Hike Washington: Lake Angeles, two ways

When you do the same hike three times in one month, it must mean you like the hike.

I’m definitely a fan of Lake Angeles. I’ve accessed the lake via two different trailheads in October and November.

The easiest way to access the lake is to park at the Lake Angeles Trailhead, located just before the Hurricane Ridge pay station on Hurricane Ridge Road. There’s a large parking lot there, but it fills up quickly so plan to arrive in the morning, especially during popular summer months.

If you choose this trailhead, you’re in for about an 8-mile roundtrip hike to the lake and back. The sign at the trailhead says 3.7 miles, but it’s really more like 4 miles to the lake. Most of the hike is steady incline through second-growth forest. You’ll cross a couple of streams (watch out – the bridges are icy in winter) early on in the hike, and you can get peek-a-boo views of the ridge line through the trees during your third mile of incline.

There’s a fairly primitive trail that skirts the lake for a short distance but no real water access that I’ve found. Plenty of flat tree trunks to sit on and enjoy a snack with a view, though.

Now if you really want to test your limits and burn some calories, drive up Hurricane Ridge Road to the Switchback Trail parking lot. Take Switchback Trail to Klahhane Ridge Trail the way down to the lake. Round trip, it’s a little more than 10 miles, but it’s hard, and you’ve got steep incline going both directions with intermittent flat sections along the ridge. It’s steep and rocky, so trekking poles are helpful. This is the most rewarding trail to take if you’re looking for stunning panoramas of the Olympic Range and Straight of Juan de Fuca out to Mt. Baker. The ridge views are really jaw dropping, it’s covered with wildflowers in the summer, and you also get a birds eye view of the lake as you descend toward it.

Before you reach the lake you’ll find yourself at a rocky outcropping. This is a really good place to stop for lunch on your way down, with plenty of flat rocks to plant your sore buns on.