Some @$$hole broke into my truck while I was on the trail today, just giving everyone a heads up.

Only one person seen on the trail, mid day, mid week.  Nice walk thru the woods and along the river, as described by others.  Miner's Lettuce and Nettles about 2 ft tall, best time to eat those I've heard.  Not sure if its ok to cut those here though, probably not.

Beautiful sides of the trail full of my favorites.  I should go back in a couple weeks to see if those really are maidenhair ferns, and to get a few salmonberries, now forming as the bright pink blooms fade.  I'm pretty sure I saw Hooker's Fairy Bells, Rosy Twisted Stalk, False Solomon's Seal,  False Lily of the Valley, Bleeding Heart, Skunk Cabbage, Yellow Wood Violet & so many more. Many Trillium, most fading to purple, some far off in the woods still white.

Trail ends in the middle of the bridge, and didn't look safe to try to cross, though if you didn't mind getting wet, you could do it.  We saw one beaver swimming slowly in the distance, noticed at least 3 large lodges of built up sticks, and much evidence of beaver dams.  One place you could see the 1 to 2 ft difference in water levels, above and below one of the large dams appearing to cross part of the lake.

On the way back, we got to see a small black bear loping up the hill, just for a few seconds before disappearing.

Addition on 5/10/21
Hubby took some picts and got a short video of the bear we saw, so posted link.  Hope it works.  And the frog, he took that.

Love this quiet wander along the Sauk River. Arrived at the parking lot around 9:45 am, was only one other car in the lot, and passed the owner heading back almost as soon as my boots hit trail. Trillium, bleeding hearts, salmon berries and LOTS of skunk cabbage blooming. A few small downed trees and muddy spots. At approximately 3/4 of a mile, the trail opens up on a stunning view of the river. A couple large old downed trees at this point in the trail have been notched for passage, though the second one requires a scramble over and a few feet of a drop on the other side. Already solo hiking with a tweaked knee, I opted to turn around - though this tree would pose no issue for more agile (and less injured) folks. Smaller kiddos and doggos would probably need assist. 

Like the other trip reports mentioned, there were lots of downed trees on the path. The trail was passable at all points; just need to pick up your feet! There were some muddy patches, but again, nothing too bad. We were the only car at 10:30 am and only saw one other group on our way out. Beaver Lake is more of a marshland, so don't be expecting an alpine lake! I would say the best view is about halfway into the hike when there is a gorgeous view of the Sauk River. We had a picnic lunch on the sand looking out at the river. All in all, nice, fun, easy hike to get outside and enjoy the sunshine!

Short but pretty hike. There are a lot of reports on this already. I'll add that there are several logs to step/climb over and the falling-down bridge was super slick in the drizzle. No climbing around the broken down parts for us. Pit toilet is open, clean and stocked. The trailhead is right off the MLH so any car will get you there. Only one other party today.