Decent morning walk to stretch the legs. A bit of mud but nothing to write home about.

Pro tip: scramble down the bank to the rocky island and you'll encounter a kingdom of frogs, and a great view of Mt. Pugh.

Fellow foragers take note-- there are huge amounts of wild strawberries at the trailhead. Plump, ripe, ready to eat. There's also salmonberry ripe along trail, but in lesser amounts. We saw a pair of western tiger swallowtails flitting about and a California tortoiseshell as well!

This hike took us 45 minutes to reach the viewpoint where the trail concludes-- the bridge is still out. The view is of a red-soiled swampy area. There are a few steps cut into logs that are sideways and challenging to maneuver. It's slippery and muddy!

Who says you have to drive all the way to Wenatchee for an epic flower display?  Skunk cabbage flowers are yellow,  are bigger than balsam root, and in epic numbers on this trail!  And they are approaching their peak.

(Yes, I know the flower is not a flower, but actually a special modified leaf protecting the spadix which contains the actual flowers, etc...)  

Since I wasn't ready to call it a day after my hike on White Chuck Bench, I made a quick trip here, just as thundershowers were commencing.  I love this beautiful trail.  As others have mentioned, though, it's a pity about the broken bridge.  .  There doesn't appear to be any sane way to bypass the lake and connect to the trail on the other side. One can only hope that  funds will be found to repair it soon.  This trail is a gem, especially this time of year.

Mosquitoes are out already!  Though not pesky yet.  

I tidied all these up today and am happy to report they are now ready for your visit!

First order of the day was to rejoin Lookout Tree and Beaver Lake trails.  Long story short, someone already did!  Started from Lookout Tree TH, went all the way to the broken bridge over Beaver Lake and back.

That didn't take long, drove up the road to Frog Lake Trail.  Mostly good with 3 places you might have turned around, did some serious sawing.  Muddy in places this time of year.

Had time left to look for Darrington Old Growth Reserve trail across from the parking.  Still could not find.  Took the main trail to the Y, L on Sauk River Bar Trail, out to the river.  Expansive views in all directions.  Back to the Y I took the other fork to small parking area and gravel road. Trail continues to next driveway which I walked out to Sauk Prairie Road back to the truck.

These are all right by each other so easy to make a day of.  I didn't see anyone but there were people at the normal trails.  Lookout Tree is 2.3 miles past Beaver Lake TH (bathroom), on R.  Frog Lake TH is on the Darrington side of Clear Creek, paved pullout.  DOG is on Sauk Prairie Road, between utility poles 21 and 22, parking for a couple cars on L.

This was my first time exploring this trail, and this far into the moutain loop. The road to the parking lot is paved and easy to find with signs along the road. Plenty of parking with toilet services at the trailhead. 

The trail began fairly easily with no obstacles. A small bridge early on looks like it was recently constructed, showing signs of possible trail maintenance. As you continue down the trail, there are many downed tree along the way that can be climbed over and under without too much difficulty. 

The smell of blooming skunk cabbage fills the air throughout most of the trail. It can easily be seen in large patches along the trail.

The trail continues to degrade with more blown down trees until you reach the site of the collapsed bridge. Here I was able to walk to the right of the bridge without getting too wet. Three small streams were crossed without much difficulty to get to the other side and continue on with the trail.

The trail continues and was easy to navigate to the end, offering a final river view and what I think was Mt. Forgotten in the distance. After the bridge, the trail is currently an easy walk with some downed trees. However, once the bushes get their foliage back, this may turn into a slight bushwack.

***Note: I didn't walk on the partial bridge until my return trip so I didn't see the sign indicating it was the end of the trail***

Overall the trail is okay in its current state. The views of Mt. Pugh and Mt. Forgotten on a clear day would convince me to return again!