For more on Lake Angeles and Heather Park, see our Lake Angeles web page.
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06/11/09 - Pacific Dogwood and Tiarella

Pacific dogwood and tiarella are blooming along the lower parts of the Lake Angeles Trail. Only a few trilliums are left, but a new season has started.



Keywords: lake angeles, flowers, trillium

05/28/09 - The Trail To Lake Angeles

The trail to Lake Angeles is open and nearly snow free save for a few patches right near the lake. There is still ice on the lake, but it is melting rapidly, and the view up there is spectacular. The frogs were out and chirping loudly. Click here to hear them. We've never made it up to the lake this early before. Who knew what we were missing?

There is still a fair bit of snow on the mountains.

The ice is melting rapidly.

There are buds on the trees, but the scene is still wintry.

Melting snow at the campground

Another view of the mountains

A panorama of the lake


The trail is in great shape up to the lake and lined with trees like the aisle of a cathedral.

The creek is rising as the snow melts.

We love the mosses.

Our obligatory trillium photo, while the trilliums hold out

Keywords: lake angeles, winter, spring, trillium

05/08/09 - Lake Angeles Trail Update

We were at the Lake Angeles Trail again, trying to get built up for the climbing season. There are definite signs of spring. The snow is gone, and the trilliums are coming out for what promises to be a good season.



Keywords: lake angeles, spring, trillium

05/04/09 - The Lake Angeles Trail: An Update

Following up on our earlier post we took the Lake Angeles trail up to the crossing, a climb of about 700 feet. The trail was in good shape, with no downed trees on that stretch, but there must have been a fair bit of snow melt, as some parts of the trail are eroded, and the park service seems to have cut a number of small trenches to channel water off of the trail to prevent further erosion. By yesterday, the trail was pretty dry.

We turned around at the little bridge, but we spoke with a few people who had climbed farther. Apparently, you can get fairly far up the trail without running into much ice or snow, but a few hundred feet below the lake there is ice and snow on the trail, and the going is tricky. No one we met had actually made it to the lake, though we imagine that some hardy park service people have been there. We'll have to climb a bit farther next time. It isn't just a matter of the trail melting; we have to get into shape.

The little bridge - no snow

There is some snow around.

As beautiful and haunting as ever

Keywords: lake angeles, spring, high country

05/02/09 - The Lake Angeles Trail: Gateway to the High Country

The Lake Angeles Trail starts near the entry station on Hurricane Ridge Road and runs from about 1900 feet up to Lake Angeles which is about 4200 feet above sea level. It starts at a modest elevation, but it runs up into the lower reaches of the high country. Its low starting elevation means that it thaws out well before the high country trails do, so it is a good trail for getting back into shape.

We drove five miles up Hurricane Ridge Road and checked out the trailhead. There was no snow. The last official report was from early April, and the park people reported plenty of snow, and mountain lion tracks in the snow up around the bridge. We saw neither snow nor mountain lion tracks which was just as well. We did see trilliums, but that is another story.

The trail to the high country

Someone decorated the little bridge near the start of the trail

The obligatory trillium photo

Keywords: high country, lake angeles, trails, trillium

12/16/08 - Snowshoeing the Lake Angeles Trail

The snows are back, so we've been snowshoeing the Lake Angeles Trail. To be honest, there were only a few inches of snow on the trail. Most of the people we met on the trail were just wearing boots, but we are never could get the hang of boots, so we snowshoe. In any case, the scenery was spectacular.

The little bridge over the stream

A glimpse of blue sky

The wooden walkway

Keywords: lake angeles, winter, snowshoeing

10/09/08 - First Snow at Lake Angeles

The Lake Angeles trail is one of our favorites. It climbs over 2400' passing from rain forest to alpine forest; it leads to an amazing mountain lake surrounded by fantastic ramparts of stone, and it is only about 10 minutes from our house. Every climb is different. Sometimes the trail is lined with trilliums. Sometimes it leads from rain and fog to brilliant sun. This time, it took us into the land of winter.

The skies were cloudy at the trailhead, and the trail was wet from recent rain, but the real treat started around 1700' above the parking lot. Here we saw the first dustings of snow. Most of the trail was clear, but here and there a patch of snow made it through a gap in the canopy. As we continued to climb, we could see the light snow. It would stick to trees and mosses but melt on rocks and the trail itself.

As we climbed, it grew colder, and the light snow became constant. We entered a wonderland of winter. Our traction was good and the weather well above freezing. The lake beckoned. We had to see what the snow was like around Lake Angeles proper. Somehow, we pressed on and were well rewarded for our efforts. Clouds hid the ramparts, but the white accent of snow made everything look magical. The little island seemed something of Arthurian legend.

Every climb is different.

Clouds hid the ramparts.

The mystic isle

An enchanted lake - Is that a hand with a sword?

More winter wonderland

Another view of the isle

Even a light dusting of snow makes the familiar seem different.

A simple shrubbery

The trail was clear.

Snow on the trail, but not very much

One of the rocky outcrops along the trail

Snow on the moss

Keywords: lake angeles, winter, trillium

09/27/08 - Above The Clouds To Lake Angeles

One of the things about living at sea level near the high country of the North Olympic Mountains is how different the mountain weather can be from the weather around our house. The weather is often cooler in the mountains, and the winds stronger. They call it Hurricane Ridge for a reason. The low country is subject to ocean mist condensed from the humid air by the cold waters of the strait. Sometimes, low clouds present an ominous sky to those at sea level, but the clouds top out at few thousand feet. That means bright sun in the mountains, and an opportunity for a good hike into sunshine.

We recently hiked up the Lake Angeles Trail on one such cloudy day. The lower part of the trail was gray. The fog thickened around 1000' APL (above parking lot, so that's about 2900' above sea level). We kept on climbing. Around 1800' APL the first shafts of sunlight broke through the trees and formed thick shafts in the fading mist. A bit more climbing and we were above the clouds. Lake Angeles itself (about 2400' APL) was sunny. In fact, it was so sunny, we had trouble getting a good picture as you can see.

Our descent mirrored our ascent. We went from the sunny day of the high country to foggy trail to the cloudy sky of the lowlands. We expect cloudy days out here in the Pacific Northwest, but it is nice to be able to climb our way out of them now and then.

The misty forest

The cliffs around the lake, and lots of sun

Sun on the lake

Keywords: high country, lake angeles, weather


The trail on a sunny day

09/16/08 - The Leaf Faces of the Lake Angeles Trail

The Lake Angeles Trail is a pretty trail through second growth forest. It starts near the entry station on Hurricane Ridge Road and heads up nearly 2400' to Lake Angeles. We didn't it make it all the up to the lake, but we did find something curious on the trail. Well, there were the mushrooms, but there were also a number of these little leaf faces. Paraidolia? Were we just seeing faces? Maybe, but we suspect intelligent design. If nothing else, we were entertained.

Comedy

A sinister face

Tragedy

More of the trail

Keywords: lake angeles, art

09/02/08 - Klahane Ridge and The "Kick In The Ass"

There are several ways to get to Klahane Ridge. One way is to start at the Hurricane Ridge Lodge and head along the trail via Sunrise Peak. Another way is to come up from the Heart of the Hills Trailhead, either via Lake Angeles or Heather Park. The way we usually get there is from the Switchback Trail from a crook in Hurricane Ridge Road. You can also die and go to heaven.

This year the Switchback Trail has been open and closed. Sometimes the parking lot is simply closed. Sometimes it is open, but you have to share your parking spot with a big pile of gravel. Other times, such as this Labor Day, it was open. We took the trail up, watching the sea clouds heading up and inland, and hoping that we would reach the ridge before our view was spoiled. We made good time, and were rewarded with a spectacular view of Mount Olympus to the south. To the north, there were clouds, but we could see the bowl of the mountain below us with only a few patches of snow remaining.

The flowers are heading towards autumn, with more asters, yarrows and possibly coreopsis. We wanted more, so we went for what one hiker called the "kick in the ass". We took the trail towards Lake Angeles, which heads up about 150 feet, before it begins its 2000 foot descent. This trail heads along the open ridge face for a ways, then it passes through "the gate", along a magic carpet of what appear to be frosted plants, and then through a second rocky "gate" to the high castle. This area is always slow to thaw and early to freeze, so here, the lupines lingered in masses among the eerie stones.

There are views north and south, and a bit past the "castle" there is an overlook of the bowl of Klahane Ridge. Shortly after here, the trail begins its descent in earnest. We weren't quite that earnest, so we turned back. It was afternoon, and the view was getting cloudier. Mist ran across the trail, hiding trees, and playing games. Then came the sun again, as the mist blew by. By the time we returned to the parking lot, the trail looked sunny and clear again, ready with its spectacular views for another group of hikers.

Lupines were still blooming in the "castle".

A magic carpet

One of many rock gardens

Mount Angeles and some lingering snow

A caterpillar and quite a big one

Insouciant


Keywords: autumn, flowers, klahane ridge, lake angeles

07/22/08 - Lake Angeles, At Last

We never made it all the way up to Lake Angeles in 2007, so we were determined to do so this year. Our early attempts were blocked by fallen trees, particularly a long stretch just after the stream crossing. Now that those trees have been cleared by our noble park service, we can report success. The Kalebergs have landed, or something.

The climb was 2380' from the parking lot to the camp site by the lake. There were a few downed trees in the camp site, but we managed to get to the lake. The lake is in a deep bowl surrounded by mountains, so the views of the high ridges above were spectacular. These photos do not do it justice. We waded into the lake a bit. The water was quite cold which was not surprising for a lake fed by melting snow. Though most of the snow has melted, we could still see patches of it, and waterfalls of icy water making their way lakeward.




Downed trees at the Lake Angeles camp site

Indian pipes

Keywords: lake angeles, flowers

07/06/08 - Lake Angeles Trail Update

We hadn't been making much headway on the Lake Angeles Trail. A huge swath of the forest had been knocked down by the winter winds shortly after the river crossing, and the trail was impassable. We'd clamber under and over a few of the great logs, but eventually, we gave up.

This time was different. The National Park Service has come through armed with chain saws and who knows what else. The trail is clear. We didn't make it all the way up to the lake, but we did get a good start. Other hikers, in better shape than we are, informed us that the lake is clear of snow. Several others were heading up with fishing rods in hand, and one group, heading down, reported swimming. Watch this page for the Kaleberg ascent.

Newly cleared forest

More windfall

The Park Service at work- the trails must roll.

The Pacific dogwood is in bloom.

We aren't sure of what this is. We'll stay tuned.

Keywords: lake angeles, trails

05/20/08 - Lake Angeles Update

The Lake Angeles trail is still a mess once you get past the bridge. We've mentioned the big windfall, and we can see that someone has been working hard at clearing the fallen logs and brush, but getting much beyond the crossing means a fair bit of scrambling over logs and fighting with fallen branches. It was a bit much for us.

On the other hand, the trilliums loved it, and the stream is just full of water. To get a sense of the flow, take a look at our little movie. It may be a while before the park people finish clearing the trail to our exacting Kaleberg standards, but we'll keep climbing up and checking out their progress.

Signs of repair at the clearing

The new clearing

Another shot of the clearing

Wild waters at the crossing

Keywords: trillium, lake angeles

12/28/07 - Snowshoeing On The Lake Angeles Trail

There is snow in the Heart of the Hills, so the Lake Angeles trail is no longer at that annoying ambiguous level with just a bit too much snow for easy traction, but too little for snowshoes. There is plenty of snow there now. We should report that the park maintenance teams have been hard at work, at least as far as the bridge. The log that we had to crawl under last time is gone. We were too timid and exhausted by all the holiday fun to cross the bridge and check out the mess on the other side. That's something for the new year. Meanwhile, enjoy some pictures of the forest and the snow.


Keywords: lake angeles, trails

11/25/07 - A Bit Beyond On The Lake Angeles Trail

We did make it a bit farther along the Lake Angeles Trail. We made it across the bridge and perhaps another few hundred feet before the brush and fallen logs stopped us. More intrepid hikers continued, but you can see what the trail looked like on the right.

The going gets rough

Keywords: lake angeles, trails


The bridge is crossable; the trail a bit less so

11/20/07 - A Visit to the Lake Angeles Trail

The Lake Angeles Trail is open, but there are lots of logs down thanks to last week's wind storm. The park service has cut some of the logs near the start of the trail, but clearing the trail is still low priority with so many roads out. Still, we managed to get up to the little river crossing about 700 feet above the parking lot, or around 2600 feet above sea level. We considered going farther, but as you can see in the picture to the left, there was a big log down right before the bridge. (That log is about three feet in diameter). That probably wouldn't have stopped us. There was a good crawl space under the log, but the bridge was covered with snow, and we didn't have our Yak Trax.

That whole section of the forest was blown down

Just for pretty - snow on a log
There wasn't any snow at the trailhead, but about 300 feet up we saw our first signs of winter, a light frosting alongside the trail. The trail itself was largely clear, but there was more snow as we ascended. Now and then we could see a thin layer of snow had settled on the canopy of the forest, which is partly why there was so little snow on the ground. There were a few downed trees blocking the trail, but most could be stepped over or walked around. There was one spectacular root mass that had pulled out when a tree right next to the trail had fallen downslope. All told, signs of wind and signs of winter.

This tree toppled recently and took some of the trail with it

Keywords: lake angeles, winter, trails

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