For more on Lake Angeles and Heather Park, see our Lake Angeles web page.
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05/18/24 - Lake Angeles With Frogs

We've been trying to get back into climbing shape in hopes of being able to climb in the high country. We made it a little past the log bridge on the Lake Angeles Trail that starts near Lake Dawn. The spring flowers are about, but the special treat was, once again, frogs. There were the usual trilliums and violets and orchids, but also tiny little frogs perhaps the size of a fifty cent piece and large frogs over an inch log. They are very well camouflaged, but once you've spotted the first it is easier spotting the second, third and so on.

The log bridge

Water streaming

Water from the far side of the bridge

A trillium

A tiny little frog

Another tiny little frog

A blurry little frog - Autofocus can't do everything.

Yet another frog - the fourth plague

There may be a frog in there.

Or perhaps one here.

Aha! one of the more cooperative larger frogs

Mushrooms

Another mushroom

The forest

A cooperative squirrel

A fawn lily

A violet

More flowers

More Trilliums

Another trillium

Another violet

Keywords: flowers, high country, lake angeles, spring, trilliums

05/31/23 - Pacific Dogwood in Bloom

We headed up the Lake Angeles Trail again. The trilliums have almost passed, but the Pacific dogwood has started to bloom. There are always changes along the trail this time of year.

Where we turned around, far from the lake

Forest

More forest

Sparse undergrowth

A few trilliums past bloom

Indian pipes

Very early Pacific dogwood

Forest on our way down

Oregon grape

Further down, Pacific dogwood

Some Pacific dogwood in bloom

More dogwood

Even more dogwood

Late trilliums

More late trilliums

The stream

The bridge across the stream

More early dogwood

Mushrooms on a log

Tiarella in bloom

More along the trail

A slug

Undergrowth

Keywords: lake angeles, trillium

05/23/23 - Foggy Day on the Lake Angeles Trail

We've been building up for the summer season by climbing as far up the Lake Angeles Trail as we can manage. So far, that's been about 1250' from the parking lot. The trilliums are gone, but the Pacific dogwood have yet to bloom. We climbed up into the clouds and didn't let a little fog stop us. We made it half way up to the lake, but the season has just started.

The stream at about 750' above the parking lot

Into the clouds

Looking down

Along the trail

Foggy forest

A cluster of trilliums

Down into the mist

Up again

Another trail view

A clearer stretch

Green forest floor

An Indian pipe

Green forest

Pacific dogwood in progress

An old tree trunk

The walkway

Funghi

And more funghi

More forest

Heading down

Along the trail

Keywords: lake angeles, trillium

11/01/22 - Getting Back in Shape on the Lake Angeles Trail

We really like the Lake Angeles Trail. It is barely 15 minutes from our house and is both beautiful and a good hard workout. It starts out climbing and keeps on climbing, 2400 feet from the parking lot to the lake. It mainly passes through second growth forest though there is a lovely stream to cross on a footbridge about 700 feet up. We just start hiking and climb and climb until we tire. Then we turn around and take it easy on the way down. Now that the rains have come, there is more water in the stream and the footing is better. It is time we starting climbing again.

The stream

The trail

An old log

More flowing water

Even more water, sort of a theme with us now

Yes, that's water.

Old log in the forest

Last few berries

Ground cover with berries

Dark trees

More dark trees

The big rock about 500 feet above the parking lot

Almost back down

Keywords: lake angeles

03/31/22 - Lake Angeles Trail

We are trying to get into climbing shape. In the winter, most of the trails we travel only climb a few hundred feet, but, in the summer and fall, we want to climb higher. That means building up, and the only way to build up is to climb. The Lake Angeles Trail is a great trail for this. It is steep, so it means that even a short climb is a solid work out, it is beautiful, and, if we ever get into proper shape, it climbs for over two thousand feet to a beautiful lake. Well, we have to start somewhere.

The bridge where we turned around

The last snow

The forest

A lot of the scenery is vertical.

More trees

Excelsior

The big rock at 500' apl

Below the big rock

More vertical forest

Keywords: lake angeles, trails

Keywords: lake angeles, trails

03/08/20 - Last Winter Hiking on the Lake Angeles Trail

We hiked the Lake Angeles Trail a few times this winter. By late February, there was only a little snow on the lower reaches of the trail. That's as far as we went, though others we met on the trail had made it all the way up to the lake. It's one of the easier trails to get to from town, but with all the rain and cold weather, we haven't been getting up there lately.

The footbridge about 700' above the trailhead

Running water

Snowy scene

The boardwalk

Despite the snow, there was lots of green.

The trail with a light dusting

More of the trail

The footbridge again

Wood and snow

Another trail scene

There was snow, but the lower trail was easy going.

Light snow and a fallen tree

Very little snow on the lower part of the trail

Icicles

The frozen curtain of drips

More frozen drips

Almost vernal

No snow at all down here

Lower part of the trail

Keywords: lake angeles, trails, weather, winter

Keywords: lake angeles, trails, weather, winter

02/16/20 - Late Winter on the Lake Angeles Trail

We took a short walk up the Lake Angeles Trail, as far as the little bridge about 730' above the trailhead. The parking lot is smaller than it used to be, but very few people were out on the trail that day. The trailhead is about 1900' above sea level, and the trail was snow free until we neared the little bridge where there was an icy dusting. The stream under the bridge was flowing briskly. There was a coating of ice and snow on the bridge itself, so we didn't cross. We were pleased to have climbed as far as we had.

The little bridge on the Lake Angeles Trail

The creek

Rushing waters

Snow on a log

The scene at the bridge

More snow

Another log

The walkway

Just a bit of white

The trail

Dark wood

Keywords: lake angeles

Keywords: lake angeles

10/06/19 - Lake Angeles Trail to the Bridge

We've been recovering from colds, so we haven't been getting out as much as we would like. Still, we made it up to the bridge across the stream about 700 feet or so above the parking lot. That's how we measure things. The gray light made the greens more intense, and there were signs of autumn everywhere.

This is where we stopped.

Water not yet under the bridge

A nice view of the bridge we did not cross

Green with dark water

Forest

Changing color, Pacific dogwood

Little mushrooms

The trail

Some red and green

More mushrooms

An early spirit of Halloween

Keywords: autumn, lake angeles

06/08/19 - Lake Angeles - Exploring the Stream

We've been climbing the Lake Angeles Trail for years, but even now there are new nooks and crannies we find to explore. We had been climbing for more than a decade before we realized how to get to the campground next to the foot bridge over the stream at around 700 feet above the trailhead. This time, we explored a bit upriver from the that little foot bridge. It was a bit of a scramble, and we didn't get very far, but it offered new views of the stream.

The stream under the foot bridge

The foot bridge over the stream

Cascades upstream

More flowing water

The going gets rougher for us and the stream

Smooth water

Looking back at the footbridge, maybe 50 feet downstream

Pacific dogwood

More dogwood

Transition, dogwood with a late trillium

A green scene

A mysterious little bird

A curious mushroom

Keywords: lake angeles

06/04/19 - The Last Trilliums

We've been building up our climbing by working our way up the Lake Angeles Trail. So far, we've managed to get up about 1150 feet out of about 2380, less than halfway. The trilliums along this part of the trail are passing. They've turned from white to pink or they already have seed pods. Meanwhile, the Pacific dogwood is coming out, and its petals have been turning from green to white. Progress climbing has been slow, but the trail has its rewards however far we climb.

Across the little creek about 700' above the parking lot

One of the many trilliums now turning pink

A white trillium

This may be the trillium vale

Another trillium, for luck

Tiarella

Second growth forest and sunlight

Pacific dogwood

And another cluster

Keywords: lake angeles, trillium

04/25/19 - Lake Angeles Trail and Trilliums

We've been getting back into shape, and that means climbing the Lake Angeles Trail. It's a great training trail in that it heads up steeply for 2400', but even shorter climbs offer a wonderful forest hike. To our surprise, the first trilliums were in bloom, mainly along the lower reaches of the trail. We didn't make it much past the foot bridge over the stream about 720' above the trail head, but we heard reports from other hikers that the lake was accessible. That gives us something to work towards, though it may be a while.

One of the trilliums

Lingering snow

The foot bridge

More snow in the shadows

The trail

Dramatic lighting on the trail

Another look along the way

Second growth forest

Another trillium

Yet another

and yet another

Keywords: lake angeles, trillium

12/22/18 - Winter Comes to the Lake Angeles Trail

We took a short hike up the Lake Angeles Trail. We made it to the stream, but we met a couple who had made it all the way up to the lake. They said there was about a foot of snow there. The start of the trail is green, but as one rises, there are more and more signs of winter.

The stream at about 730 feet above the trailhead

The bridge over the stream, quite done up for Christmas

Icicles

Winter wonderland

The boardwalk - We expected to wind up at Santa's workshop.

Snow on the rocks

More icicles

Winter colors

The trail

Winter foliage

More winter

The trail again

There were a few fallen trees early along the trail, but they were easy to get over.

The chewn tree - a landmark of ours - We thought it had been destroyed by the high winds.

Another tree down

The stream near the trailhead

Another view of the stream near the trailhead

Keywords: lake angeles, winter

07/18/18 - Lake Angeles

To our own surprise, we made it up to Lake Angeles on our first try. Usually, this is our training hike. We make it first to the stream, maybe 720 feet, then up to 1000 or 1500, and then, maybe, we make it to the lake, a climb of over 2400 feet. This year, getting to the trailhead has been a problem with twenty minute road construction delays, each way.

We did it anyway. We started early to avoid the backup at the park entry gate just after the trailhead turnoff. Then we climbed, and climbed and climbed. It's a beautiful trail and a good hard work out. It passes through shaded forest with limited undergrowth, but now and then the light cuts through and highlights something wonderful.

The lake was as we remembered it, placid in its bowl of high stone walls. It was too cool to contemplate swimming, so we admired the lake, its island and the setting while we rested. We had made it all the way up to the lake, and on our first try of the season.


The lake in its bowl of mountains

Bloodroot

Shooting stars

The trail

A trillium

Shoots

Pacific dogwood

The stream

We're not sure what these are, but they're pretty.

Another view of the lake

A tempting view of the lake

Keywords: lake angeles

04/28/18 - Trilliums on the Lake Angeles Trail

Between winter conditions and road repairs, we haven't been hiking the Lake Angeles Trail lately. We finally made our way back, and were pleasantly rewarded. The trail is as beautiful as ever, the trilliums were starting to bloom, and aside from some gravel stretches, the road wasn't much of a problem.

The little stream, one view

A trillium

Another trillium, just getting ready to bloom

Yet another trillium

Another view of the little stream

Keywords: lake angeles, trillium, spring

11/15/17 - Lake Angeles Trail Rains

The autumn rains have come. We took a rainy day walk up the Lake Angeles Trail. We only made it to the bridge about 700 feet above the parking lot, but, en route, we saw a host of waterfalls, signs of rain and a squirrel.

Water under the bridge

A small cascade

Tree trunk and friends

The trail was a river.

A squirrel

Fresh wood

Signs of rain

Water from the earth

Another view

More water on the trail

Rapids

Keywords: autumn, lake angeles, waterfall

10/09/17 - Frogs on the Trail

We had a rather dry summer, but for some reason we've been seeing a surprising number of frogs along the Lake Angeles Trail. We've heard them before, up at the lake, but we've never seen them along the lower reaches of the trail.

A waterfall near the foot bridge

A frog

Another frog

Fall color

More fall color

Keywords: lake angeles, animals

06/15/17 - Lake Angeles Trail

The Lake Angeles Trail is great for a workout. It's only a ten minute drive from town, so it's often our fallback for exercise when we don't have a lot of time. On our last trip we got to experience the season with trilliums both ready to open and already with pods having bloomed some time ago. The Pacific dogwood was like this too, with both slightly green early flowers as well as white ones in full bloom.

The bridge on the Lake Angeles Trail

White water

Water under the bridge

Early Pacific dogwood

Pacific dogwood in full bloom

An early trillium

A late season trillium

More water

And even more water

Keywords: flowers, lake angeles, trillium

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