08. PINE LAKE in the OLYMPIC NATIONAL FOREST

Pine Lake is surrounded by old-growth forest, despite being in a previously heavily logged area. An old logging road now serves as a quiet hiking trail to the lake, often free of crowds.

Highlights:

  • Peaceful backcountry lake in an ancient forest

  • Round trip: 5.8 miles, 700 feet elevation gain

  • Easy difficulty, no permits needed

  • Best to hike in March to December; suitable for kids and dogs

  • Forest Road 2361 closes Oct 1 - Apr 30 to protect animals

  • Access trailhead off-season by walking or biking additional 3.8 miles

  • No amenities at the trailhead.

Directions:

  • From Shelton, drive north on US 101 for 7 miles

  • Turn left at milepost 340 onto Skokomish Valley Road

  • Continue for 5.6 miles, then bear right at V intersection onto FR 23

  • Travel 9.3 miles, bear left at junction with FR 2353, then continue on gravel FR 23 for 4.3 miles

  • Bear right onto FR 2361 and proceed 1.2 miles, turning left onto unsigned Spur 200

  • Follow for 0.7 miles to reach the trailhead

Contact:
Olympic National Forest, Hood Canal Ranger District, fs.usda.gov/olympic Map: Green Trails Mt Tebo No. 199

When you start from the trailhead, walk through a mix of younger and older trees. Look at how the old road was changed into a trail. Engineers redesigned the road to look more like a natural trail. They restored parts of the road to its original shape, making it harder to see where the road used to be. The Forest Service also planted native plants along the trail, making it less obvious that it was once a wide logging road. The trail goes along steep slopes above Pine Creek. After about two miles, you'll reach a beautiful area of old trees. The trail gets steeper as you go, changing from mostly flat to a bit more challenging. After another .75 mile, the trail leaves the old road and passes through a group of big trees before going down to Pine Lake.

The lake is fairly shallow and is surrounded by grasses, sedges, and other small plants that were planted by the Forest Service and Washington Conservation Corp crews to help the shore recover from past damage. Be respectful of the area by staying on the marked trails and avoiding damaging plants. Enjoy the peacefulness of the area. Keep an eye out for birds in the lake and around its plants. Look at Chapel Peak reflecting on the lake. Notice that even though there are tall trees all around the lake, there don't seem to be any pine trees. White pine trees used to be common in this region but were mostly wiped out by a disease. It's possible that the same thing happened at Pine Lake. On the other hand, early visitors to the area sometimes named places inaccurately. It's possible that Pine Lake doesn't actually have any pine trees, despite its name.