Parking
Use the Putvin Trailhead pullout on the right side of Hamma Hamma River Road (NF-25), about 4.5 miles past Lena Lake Trailhead. The road beyond Lena Lake is gravel with occasional potholes.
Overview
About Putvin Trail to Lake of the Angels
Why go
- A high alpine lake framed by Mount Skokomish and Mount Stone
- A varied climb from Boulder Creek through forest and meadow
Heads up
- A near-vertical headwall scramble with serious fall consequences
- Steep slippery tread and a muddy, hard-to-read basin
Putvin Trail #813 is a hard out-and-back from Putvin Trailhead to Lake of the Angels, about 6.7 miles round trip with roughly 3,400 feet of climbing. Allow six to eight hours. The lower approach follows Boulder Creek, but most of the gain comes on a sustained, steep ascent, followed by an exposed headwall scramble and a muddy alpine basin. The payoff is a small clear lake beneath Mount Skokomish and Mount Stone. Choose it if you are comfortable with steep, slippery ground, hands-on scrambling and finding faint tread; turning back before the headwall is sensible if those are not your conditions.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation1,583–4,951 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
6 active Olympic alerts
- CautionUS 101 Hoh River Bridge reduced to one laneUS 101 at the Hoh River Bridge is restricted to one lane of alternating traffic; obey the signals and 25 mph speed limit.Official details
- ClosureStaircase wilderness trails and campsites remain closedWilderness trails and campsites around Staircase remain closed during recovery from the Bear Gulch Fire; the developed Staircase area, including the Rapids Loop, campground, and ranger station, is…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Your drive to Putvin Trail to Lake of the Angels, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Olympic audio tour- 204 audio storiesacross Olympic’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Olympic Marmot, Humpback Whale, Grey Whale, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 148 trails, 94 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Putvin Trail to Lake of the Angels
Boulder Creek and the old roadThe first 1.5 miles are a relatively moderate walk beside Boulder Creek.
The first 1.5 miles are a relatively moderate walk beside Boulder Creek. A short early spur reaches Carl Putvin's grave marker; Putvin was a local trapper whose name the trail carries. The route then climbs by switchbacks, turns away from the creek and crosses two drainages before the grade steepens through forest. There are occasional views back toward the peaks.
At the closed Boulder Creek Road bed, turn left and walk downhill about 200 yards. It is the hike's one real break from climbing. A second trail sign on the right points toward Lake of the Angels and the next climb.
Forest, slippery tread and meadowThe trail rises again over a large switchback on steep, sometimes slippery tread.
The trail rises again over a large switchback on steep, sometimes slippery tread. After more forest climbing it emerges into a meadow where thimbleberries grow in season. Take a breather here: the headwall and the route-finding beyond it are still ahead.
The false pond and the real lakeThe headwall is a short but consequential scramble, near-vertical in places; use care on the…
The headwall is a short but consequential scramble, near-vertical in places; use care on the steep rock and roots, especially when they are wet. Beyond it, the alpine basin can be muddy and the faint paths confusing. The small Pond of the False Prophet is not the destination: continue about another half mile to Lake of the Angels.
The true lake is small enough to walk around in a few minutes, with Mount Skokomish and Mount Stone reflected in clear water. Scramble paths continue from the lakeshore toward the slopes and higher basin, but those are separate extensions, not part of this out-and-back.
Access and rulesStart at the Putvin Trailhead roadside pullout on the right side of Hamma Hamma River Road…
Start at the Putvin Trailhead roadside pullout on the right side of Hamma Hamma River Road (NF-25), about 4.5 miles beyond Lena Lake Trailhead. That last stretch of road is gravel with occasional potholes and is not maintained in winter, so access can be seasonal. The route begins in Mount Skokomish Wilderness and enters Olympic National Park after about three miles. Overnight travel in the park requires a wilderness permit; pets are not allowed on this full hike, and campfires are prohibited above 3,500 feet inside the park.
Is this the hike for you?The mapped trail measures about 3.33 miles to the lake, which gives 6.67 miles out and back.
The mapped trail measures about 3.33 miles to the lake, which gives 6.67 miles out and back. Published figures range from 6.7 to about 8 miles. The route mapped here is about 3.3 miles to the lake; leave some extra room for wayfinding in the confusing basin.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Olympic
710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
