A great early-season backpacking destination, Packwood Lake is surrounded by old-growth forest and the ridges of Goat Rocks Wilderness.

ITINERARY

• day 1 – Packwood Lake trailhead to campsite: 5.5 miles, 475 ft. gain, 455 ft. loss
• day 2 – day hike: 6 miles roundtrip, 385 ft. gain/loss
• day 3 – hike out to trailhead: 5.5 miles, 455 ft. gain, 475 ft. loss

TRIP PLANNING

• best months: May – June
• location: SW Washington; nearest town: Packwood
• land management: Gifford Pinchot National Forest: Goat Rocks Wilderness
• trail conditions: Packwood Lake Trail #78
• hike description: Washington Trails Association
• permits: self-issued at the trailhead
• trailhead pass: NW Forest Pass required

Note: This is a super popular destination and campsites fill up early on weekends, so going midweek is highly recommended. The Forest Service has been working to education people here on low impact practices, with multiple signs at the trailhead and along the lake with instructions to bury your poop. Trash is also a problem here, and we picked up quite a bit in our campsite on this trip. If you plan to backpack here, bring a trowel for proper human waste disposal and pack out all of your trash.

Day 1

For this two night trip, we started on a Thursday based on the rainy forecast for the weekend and also to make sure we’d get a campsite. It’s a short drive from the town of Packwood on paved Forest Road 1260. There are two routes in to Packwood Lake, the Packwood Lake Trail #78, which is open to hikers, and the Pipeline Road. The road is about 1/2 mile shorter and allows use by bicycles and OHVs. I prefer the forested hiker trail even though it has fewer views. At the end of the road is a large parking lot, with lower road access for those with horses, ATVs, and bicycles.

The hiker trail to the lake is an easy hike

When we reached the lake, we stopped at the day use area to take in the sight of the lake with a view of Agnes Island and Johnson Peak.

An historic ranger building sits near the lake shore, while a newer building is tucked into the trees to the south.

There are a lot of campsites next to the lake, all the way from one end to the other. The first sites are a short distance past the historic ranger station and bridge, but we continued for about another mile to find a more private spot on a peninsula.

On our first night, pinkish clouds slowly revealed Johnson Peak at sunset.

Day 2

On our second day, we did a hike on Upper Lake Creek Trail, following the edge of the lake through old-growth forest and passing by swampy areas thick with skunk cabbage, horsetail, and red alders.

There were several creek crossings, the largest is shown here. The water was just below my knees but it was easy to cross.

We encountered several detours due to washouts and downed trees, and we turned around after reaching an avalanche or rockslide area filled with debris, about three miles from our camp. After a short lunch break by the creek, we headed back to camp.

Back at camp, we had a campfire and listened to a chorus of frogs after sunset with an occasional “hoot hoot” of an owl.

Day 3

It started to rain lightly on our hike out – and quite a few more people were heading in despite the rainy forecast for the weekend. Overall, this was a great early season trip that provided an opportunity for relaxing at a beautiful lake.