Excellent short trail through recovering forest. Lots of large Sitka spruce and bigleaf maples. A couple impressive fir stumps, and one large cedar stump, too. Trailhead had lots of cars but only a few folks on the trail (?)

Great trip with friends

Gorgeous day for a hike! The trail is great if you want to take a leisurely stroll in nature. Started our hike at a little after 2pm. There is little in the way of elevation gain and the trail is gravel and well maintained. Lots of overlook spots to see the lake. We only encountered one family while on the trail. Some portions of the river trail are a little overgrown, but still passable. The outhouses at the larger second parking area are open, but not serviced regularly. 

It's always nice to take old hiking friends up the Middle Fork.  We went in three separate cars to the upper Oxbow Loop trailhead, hiking down to the lower trailhead and then counterclockwise around the loop, with a side trip to the river shore--on a day with fine views across the Middle Fork.  Not many hikers on the trail but great views and the usual interesting flowers and fungi.  A link to my photos is below, in the full report section.