Are you looking for a great early-season backpacking trip in Washington? Then backpacking to Lake Angeles in Olympic National Park may be the perfect adventure.
In my research for my own adventures, I’ve found that there is not a lot of information about early season backpacking options. Such as during May and June, before the alpine snow melts out for the year. There is information on very low elevation hikes, below 2,000 feet, such as the Hoh Rainforest, Olympic Coast, and Middle Fork Snoqualmie near North Bend.
I hope that this post provides some inspiration and practical tips for planning an epic backpacking trip to get you in shape and excited for longer summer backpacking trips throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Highlights: forested lake with craggy mountain views, sections of the trail follows a raging river, scenic wooden footbridges covered with moss, and vivid Pacific Northwest temperate rainforest
Location: 30 minutes south of Port Angeles, WA in Olympic National Park – off of the Hurricane Ridge road into the National Park
Season: Early summer (late-May) to late fall (mid-October)
Length: 7.2 miles roundtrip. A great one night weekend trip if you’re looking to get back into that tent before the summer.
Difficulty: Moderate to hard because of 2,457 feet of elevation gain and many many switchbacks. The trail is easy-to-follow when snow/ice is gone, typically in mid to late-May.
Insider Tips: Stay the night before at lodging in Port Angeles or Sequim. This allows you to pick-up required permits for the Olympic backcountry at the Wilderness Information Center first thing in the morning. Note, that permits are likely issued electronically/on the phone and you’ll need to print out, due to COVID.
Permits. When I did my trip in 2018, getting a permit was not difficult (not a lottery system or extremely limited), but regulations change so please check with the National Park Service ahead of your trip.
This also means you’re close to the trailhead and don’t have to deal with the Washington Ferries and driving to the Olympic Peninsula – which on weekends/holidays significant traffic and delays.
Ferries: Washington State Ferries are operating under COVID-19 regulations and reduced sailings, so keep that in mind when transporting yourself from the Puget Sound (and beyond) to the Olympic Peninsula. It’s a unique experience to ride the ferry but need to go into it with a laissez-faire, relaxed attitude. You get there when you get there.
Season and Trail Conditions. It is Late May and summer is near. The birds are chirping, trees have bloomed throughout the Puget Sound lowland areas. Yet, finding somewhere to backpack this time of year with epic views remains challenging.
The snowpack of the Washington Cascades is huge, often over 15 feet of snow that needs to melt at full speed but often takes until late July. A great time of year for chasing waterfalls, it all is flowing toward the Pacific.
On average, by Late May, the trail to Lake Angeles will have summer conditions with a few pockets of ice/snow off-trail. This varies each year so best to check WTA’s trip reports to see what the year’s conditions are looking like. But late May/early June is a good bet for your trip on an average year.
Much of the path winds through new-growth forest. I enjoyed how symmetrical the trees are. Find a good spot along the trail for a water break – you’ll need it after seemingly endless switchbacks through the forest.
All of a sudden, you crest through a meadow and Lake Angeles awaits you. A vivid blue sky reflected in the lake on a calm early summer day.
For a clear composition, you’ll have to do some careful scrambling over fallen logs in the water. Be careful and have your camera gear put away in your backpack.
Campsites are easy-to-locate and defined packed dirt sites on the right side of the lake as you approach the trail from the trailhead.
Backcountry Campsites. On a weekend, be sure to get an early start to secure a campsite – specific sites are first-come-first served. Remember you need an overnight permit from the Olympic NP ranger station.
Sunrise. Be sure to set an alarm before sunrise because it is awesome! The soft light illuminating the peaks above the lake, and slowly working its way down to the island in the middle of the lake is magical! The shadow over the lake quickly faded as the sun rose higher in the sky.
Photography Opportunities
Tripod. I brought my tripod along since the hike is around 8 miles, a typical day hike distance. There are numerous opportunities for long exposure along the trail.
Many sections follow a river with beautiful wooden bridges. Right out of a fairytale and made for long exposures of the Olympic rainforest. Although, this section of the mountain receives less rain than on the west slopes, such as the extremely lush Hoh and Quinault forests.
Filter Tips. The silky smooth water effect is achieved by using a neutral density (ND) filter or a circular polarizer filter on a day with limited sunlight. My go-to ND filter is the Format Hitech 6-stop or Gobe’s 3-stop ND filter.
Let’s simplify what ND filters do. They block light, that’s it; allowing you to capture images with a long shutter speed, such as 2 to 30 seconds. The stop is how much light the filter blocks. 10-stop lets in very limited light and often used for 30 to 60 second exposures. 3-stop.
If a high-quality filter, then there will not be color cast to correct, or a loss of sharpness. Without these filters, for these long exposures, the photo would be washed out and often unusable.
Telephoto Lens. I did bring a telephoto lens, lightweight Canon 70-200m f/4 L, and glad I did! The waterfalls in the distance made for great zoomed in compositions. Along with the island in the center of the lake, that can be isolated for an interesting composition.
Along with the island in the center of the lake, that can be isolated for an interesting composition. I found the soft foggy light interesting and helped to even out the light surrounding the island. The lake was surprisingly calm for late afternoon.
If you’re on the Olympic Peninsula, I’d definitely recommend it. The 7-8 miles is the right duration and difficulty to get you prepared for more challenging summer trips throughout the alpine of Washington and beyond.
Please practice Leave No Trace (camp on durable surfaces) so that this experience can be enjoyed for future adventurers.
I would love to hear in the comments if you have done this backpacking trip or have any questions that could help your planning. Happy trails!
