toward the Hood Canal to hike. You can hear the water throughout your trek uphill so it's a relaxing hike....is that even possible? I had seen a wooden sign about a mile before the lake that said Lena Lake but what I didn't notice was the word Upper in front of Lena Lake. I actually passed the lake because I didn't see the lookout point to my right and I actually went another 1.5 miles before my intuition told me to stop. Upper Lena lake is about another 7-8 miles past Lower Lena Lake, and I was definitely not ready for that plus the hike down. I will say that the bugs get a lot worse the higher up you go, or at least they did for me. I passed two huge wasp/hornet nests and they just don't leave you alone no matter how much you swat. I also ran into some friendly grouses. No bears or mountain lions this time thankfully. Anyway, on the way back down to the lake I went off the trail a bit toward Lena Creek and there were a lot of campers and people filling up their water. You can also cross a log bridge which I believe takes you to the Brothers trail. FYI: The lake is on your right about 3.5 miles up from the trailhead. Then if you want, you can trek a mile or two down hill to get closer to the ground level of the lake as opposed to peering out over it on the rocks. My hiking app kept telling me the lake is called Olympic National Forest Pond. There were a few rowdy tubers on the lake that were disturbing the peace of the outdoors, but to each his own. Overall though, I will definitely be doing this trail again as it was the perfect length and also has the nice treat of the lake once you get to the end. Definitely take a reasonable amount of water (I took 1.5 Liters) and some food/snacks and even some swimwear. Please take your trash and doggie doo bags out with you. I did notice a few spots where there was dog feces directly on the trail or doo bags throw into the ground cover. Be a responsible dog owner please. Also as of 8/20, there were some downed logs laying across some of the Upper Lena Lake trail so you may need to crawl and climb over wet/muddy areas if you go up further.

Quite a few trails, not overly difficult. Many people and their dogs walking. Only a few were off…read moretheir leash. We had our boy (Gus) with us...he got in quite a number of good sniffs. Trails are well mapped, and many had "Rescue Locators" which was new to me.

Ready for a good walk/hike? If you're in Bremerton, WA area and looking for an easy hike, check…read morethis place. They have different levels of hikes with different places to choose. from 2-20 miles if that. This will definitely get you going. For me, I just want to get my heart pumping so I chose the easy route yet fun. Pretty neat area. As a visitor I say, this place is impressive.

Covered wooded hiking paths and creek. Parking fits about 10-12 cars. The main paths are kid…read morefriendly however of you want to see the water fall (it's small) we ended up walking up the creek to find it (teen and up for this part). We spent about an hour exploring the creek and various trails. There are 1.5 miles total of forested trails.

This is a nice spot for a short hike right in the middle of Bremerton. We didn't even know it…read moreexisted until we looked for a trail close to us online. It is very steep in many places. It is beautiful and you can get to a small fall in the creek. I wouldn't go if it is muddy but today was a perfect day.

We didn't stay here, we just drove through and checked it out for future reference…read more There are campsites and there's room for RV's. It's near the Skokomish River. Dense trees and seemed really cozy. Will be back!

Organized, clean, and such a welcoming space! Lots of nearby hiking and a gorgeous lake you can…read moredrive or walk to, as desired. There are also rangers available during regular business hours to provide information and resources. Hope to come back soon!

Came up from Olympia (approx 1 hr drive). Road is mostly paved or good gravel. Arrived at 10:30 to…read morestaircase with plenty of parking. Pit toilets at the main lot, 2-2.25 mile trail for staircase rapids loop - very kid friendly and a good distance for 4-6 yr olds (or younger with parent help). Kids liked throwing rocks in the stream after and relaxing by the water. Interesting trail post fire scenery. Rangers around if you have any questions.

Information on documents from September 2024…read more Beautiful location. Great for people of all ages.

Gorgeous location! On waterfront of the Hood Canal waters and apparently a spot to get oysters. See…read morephotos of all the shells. I was here for a day visit, NOT camping, lol, so my review is focused on this park's day use areas. Parking was extremely limited in my opinion. Maybe there is another parking lot across the street (?). I read about an overflow lot in another review but on my visit it was fairly empty so I was able to park in the main lot. The regular bathrooms are closed and they have portable bathrooms available. This park has limited to no shady areas. A few picnic tables under a forested area but not sure if they were camp sites. Walking on the shoreline was amazing! So peaceful and relaxing and I was able to put my feet in the water. It was so cold! I also took the opportunity to sit at a bench and "ground" myself in the grass. Super gorgeous and felt amazing to be here. The Hood Canal waters are stunning. Get out there and enjoy life! SYOY!

The campsites design is terrible. Roots under tent spots make use difficult. In my visit in August…read more2025, I saw the campgrounds empty despite the website showing all sites as booked. Then, rangers tried to frame me for stealing the toilet paper in the night. I had brought my own, so was not without.

Came here with my church for their annual summer outing to this location. Very pretty! Big enough…read morefor a day trip adventure, but small enough to feel safe if something happens because the distances are not too far off from other mini bodies of land, if you paddle board, swim, or kayak at this location. $20 for an overnight pass. Otherwise, day passes only last until 2100 or 9PM. Know your camp site number so that you park at the correct place as listed on your pass. Do not want a ticket. Anyway, got to stargaze at the end of the night where not many people were around, despite coming here on a summer weekend. Really made for a peaceful time. Hiking is around here, too, but I did not get to partake because I met with the people from my church later in the day after coming from work

Generally my family heads out to Lake Chelan and i was invited out to visit at Lake Cushman this…read moresummer. There are so many beautiful pockets to take in the views & nature'The drive in is beautiful and not too far out, depending where you're staying (vacation residence, campgrounds). Beautiful lake, cold temperatures due to it being a glacier lake - the water is so clear ! Would love to go on some hikes and spend more time out there. Im so grateful that theres so much to see and do in out here in the pnw!

Closed! Arrived Friday July 24, 2026 to find the day use area Caution taped off. Not a single soul…read morein sight. Bummer

Horseshoe Lake County Park is located in Kitsap County with a large lake, barbecues, picnic tables,…read morevolleyball court (on sand), playground and walking trails. Swimming, canoeing, kayaking and fishing is all allowed at this large lake. And this county park is also dog friendly. My husband, our little girl dog and I stopped by this park on a Thursday afternoon, a little before 1 pm. The reason why we came here was because we were looking for a park with barbecue grills because we had just purchased some raw, fresh oysters and clams from Minterbrook Oyster Farm and wanted to cook some up for lunch. A local at a nearby convenience store suggested this park and so we headed on our way (be sure to purchase charcoal if you want to use the park grills). Parking is plentiful, plenty of parks to provide shade and lots of grass available for our little girl to mark her territory. With a handful of barbecue grills, we decided to pick one by the volleyball court. My husband set up the grill and did the cooking (that is what husbands are for) and my little girl and I explored this large park in the meantime. There are restrooms by the playground, but I did not use it. Also during our visit, a park employee told us that he had to close the restrooms (due to some kind of plumbing problem) and that porta-potties will be delivered later today. This is a great park to have a family get together, picnic, friend gathering (play volleyball or bring your kayaks and launch off of here), fly your drone here or toy planes and play with your dog(s) here. If I lived closer, I would be out here on a regular basis.