First time on this hike. On the way up you’ll come to a fork where you can go to Boardman and Bear lakes but there is no sign for Ashland. Go right and follow the road and you’ll eventually see a sign for Ashland. The road up to the trail head has lots of potholes and the was pretty rough and we were in a pick up. The trail was a good mix of mud, rocks, and snow even with the boardwalks. The snow patches were difficult at times and you definitely run the risk of falling through. 

We got to the upper lake, sat and ate and took in the Beaty. We decided to not go down to the lower lake. On the way back we detoured to Beaver Plant Lake which was beautiful. 

All in all, the trail wasn’t terrible, the snow proved to be a little difficult at times, but the view of the lakes with the slush still on top and the fog overhang made it all worth it. Might be my favorite hike due to the lack of other people out there.

Decided to avoid the crowds today and hike up to Ashland Lake.  The road was rough but passable, with snow as we neared the trailhead.  The rode was not passable going up to Bear and Pinnacle Lakes.  We parked and walked up to the trailhead.  There was snow in some sections of the trail.  Stopped to check out Beaver Plant Lake.  Enjoyed the nice sunny weather.  Only made it to the upper Ashland Lake.  All in all a great hike. 

We didn't make it to the trailhead. .2 miles before the road splits and 1.5 miles before the trailhead parking is snow covered. Its slushy and deep enough that we decided to turn around rather than risk getting stuck without the tools to get ourselves unstuck. So if you're into an extra 3 miles and have the right gear for hiking in snow, it *might* be worth checking out but we'll be waiting for some more to melt off.

Previous to that, the road is full of large dips and water-filled potholes. I definitely would have classified it as "road recommended for high clearance only". We were in a 4runner and it was still very bumpy and slow-going at times.

I wanted a relatively easy hike today as I'm healing an injury in my leg. I chose to go up to Upper/Lower Ashland Lakes and also Beaver Plant Lake. It ended up being a 5.7mile trip with 860ft of elevation gain, which was just about perfect for my injury. I started late in the day, at 3pm, and there was one family at the trailhead just on their way out. There is a pit toilet at the trailhead that was open -- a lot of trash has piled up around it -- but it's there nonetheless. All-in-all this was a nice hike, despite the constant background noise of shooting not too far off in the distance. The entire hike.

The trail starts off gently winding through the woods. Patches of snow here and there, but nothing to worry about, and not entirely snow covered to begin with. You cross a grated bridge and after about 1.5miles, across Beaver Plant Lake. The trail is well signed. The lake is starting to freeze over and is somewhat snow covered, but with the recent warm up, is still unfrozen. Several campsites are scattered around the sides of the lake.

Heading back up to the large signage from Beaver Plant Lake, I carried on to Upper/Lower Ashland Lakes. The trail at this point is mostly a series of planks. Almost all of the planks are somewhat snow covered, and if they weren't snow covered, they could be a bit slick. Off to the sides of most of these planks was water, although, some areas were just a little squishy, and you could walk off to the sides. Again, most everything is fairly well marked and follows an obvious trail. I skipped Bold Mountain and Twin Falls today, but these trails, in unknown condition to me, do connect to the route I took.

Although mostly in the woods, and muddy, and plank covered, and with near constant gunshots, this was actually a really nice little hike to some less visited lakes (at least around sunset).

Strava GPS: https://www.strava.com/activities/1357955847 

Drive Video: https://youtu.be/Kl8SH1DyhHE 

Hike Video: https://youtu.be/87jUyxtaVi0 

Ashland lakes is a beautiful winter hike! I feel lucky that I attempted it when I did - all previous trip reviews showed very little snow on the trail. By the time we got there on Sunday though, my Honda Accord couldn't make it further than 1 mile from the trailhead. See the picture of us walking on the road :) Still glad I made the journey!

Road or trail, the walk was beautiful. The trail is too rough, narrow and uneven for snowshoes. My partner had microspikes but I didn't - we both did fine. As long as you have gators for some of the higher areas you'll be ok. The wooden walkways get slippery at times, so be careful.

There was only one other party on the hike the whole time, the solitude was much appreciated. The whole hike (even WITH the extra mile-ish each way) only took us 5 hours with decent breaks, this is a quick stroll. By the time we got back to the trailhead, there were 6+ other cars parked at the Bear + Pinnacle lake trailhead nearby.