Lena Loop Trail

Yesterday was a beyond gorgeous day here in Juneau!  Clear blue skies, a smattering of high puffy clouds, and crisp spring air.  Granted, that crisp air was only in the low 40's but that's what spring is all about.

Knowing that it was supposed to be a nice day, Amanda and I had looked through my new book, "90 Short Walks In Juneau" (all half-day hikes or less), the night before and chosen the Lena Point Loop Trail.  After aimlessly driving up and down the same road and confusing our GPS, we finally located the very poorly marked trailhead.

Beginning of our hike

The trail was well-maintained and easy to follow for the first half of our hike.  It was a beautiful walk with the spruce trees and the multitude of green mosses and lichens.  I can't wait to see how beyond gorgeous it is once the shrubs and underbrush get their leaves back! 

 About a half mile from the car, there was a small off-shoot trail that took us down to a rock beach.  The sun obviously didn't reach it very much yet because there were still piles of snow and there was thick frost on the ground. 

When we finally reached Lena Point, we were greeted with a stunning view!  Snow-capped mountains as far as we could see, a shallow intertidal zone, and gloriously flat water.  Totally worth the walk!

Sadly, we couldn't find the continuation of the our loop trail, so we had to retrace our path back to the car.  We hope to get a better map and come back out later this summer when the trail has been frequented a bit more.  While we were out, we saw a chipmunk, a woodpecker (I'm not sure of the species, haven't unpacked all my reference books yet haha), and saw several bald eagles.  I absolutely love the sounds the eagles make, it's totally unique! 

Hope everyone had a great Saturday; I know my first one in Juneau was a success!