First, his hike is the one off the Mtn Loop Hwy, the drop down did not list the area and it ended up with the Methow area listed. I edited it to see if I could correct it. What a glorious day to be out in the woods! This is a quiet little trail that follows the old RR grade along the Sauk River. It's flat and easy, you can take your grandma on this one, if she has hiking boots. There are two sections where the trail has slid down, grandma and little ones may need a little help here. Also a few minor blowdowns, easy with a leg over, and the trail has some pretty muddy sections. The 'lake' is actually a series of beaver ponds and you can see the dams that helped create the ponds. The water was glass still and made for some beautiful reflections of alder trees and mtns in the background. Just past the ponds the trail ends by a steep drop off where the river has eroded the bank. Enjoy the view of nearby peaks, we think, Pugh and Forgotten. You used to be able to access the riverbank for a nice lunch log, but it appears that either the river has changed course and washed the lunch log away, or it's underwater right now. Lots of skunk cabbage blooming, spring is on the way!

There was a significant amount of snow at the parking lot, but it almost immediately disappeared upon starting the hike, though there were still small patches here and there. Aside from a short stretch of loose mud at the river's edge, the trail is incredibly flat and easy - so easy, in fact, that it's difficult to believe that it's four miles round-trip. It feels much less. Also, for what little effort it asks of you, the trail is remarkably scenic. You get to walk along the silvery river, through lush green foliage, stroll across a marshy lake (though even in these last days of winter there were already mosquitoes hovering over the water), and finally get some amazing views of the nearby mountain chain from the river bank at the trail's end. The only thing missing is a waterfall.

The trail is approximately 50% covered in ice, which is starting to melt from the warmer temperatures these past few days. Microspikes were handy, but you could do the hike well enough without them. We had to remove ours after Beaver Lake and put them back on for the return trip. Part of the trail is washed out (somewhere between the trail head and Beaver Lake), but there’s a new boot-beaten path through this stretch. It’s fine as long as you’re mindful of your footing; the soil is very unstable and can give way easily. We did this hike and the Old Sauk River hike in a single day for a total of 10 miles, which worked out nicely. As the days grow longer, so do the opportunities for adding more miles to your trip and spending more time outdoors.

Went birding, looking for dippers and grouse. Saw a dipper in the fast cold water. Also saw eagles, mergansers, golden crowned kinglets, creeper, raven, chickadees, wren, and a pileated. Didn't see too many people, a few other guys came and went. Hardcore kayakers. We helped push their car out of the snow. Road getting to trailhead was fine driving, only snow was the parking lot (and trail). Trail mostly packed snow. We went In on boots. Small tree down near beginning. That was not a problem but much farther up there were some steps near the river that had frozen into a ice slide. We turned around there. Alternate route present to the lower right thru steep mud and rocks slide out area, but we decided to head back anyways.