We actually hiked a combination of the Lower Lake Trail and the Upper Lake Trail for a distance of about 1 mile and an elevation gain of about 200 feet.
Battle Ground Lake was the most popular attraction in the park; the beach and water were filled with children and families enjoying the last week of vacation before school starts next week. We did not meet anyone else on the trails.
From the parking area, we walked a paved path down to the beach and boat launch area, about .1 mile. We headed right and took the turn for the Upper Lake Trail. The path climbed gradually up to the caldera rim -- Battle Ground Lake likes in the caldera of an old volcano. It merged with the trail leading to the walk-in tent campground. In a short distance, the Upper Lake Trail diverged from the golf-cart wide path onto a more primitive trail. We continued around the lake without much in the way of views but always within sound of all the good times happening on the water. The trail topped out at about 720 feet elevation before dropping back down to the lake level as we neared the boat launch and swim beach.
Unfortunately, we did not find a rack to pick up a park brochure or trail map, so we had to make guesses about where to go at unmarked trail intersections. I recommend printing out a map from the park website at home and bringing it along on any hike unless you have the trail system memorized.
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