The Forest Service has upgraded trail heads along the Mountain Loop Highway out of Darrington the last few years. First was to bring the Old Sauk trail head closer to the highway and build a 2nd trail head to accommodate a new accessible trail. Building the trail heads closer to the highway make them safer, and thwarts would-be ne'er-do-wells. Now is a nice, new trail head for Beaver Lake - it's visible from the highway, and the short steep slope at the start of the trail has been removed. This new trail head has an outhouse, and a history bulletin board is in the works (it's an old rail road bed - look for pilings along the river at the beginning of the trail). The Beaver Lake trail has always been notorious for muddy conditions. But a lot of work has been put into the trail in recent years, and with few exceptions, the trail is so much better now. You can only do so much for a flat trail in clayey soils. There is one section where the trail had slumped into the river (a 2003 vintage washout - a very good year for washouts). The reroute dips down near the river, and the slope has recently slumped again. The tread is still there, but it's a bit closer to the river than it was before, and the edge is abrupt and soft. Watch kids along this section. The alders, mosses & lichen, the reddish salmon-berry stalks and the lovely turquoise of the river made for a colorful walk.The beavers have been busy and the ponds extend farther than they have in past years. The ghostly silvery-barked alders seemingly glowing in the dense fog hovering above the ponds made for a very pretty view. You can see several beaver dams from the bridge that spans the largest ponds. Do yourself a favor and step off the trail time and again to view other beaver dams along the way. Immediately after crossing the bridge, there's a grove of huge western red cedars. Certainly continue past the bridge for this! About 5 minutes beyond, the trail ends abruptly where the river had washed away the slope (1990 vintage - another very good year for washouts). On a clear day, Mt. Pugh is visible from here; today it was not, but the fog swirling around the trees created a different kind of pretty scenery. I was happy to count 7 other parties enjoying this trail. We saw 2 eagles, and some people reported seeing 3 beavers in the ponds. Don't pass this one by. Usually snow-free throughout winter, it's a beautiful place. And it's short enough that you can swing by the Mountain Loop Coffee place on Darrington Avenue in Darrington. It's open on Sundays now, too. They sell coffee (big surprise), used books, local honey, t-shirts, Green Trails Maps, local art, and the White Horse Music Guild has dropped off some guitars, a banjo and a mandolin for customer's use. I have been there several times and was lucky enough to sit & listen to locals play and sing. It's a talented community. During one visit, I didn't want to leave, because more and more people arrived and picked up instruments or brought their own - and I ended up buying $80 in books while listening to them play, so you either gotta have some self-control or a lot of disposable income; but try to support the community! Today, along with a coffee drink, I bought some local fireweed honey, one book and one small painting from a local artist. No photos. You'll just have to go and see for yourself.

Starting the new year off right! Trail was very easy to find and road conditions were great for this time of year. There was beautiful frost on all of the trees and the lake itself was mostly frozen over which made for great scenery, beautiful icicles, and absolute calm and quiet the entire hike. There is one point on the hike almost a mile in that was a little bit difficult for a ten year old to cross but manageable. There are a few smaller tree trunks along the hike but easy to cross even for younger children. The trail ends at a log that is a great place to sit down and have lunch and look out over the river with amazing mountain views!

Nice short hike. Mostly along the Whitechuck in second growth with glimpses of the river. Lots of tiny frogs on the trail. We got an early start so the drive past the Oso landslide was no problem.

Enjoyed this short, flat hike. We parked on the right before the bridge and walked to the trailhead just after the bridge but then noticed there was plenty of parking at the trailhead. Started out at 12:20...reached the end of the trail at 1:20. Several beautiful things to see along the way; moss covered trees, river to our right most of the hike, several little trails shooting off the main one to go exploring down by the river, beautiful flowers and berries along the trail. About 3/4 of the way from the end there is a murky brown lake with thousands of tiny frogs on the trail. I have never seen so many frogs in one place in my life! At one point it is impossible to not step on them as you are passing through. It was "creepy cool" to see as they scurry out of the way for you into the bushes where you can hear them rustling in the leaves. Bring bug spray. The horseflies are gargantuan. I also got stung a couple times moving off the single file trail for passers by from nettles or poison oak. Not sure which one but sure felt the after effects. Good thing for the river right there. The cold water felt good and eased the sting. Next time I will wear pants. It was a nice little hike for very small children (with pants) or for the elderly or for someone who is out of shape and working up to a more substantial hike. I probably won't repeat this hike but it was nice to add it to my repertoire.

Hello "Prospectors", Highway 530 is now open, but be prepared to witness the full devistation of the OSO disaster that happened back in April as the road takes you right through the heart of Washington State's worst, natural disaster that killed 43 people, if you plan on hitting this trail. You can always take the backside of the Mountain Loop, but it can make for a much longer drive to get to this hike. This is an excellent, easy, day hike for those who are just beginning or those who just want to get out and hit the trails! The parking area is not really monitored that much, so make sure to not leave personal/valuable items in plain view and lock everything in your trunk. This trail does not have a lot of people on it (we saw 2 people all day) and the trail is in great condition. Make sure to wear/layer with the right amount of clothing as this hike has a lot of coverage over the trail with a few spots open for the sun to come through. Bring some bug spray, especially around the Beaver Lake area as the mosquitoes did start to become a little aggressive, but was worth it as we did see one beaver dive into the water from its dam. I use natural Lavender bug spray which works really well. Great spots to sit and have lunch, right on the banks of the river all through the hike, or you can drive right across the road to the boat launch area and enjoy a nice river beach area for lunch, meditation, exploring or watching white water rafting tours come through (one boat actually flipped on the rapids while we were there...everyone was fine/safe and got back into the boat) and just enjoy the beautiful settings of watching the two rivers merge into one... Easy hike to be enjoyed by all ages and we will be back to do some more exploring and discovering on many of the wonderful hikes in this area. ~Happy Prospecting... The Intuitive Prospector www.MarcLainhart.com