Enjoyable Hike to Placid Lake and Chenamus Lake

It’s a long drive to Placid Lake Trailhead (northwest edge of Indian Heaven Wilderness) from my home in Washougal, but it is a nice trip! Once, I had to stop and wait for an elk to clear the road so I could continue. When I reached the trailhead and got out of the car, I had a great view of Mt St Helens from the roadway.

The trail begins by crossing a small bridge and passing a few campsites. There are very little elevation change and I arrived at Placid Lake in about 15 minutes. There is a nice campsite here, or you could simply sit and enjoy your lunch. It was still early, so I continued on the trail.

I climbed up a gentle slope for a little ways and where the trail took a sharp left, there was another trail to the right for Chenamus Lake. Again, there was very little change in elevation. An easy hike soon brought me to Chenamus Lake. I walked around the lake and settled down to eat my lunch, enjoy a cup of coffee and watch some ducks on the lake.

After lunch, I took an empty sandwich bag and quickly filled it up with the berries that weighted down this bush. Eating wild huckleberries and blueberries are one of the great pleasures of hiking in the Pacific Northwest!