Beaver Lake — Thursday, Jun. 21, 2001

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

Beaver Lake is one of those trailheads that serious hikers scream past in their SUVs while on the way to ""real"" trailheads. I assume its heaviest use is from people staying at the White Chuck campground. But I've got to tell you this is really a neat little trail. The trail leads to a collection of beaver ponds filled by the waters of the Sauk. In the heart of the ponds is a newly re-constructed bridge that passes over the stagnant pools. It's really quite a neat area and reminded me of my trip to the Amazon jungle several years back. The pools are filled with nurse logs that have become long thin islands. The trail used to continue on and reconnect with the main road after 1½ miles but the Sauk has reclaimed the trail at about 1 mile. Were the trail ends I climbed the slopes above the washout to sit in a shady grove of old-growth redcedar and enjoy the view of the Sauk below and Mount Forgotten and Bedal Peak to the south. The trail's been brushed and lopped this year leaving behind a very nice, wide trail corridor (though there are a few big nettles still reaching into the trail). There's also a little mud, but not much. I imagine the beaver ponds can be quite buggy at the wrong time of year, but today there wasn't a single bug around.