Silver Lakes via Trails #839 and #842 in Olympic National Forest - Hiking

I always always ALWAYS enjoy trails that get up high into the mountains and give me some ridge walking. I also always enjoy alpine lakes, nestled under rocky mountaintops and rimmed with stunted spruces and firs. So, when I finally decided to take a summer hike on the Olympic Peninsula (long, long overdue) I chose to hike to Silver Lake on the NE corner of the peninsula. This hike is in the portions of the peninsula that is very steep terrain, so the climb up to the ridgeline will make you sweat. But the trail to the shoulder of Mount Townsend (which is the more popular destination out of the parking lot) is worth every step. The views down to the Puget Sound, Straight of Juan de Fuca and into the interior of the Olympics are stunning. The lake itself is no slouch either: clear green water loaded with fish and ringed by alpine spruces, with craggy peaks lining the bowl. This is definitely a hike to come back to again and again.