this easy hike was for us a bit disappointing. the actual beaver created lake is spread out on both sides of the wooden bridge. unfortunately, there is no trail that goes around the lake--so you can't really see the results of the beaver engineering, nor really soak in all of the lake. i felt like we only got a teasing sample. the lake was kind of blanched, so the experience was not all that great. contrast this with ashland lakes which is way more engaging. in summary: go somewhere else...

Needing a free therapy session (a hike), I dug into my favorite book on lowland winter hikes, knowing that I had a time restriction and that a serious cold front was expected later in the day. I had put off Beaver Lake Trail because it didn't appear to offer much, but on this day, it fit my criteria, so off I went. As I aimed my transport north towards Darrington, the rain started down as did my spirits. But, the trail gods and goddesses must have been smiling on me, as less than a mile before the trailhead, the rain stopped, the haze lifted above the hilltops and I was gifted a cool, windless morning for a tromp through the woods. There were patches of snow and many blowdowns, but the trail on this mostly flat, six mile (round trip) hike was fairly dry, with only occasional soggy sections. When you get to Beaver Lake after a mile or so, you'll wonder , as I did, ""Why in the world is this called a lake?!?"" Its really just a pleasant network of beaver ponds, but far be it for me to advocate changing all those maps. The one difficult section is near the two mile mark, where the Sauk River has eaten into the clay embankment and obliterated the trail. At this point you have to scramble up and over a muddy hillside and reconnect with the trail on the other side of the washout. Its not difficult, but wear gloves as you will be holding hands with some unfriendly brush. Look for sparsely placed red plastic ribbons to guide you to where the trail continues. The highlight of the trail is near the end. Two gigantic old red cedars stand beside the trail with diameters of 15 feet. Though the tops have broken off, walking around these stately old behemoths you get a sense of what some of the timber used to be like around here. Its amazing to think that the Olympic Peninsula was once covered with these beauties. All in all, a pleasant, peaceful stroll, accompanied by beautiful birdsong, swooping bald eagles and two stray dogs wearing cowbells and radio transmitters (?!?!?).

Beaver Lake is one of those trailheads that serious hikers scream past in their SUVs while on the way to ""real"" trailheads. I assume its heaviest use is from people staying at the White Chuck campground. But I've got to tell you this is really a neat little trail. The trail leads to a collection of beaver ponds filled by the waters of the Sauk. In the heart of the ponds is a newly re-constructed bridge that passes over the stagnant pools. It's really quite a neat area and reminded me of my trip to the Amazon jungle several years back. The pools are filled with nurse logs that have become long thin islands. The trail used to continue on and reconnect with the main road after 1½ miles but the Sauk has reclaimed the trail at about 1 mile. Were the trail ends I climbed the slopes above the washout to sit in a shady grove of old-growth redcedar and enjoy the view of the Sauk below and Mount Forgotten and Bedal Peak to the south. The trail's been brushed and lopped this year leaving behind a very nice, wide trail corridor (though there are a few big nettles still reaching into the trail). There's also a little mud, but not much. I imagine the beaver ponds can be quite buggy at the wrong time of year, but today there wasn't a single bug around.

This is a great trail for those looking for an easy hike to a beaver free lake. The route, to the lake, appears to be an old railroad grade. Except for a few muddy places, it remains obstruction free. The lake is bisected with a wondrous feat of engineering: a three feet wide wooden bridge. The small lake was full of birds and insects. I consumed the entire return hike wondering where all the beavers were.

The trail is in great shape until you get to a bridge over a swamp, where the RD has put up signs warning you that it is ""structurally unsafe,"" and telling you not to use it until repairs are made. Half our group went over it anyway. There are a couple of planks that have fallen in, but the frame seemed OK. The others chickened-out. Those who went on reported a wash-out near the east end of the trail. Otherwise it is a fine early season outing. Keep your eyes open for evidence that you are following a century-old logging railroad grade, such as pylons on the river side just down from the parking lot, long very straight stretches, and sections where you are in an excavated notch between the hillside and a ridge separating you from the river, all cut no doubt by hand in order to keep a steady grade. Serveral genuine old-growth cedars still reside on the river side of the trail below the old rickety bridge -- the first loggers must have missed them! Otherwise it is all Alder, Maple, Cottonwood and a few second-growth evergreens.