Ashland Lakes — Saturday, Sep. 6, 2025

The hazy, smoky weather wasn't ideal for a summit hike so we chose some lakes instead. Turned out the weather was ideal for it, cloudy and with some fog. We got to the trailhead shortly before 9am and found only one other car there. The forest road itself is being re-graded, possibly for a future logging operation. As a result, although steep in places it was quite smooth with only the final part of the road after the last turnoff being rutted and rough, requiring some ground clearance to prevent scraping.

There is a vault toilet at the trailhead, but it was locked and to no surprise toilet paper, garbage and human feces was everywhere, especially around the back. That's all I've got to say about it...

This is a very interesting trail, with the first 3/4 mile being an old logging road that makes its way through a very young forest. After that it becomes a true trail through old or second-growth forest, including many large snags close to 8 feet in diameter. At least half of the trail beyond this point is actually covered in wood planks creating a boardwalk, as the underlying ground is either too soft for a normal path or are actual wetlands complete with deep mud and skunk cabbage. There are also at least a couple of large blowdowns still present along the route, one you have to crawl under and another you have to scramble over. Neither proved much of a challenge however.

We reached the first lake, Beaver Plant Lake in less than an hour. Definitely don't miss it as it's basically right off the main path and quite scenic. When we first arrived it was partially cloaked in fog. I got better pics on the return trip. Upper Ashland Lake was just .2 miles further up the trail and was also shrouded in mist. As I stood there taking pictures though the fog lifted and the sun partially came out. Large spider webs were everywhere, freaking out my friend who isn't exactly an arachnid enthusiast.

We then made it down to Lower Ashland Lake, where the trail is much rougher and a bit hard to follow at times. However that lake is also quite picture-worthy, so don't miss it either. The trail goes over a thick wooden bridge and then wraps around the south shore slightly before terminating at a wooden platform set up for camping. All three lakes have narrow boardwalks running along their shores, at least on the west sides. This allows you to get close to the water without getting your feet wet, although I was told they are often underwater in late spring.

Unfortunately during the hike back I saw more toilet paper literally on the side of the trail. There are some really disgusting, selfish and inconsiderate people among us, I'm sad to say. Fortunately the few people we encountered on the way in and back out were friendly and seemed like decent folks. We were back at our vehicle by 12:50pm and there were just three other cars parked there.