We hiked to Beaver Lake from the trailhead at the Whitechuck intersection on the Mtn Loop Hiway.   Flat hike to Beaver Lake on old railroad grade.   Bridge is out at the Lake.   Trail is washed out by an abandoned oxbow of the Sauk River just short of the of east trailhead.   Watch for stinging nettles along the trail.

This is an awesome flat hike. With the bridge being out halfway across it's more like 3.4 miles round-trip. 

The lake is gorgeous, I've never seen so many different species of birds. Spotted several nests. And enjoyed lunch surrounded by birdsong. 

Trail maintenance is ongoing here. There was a newly built low bridge over one of the many stream crossings. We only encountered 1 party while on the trail.  

Arrived 630am, not a soul in sight. Beautiful dawn, beautiful day, only tiny bit of mud encountered. Quiet and serene. Trail in great shape. Bridge is blocked about 2/3 across but is great viewing platform for the beaver lake.

I am happy to report that this trail is in some of the best shape I have seen it in! The slide has been benched and can be walked by toddlers, many of the drainage problems have been addressed plus brushing and benching has been done on some sections needing some attention. The only issue of note is the section just before the defunct bridge (now a viewpoint), is mucky clay that just can't be helped, you need boots here.  Our work party was small today, only 5 people. We worked with the Forest Service crew, they cut up some logs on the hillside with their chainsaw while we prepared trenches for the sills for new puncheon. We were at a low spot and there was a lot of muck and mire for sure. We corrected the drainage as best we could before bringing the logs down to the work site. We hauled both the sills and stringers but we had to leave the work unfinished (needs drilling) as the FS crew was notching out our logs. WTA does not want volunteers anywhere near a chainsaw! The trail is beautiful right now, bright yellow skunk cabbage everywhere, yellow wood violets, trillium and the bright green of new grass and leaves. Woodpeckers and hummingbirds!  There has been new beaver activity, 2 new dams and across the pond, gnawed off trees. Such a short,easy level trail anybody can walk it!  

Cooler temps and plenty of precipitation didn't dampen the spirits of a dozen or so intrepid WTA volunteers. We worked on a variety of different projects throughout the day. One crew worked to haul some large rocks up from the river to build up a small cascade for a drain to help prevent further erosion and undercutting of the re-routed trail at the point where the river washed out a chunk of the trail a few years back. In addition to the rock retention of the new waterfall, we filled in an eroding drain next to it with rock and capped it with soil and some replanted ferns and finished off the section by lining the other side of the drain with a water bar. Hopefully all this will help reduce erosion at this point at least through the summer until even more significant fixes can be arranged. Other crews worked throughout the day on widening and cleaning tread, clearing out drains, some minor logout with the assistance of the Forest Service crew, and some early season brushing to get ahead of the onslaught of undergrowth coming with the summer. We got muddy, we got pretty wet, and we had a lot of fun.

Road to the trailhead is in great shape as it is on the paved part of Mountain Loop Highway. Crews were out with street sweepers cleaning gravel and dirt off the shoulders. The toilet at the trailhead is unlocked and well stocked with TP. Mosquitoes were becoming more noticeable and annoying, especially for the crew on the rock project as there was less opportunity to move around. There are some muddy parts of the trail and a few points with some minor obstacles including a large tree down over the trail that can be passed under without too much trouble.