Somewhat new to the area so my Waze/Google Maps didn’t quite get me to the correct entrance but finally found it once I pulled up directions listed here. I’m still waiting for my lifetime Discover Pass so I was expecting to pay the $3 car fee but rather I had to pay $10 for the day. The Park Ranger confirmed that the America the Beautiful pass is not accepted. You can pay cash in envelope or via CC and put your receipt on car dash. We might need to update this info under Hike Description.

Otherwise, a nice park and lake area. I walked both the Upper and Lower Lake trails so much longer than a mile. I took a small break at one of the picnic tables off the Lower Lake trail. It was a holiday so a few folks out but not crowded at all. Most of the small campsites were reserved for the weekend, so a popular place for the summer.

Four NE Portland 60-somethings were looking for a short hike during COVID crisis.  Decided on Battleground Lake’s lower loop trail.  It is one mile around.  EXCELLENT choice for us.  The trail is pretty easy, rocky in spots (I used a walking stick), but not bad.  The lake is very close to the trail on most of the path.  Wonderful vignettes of shallow water, lake views, ferns, and old forest are visible all along the trail. A beautiful place. Most visitors were politely masked up.  

This park actually has several trails, each marked at intersections. Lower, Upper, Hill and Outer trails offer options for loops of over three miles.

The Lower loop is very flat and follows around the like with few obstacles, even for very young hikers. It is not wheelchair accessible. The Upper Lake trail also circles the lake. The sounds of people playing can be heard the entire distance. The trail was clear with some muddy spots to navigate. The Hill trail also has horse traffic, is much wider and had some larger mud zones (see picture).

The best thing about this park is that it is so close to Vancouver, a quick 20 minute drive. Note that the parking pass required is the Discover Pass.

The campground is now open.

Note on parking - the first lot you see driving in is the horse trailer parking lot on the left. Keeping going and the road will dead end at the park. Walk toward the lake from parking lot and look for trail heads. The Lower Lake trails are easy to find and lead to connections to the Upper Lake trail. Look for the map of trails for more information.

This is a great day hike, especially for those in the local area. It's easy to get to, but is completely removed from the hustle and bustle of the Vancouver/Portland area. There are 10 miles of hiking trails in an assortment of hiker, biker, and horse rider combinations.

Most people seem to only do the Lower Lake trail, a short (maybe 0.5mi) but very scenic trail that can have some muddy and rocky spots, and spends the majority of the walk right along the shoreline. There are good views of the lake from all sides as well as some charming little areas where you must rock or stump hop across watery glades.Be prepared to give a friendly nod to fishermen or locals swimming near shore, this is a popular spot when it's hot out.

The Upper Lake trail gives you a good climb (though elevation gain is only about 100-120 feet) but you will be puffing a bit!  Adding another 0.5mi or so to your hike, this trail submerses you entirely in the many many types of greenery in these woods. Large grandiose conifers, stubby lobed vine maples, ferns galore, and during the spring, the triquetra petals of trillium flowers. Every shade of green imaginable! Photos.

To explore the woods and increase your hiking distance, take a look at the Park Map (this will automatically download a PDF) and go ramble about the rest of the 275 acres this park has to offer.

We actually hiked a combination of the Lower Lake Trail and the Upper Lake Trail for a distance of about 1 mile and an elevation gain of about 200 feet.

Battle Ground Lake was the most popular attraction in the park; the beach and water were filled with children and families enjoying the last week of vacation before school starts next week. We did not meet anyone else on the trails.

From the parking area, we walked a paved path down to the beach and boat launch area, about .1 mile. We headed right and took the turn for the Upper Lake Trail. The path climbed gradually up to the caldera rim -- Battle Ground Lake likes in the caldera of an old volcano. It merged with the trail leading to the walk-in tent campground. In a short distance, the Upper Lake Trail diverged from the golf-cart wide path onto a more primitive trail. We continued around the lake without much in the way of views but always within sound of all the good times happening on the water. The trail topped out at about 720 feet elevation before dropping back down to the lake level as we neared the boat launch and swim beach.

Unfortunately, we did not find a rack to pick up a park brochure or trail map, so we had to make guesses about where to go at unmarked trail intersections. I recommend printing out a map from the park website at home and bringing it along on any hike unless you have the trail system memorized.